The simplest path to God
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भावें गावें गीत । शुद्ध करूनियां चित्त ॥1॥
तुज व्हावा आहे देव । तरि हा सुलभ उपाव ॥ध्रु.॥
आणिकांचे कानीं । गुण दोष मना नाणीं ॥2॥
मस्तक ठेंगणा । करी संतांच्या चरणा॥3॥
वेचीं तें वचन । जेणें राहे समाधान ॥4॥
तुका ह्मणे फार । थोडा तरी पर उपकार ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Sing the divine song with devotion, purifying the mind. If you truly want God, this is the simplest path. Do not bring the faults and virtues of others into your mind through your ears. Bow your head low before the feet of the saints. Spend only those words that bring peace to the chitta. Says Tuka, render service to others, whether great or small.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Sing the song with love, and make your mind clean first. If you truly want God, this is the easy way. Do not let other people's faults and merits into your ears, and do not turn them over in your mind. Bow your head low at the feet of the saints. Spend only the words that leave the heart at peace. Tuka says: do others some good, even a little if not much.
What it means
Tukaram lays out a path simple enough that no one can claim it is beyond them. Wanting God is the only requirement; the method is to sing with feeling, clean the mind, and stop letting gossip about who is good and who is bad take up room inside. He adds three small disciplines: bow low to the saints, speak only words that leave others at peace, and be useful to people even in small ways. The point is that devotion is not an elaborate technique but a few plain habits anyone can begin today.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
More in this theme →