Renunciation, burn the seeds of desire
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
दिक चि या नाहीं संसारसंबंधा । तुटेना या बाधा भवरोगाची ॥1॥
तांतडींत करीं ह्मणऊनि तांतडी । साधिली ते घडी सोनियाची ॥ध्रु.॥
संकल्पाच्या बीजें इंिद्रयांची चाली । प्रारब्ध तें घाली गर्भवासीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे बीजें जाळुनी सकळ । करावा गोपाळ आपुला तो ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
There is truly no remedy for the disease of worldly attachment; the affliction of this mortal sickness does not cease. In urgency I acted urgently and seized the golden moment. The senses move according to the seeds of desire, and past destiny casts one into the womb again. Says Tuka, burn all those seeds to ash and make Gopala your own.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
There is truly no cure for the tie to worldly life. This sickness of the world will not let go of me. So in haste I made haste, and I won that golden moment. The senses move by the seed of desire, and past karma throws one back into the womb. Tuka says: burn all those seeds to ash, and make Gopala your own.
What it means
Tukaram faces the disease of worldly attachment squarely: there is no half-cure for it, the affliction does not loosen on its own. So he acted with urgency, seizing the precious moment before it passed. He names the mechanism that keeps the trap running, that the senses move on the seed of desire and past destiny keeps casting the soul back into birth. The remedy he gives is total, not partial: burn every such seed to ash, and in its place make Gopala your own.
Renunciation
The case for letting go of worldly attachments and turning wholly to God.
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