The Name, it cuts the world's bond
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नाम घेतां उठाउठीं । होय संसारासी तुटी ॥1॥
ऐसा लाभ बांधा गांठी । विठ्ठलपायीं पडे मिठी ॥ध्रु.॥
नामापरतें साधन नाहीं । जें तूं करिशी आणिक कांहीं ॥2॥
हाकारोनि सांगे तुका । नाम घेतां राहों नका ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
By uttering the Name without delay, one's bondage to the world is severed. Tie this profit to your soul and embrace the feet of Vitthal. There is no spiritual practice greater than the Name; whatever else you may do is of no avail. Says Tuka, calling out to all: do not hold back from taking the Name.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The moment you take the Name, your bondage to the world is cut. Tie this profit into the knot of your cloth, and fall and cling to the feet of Vitthal. There is no practice greater than the Name; whatever else you do is of no use. Tuka says, calling out to everyone: when you are taking the Name, do not stop.
What it means
Tukaram makes the Name the whole of the path and urges it without hesitation. He claims it works at once: the instant the Name is taken, the knot binding a person to worldly existence is cut. He tells the listener to treat this as treasure, tying it into the knot of the cloth the way one carries money, and to clasp the feet of Vitthal. He ranks the Name above every other practice and says the rest, by comparison, is wasted effort. The closing line is a shout to the crowd: once you have begun the Name, do not let it stop.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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