Prayer, only that I never forget You
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
हें चि दान देगा देवा । तुझा विसर न व्हावा ॥1॥
गुण गाईन आवडी । हे चि माझी सर्व जोडी ॥ध्रु.॥
न लगे मुक्ति आणि संपदा । संतसंग देई सदा ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे गर्भवासीं । सुखें घालावें आह्मासी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
O God, grant me this one boon: may I never forget You. May I sing Your praises with love; this alone is my entire wealth. I have no need for liberation or worldly prosperity; grant me the company of saints always. Says Tuka, even if You place us in the womb again, we shall go there happily.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Grant me just this one gift, God: that I never forget You. Let me sing Your qualities with love. This alone is all my wealth. I do not want liberation. I do not want riches. Give me the company of saints, always. Tuka says: if You must put us in the womb again, we will go there gladly.
What it means
Tukaram refuses the two prizes most people pray for, release from rebirth and worldly prosperity, and asks instead only that he never lose the memory of God. To sing God's praises with love is, he says, his entire fortune; he needs no other. The last line carries the stakes: he is so unconcerned with escaping rebirth that he will accept the womb again without complaint, as long as the love and the saints' company come with him. The whole prayer reverses the usual aim of religion. He is not asking to get out; he is asking only never to forget.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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