Surrender to destiny, worship instead
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
प्रारब्धें चि जोडे धन । प्रारब्धें चि वाडे मान ॥1॥
सोस करिसी वांयां । भज मना पंढरीराया ॥ध्रु.॥
प्रारब्धें चि होय सुख। प्रारब्धें चि पावे दुःख ॥2॥
प्रारब्धें चि भरे पोट । तुका करीना बोभाट ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Wealth comes by destiny; honor grows by destiny. Your striving is in vain, O mind; worship the Lord of Pandhari. Happiness arrives by destiny; suffering too comes by destiny. The belly fills by destiny alone. Says Tuka, make no loud complaint about it.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Wealth is gained by destiny; honor grows by destiny. Your striving is wasted, O mind; worship the Lord of Pandhari. Happiness comes by destiny; sorrow too comes by destiny. The belly fills by destiny alone. Tuka says: do not cry out and complain about it.
What it means
Tukaram is telling the restless mind to stop straining after what is not in its hands. Wealth, honor, pleasure, pain, even a full stomach, all of it comes by prarabdha, the destiny already set in motion, so the effort to grab and arrange it is wasted. With that energy freed, he redirects the mind to the one thing worth doing: worship the Lord of Pandhari. The closing line cuts off the natural reaction of grievance: do not make a loud complaint about your lot, but let it be and turn to God.
Surrender and Acceptance
The conditions of spiritual receptivity and the letting go of the separate self.
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