Prayer, besieged, I surrender
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मागें पुढें रीग न पुरे चि पाहातां । अवघा अवघीं वेिष्टलों ॥1॥
आतां माझी लाज राखें नारायणा । हीन हीन लीन याचकाची ।
करितां न कळे कांहीं असतील गुण दोष । करीं होळी संचिताची॥ध्रु.॥
इंिद्रयें द्वारें मन धांवे सैरें । नांगवे करितां चि कांहीं । हात पाय कान मुख लिंगस्थान ।
नेत्र घ्राणद्वारें पाहीं । जया जैसी सोय तया तैसें होय। क्षण एक िस्थर नाहीं ।
करिती ताडातोडी ऐसी यांची खोडी। न चले माझें यास कांहीं ॥2॥
शरीरसंबंधु पुत्र पत्नी बंधु। धन लोभ मायावंत । जन लोकपाळ मैत्र हे सकळ ।
सोइरीं सज्जनें बहुतें । नाना कर्म डाय करिती उपाय । बुडावया घातपातें ।
तुका ह्मणे हरी राखे भलत्या परी । आह्मी तुझीं शरणागतें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Behind and ahead I see no way through; I am besieged on all sides. Now protect my honor, O Narayana, poor, lowly, and humble as I am. Whatever merits or faults I may have unknowingly accumulated, please burn the whole store of my past karma. The senses rush wildly through every door: hands, feet, ears, mouth, eyes, nose, each chasing its own inclination without a moment's rest. They tear me apart, and I have no power over them. Relatives, wife, sons, brothers, wealth, greed, and illusion; friends, guardians, and so-called well-wishers; all conspire through countless schemes to drown me. Says Tuka, O Hari, save us by any means. We are Your surrendered ones.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I look behind and ahead and find no way through; I am surrounded on every side. Now guard my honor, O Narayana, low and lowly and humble beggar that I am. I cannot reckon what merits or faults I have gathered without knowing; make a bonfire of all my stored-up karma. The senses run wild through every door. I cannot control them by any effort: hands, feet, ears, mouth, the organ of sex, eyes, nose, look, each one bolts after whatever it likes, not still for a single moment. They tear me apart; this is their vice, and I have no power over them. Body-ties, son, wife, brother; wealth, greed, the illusion-bound; people, rulers, friends, kinsmen, the many so-called good folk; through all sorts of deeds and schemes they work to drown me, to trip me and strike me down. Tuka says: O Hari, save me by whatever means; we are your surrendered ones.
What it means
This is the prayer of a man who has run out of moves and admits it. Tukaram finds no road forward or back and is besieged on all sides, so he stops claiming any strength of his own and simply asks God to guard his honor as a helpless beggar would. He confesses he cannot even audit his own merits and faults and begs that the whole store of karma be burned in one bonfire. He then catalogs the forces against him, first the senses, which bolt through every door of the body and tear him apart faster than any effort can restrain, and then the web of relatives, wealth, and well-wishers, whose pull works to drown him. The only ground he can stand on is surrender: having no power, he throws himself on Hari to be saved by any means at all.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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