Confession, the self-made noose
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
पंचभूतांचिये सांपडलों संदीं । घातलोंसे बंदीं अहंकारें॥1॥
आपल्या आपण बांधविला गळा । नेणें चि निराळा असतां हो ॥ध्रु.॥
कासया हा सत्य लेखिला संसार । कां हे केले चार माझें माझें ॥2॥
कां नाहीं शरण गेलों नारायणा । कां नाहीं वासना आवरिली ॥3॥
किंचित सुखाचा धरिला अभिळास । तेणें बहु नास केला पुढें ॥4॥
तुका ह्मणे आतां देह देऊं बळी । करुनि सांडूं होळी संचिताची ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I am caught in the trap of the five elements, imprisoned by my own ego. I have tied the noose around my own neck, not realizing that I was always free. Why did I take this worldly life to be real? Why did I cling to mine and thine? Why did I not surrender to Narayana? Why did I not restrain my desires? For the sake of a little pleasure I brought great ruin upon myself. Says Tuka, now I shall offer this body as a sacrifice and burn away my accumulated karma.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I am caught in the cleft of the five elements. Ego has thrown me into prison. With my own hands I tied the noose on my neck, not knowing that I stood apart all along, untouched. Why did I count this worldly life as real? Why did I keep saying mine, mine? Why did I not go to Narayana for refuge? Why did I not hold my craving back? For a little pleasure I brought great ruin on what was coming. Tuka says: now I will give this body as the offering. I will make a bonfire of my stored-up karma.
What it means
Tukaram makes a full confession of how the trap was self-built. The five elements hold him in their cleft, but it is his own ego that locked the prison and his own hands that tied the noose, while all along he was the separate, untouched witness and never knew it. He pours out the questions of remorse: why he treated the passing world as real, clung to mine and thine, never took refuge in Narayana, never reined in his cravings. The whole ruin came of chasing a scrap of pleasure. The poem turns at the end into resolve: he will offer the body itself as sacrifice and burn his whole hoard of accumulated karma to ash.
Confession and Sin
Raw, unflinching accounts of personal failure, weakness, and the weight of sin.
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