The Name, the marketplace of grace
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
इनामाची भरली पेठ । वाहाती दाट मारग ॥१॥
अवघेची येती वाण । अवघे शकुन लाभाचे ॥ध्रु.॥
अडचणी त्या केल्या दुरी । देण्या उरी घेण्याच्या ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे जोडी जाली । ते आपुली आपणा ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The marketplace of divine gifts is full to overflowing, and the roads are bustling with traffic. Every kind of goods arrives, and every sign points to profit. All obstacles have been cleared away; receiving far outweighs giving. Says Tuka, the gain that has come is truly our own.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The marketplace of grace is full to overflowing, and the roads to it are packed and busy. Every kind of goods is coming in, and every sign points to profit. The obstacles have been cleared away; there is far more to receive than there is to give. Tuka says: the gain that has come is our very own.
What it means
Tukaram pictures the Name and grace of God as a thriving market open for trade. The stalls overflow, the roads are crowded, every kind of merchandise has arrived, and every omen points to profit, his way of saying that the wealth of God is freely available right now to anyone who comes. The barriers that once stood in the way have been removed, and the bargain is lopsided in the buyer's favor: what you receive far outweighs the little you put in. The closing turn makes it personal and permanent. This gain is not borrowed or on loan; it has become our own.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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