Exhortation, devotion over debate
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
काय तो विवाद असो भेदाभेद । साधा परमानंद एका भावें ॥1॥
निघोनि आयुष्य जातें हातोहात । विचारीं पां हित लवलाहीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे भावभक्ति हे कारण । नागवी भूषण दंभ तो चि ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Let all debate about difference and non-difference be set aside. Attain the supreme bliss through single-pointed devotion. Life is slipping away moment by moment; reflect upon your true welfare without delay. Says Tuka, sincere devotion is the only means; pride and pretense bring nothing but ruin.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Let that quarrel about difference and no-difference be set aside. Reach the supreme bliss by single-hearted devotion. Life is leaving, slipping out hand over hand; think about your own good, and quickly. Tuka says: heartfelt devotion is what does it; pride and pretense only strip you bare.
What it means
Tukaram waves off the endless debate over whether soul and God are one or two and points to the practical aim: the supreme bliss, reached by undivided devotion rather than argument. He presses the urgency by reminding you that life is running out moment by moment, so attending to your true welfare cannot wait. The contrast he draws is sharp: sincere devotion is the one effective means, while pride and outward show, far from adorning you, leave you exposed and ruined. The warning points at the temptation to mistake clever religious display for the real surrender.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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