Counsel, single-minded service
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
संतांची स्तुति ते दर्शनाच्या योगें । पडिल्या प्रसंगें ऐसी कीजें ॥1॥
संकल्प ते सदा स्वामीचे चि चित्तीं । फाकों नये वृित्त अखंडित ॥ध्रु.॥
दास्यत्व तें असे एकविध नांवें । उरों नये जीवें भिन्नत्वासी ॥2॥
निज बीजा येथें तुका अधिकारी । पाहिजे तें पेरी तये वेळे ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Praise of the saints should be offered as the occasion of meeting them arises. One's thoughts should always dwell upon the Master alone; the mind should not wander or break its steady flow. Servitude means being of one single mind; no sense of separateness should survive within. Says Tuka, whoever is qualified for the essential seed should sow it at the appointed time.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Praise the saints when the chance to meet them comes; do it then, as the occasion arises. Let your resolve always rest on the Master alone; do not let the mind scatter, keep it unbroken. To be his servant is to be of one single mind; no sense of being separate should be left alive. Tuka says: whoever is fit for the true seed should sow it at the right moment.
What it means
Tukaram gives plain instruction on how to live toward God and the saints. Praise of the saints is to be offered freshly when you actually meet them, but the inward resolve must never leave the Master for a moment. He defines servitude sharply: it is not occasional duty but a mind made single, with every trace of separateness between the self and God allowed to die. The closing image is agricultural, that the one ready for this essential seed should sow it at the proper time, meaning the qualified seeker must act when the moment is given and not let it pass.
The Saints
The character and service of true saints: softer than butter, harder than diamond.
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