The saints, an undeserved gift
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कोणा पुण्या फळ आलें । आजि देखिलीं पाउलें॥1॥
ऐसें नेणें नारायणा । संतीं सांभािळलें दीना ॥ध्रु.॥
कोण लाभकाळ। दीन आजि मंगळ ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे जाला । लाभ सहज विठ्ठला॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
By the fruit of what merit have I beheld these holy feet today? I cannot fathom it, O Narayana; the saints have cared for this lowly one. What a blessed and auspicious day this is for the poor. Says Tuka, the gain of Vitthal has come to me effortlessly.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
By the fruit of what good deed have I seen these feet today? I cannot understand it, O Narayana; the saints have looked after this lowly one. What a moment of gain, what a blessed day for one so poor. Tuka says: the gain of Vitthal has come to me, and it came easily.
What it means
Tukaram receives the sight of the saints' feet as pure grace and cannot trace it to any merit of his own. He asks what good deed could have earned this, and admits he does not know, which keeps the gift from becoming a reward he claims. He counts it the most blessed and auspicious moment a poor man could have. The last line names the deeper meaning: through the saints, the gain of Vitthal himself has come to him, and it came without strain or earning. The whole abhanga turns on undeserved, effortless grace arriving through holy company.
The Saints
The character and service of true saints: softer than butter, harder than diamond.
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