Exhortation, sit at the root of the mind
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
तीर्थाचिये आस । पंथ तो निट देव । पाविजेतो ठाव अंतराय ॥1॥
ह्मणऊनि भलें निश्चळ चि स्थळीं । मनाचिये मुळीं बैसोनियां ॥ध्रु.॥
संकल्पारूढ तें प्रारब्धें चि जिणें । कार्य चि कारणें वाढतसे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे कामा नाहीं एक मुख । जिरवितां सुख होतें पोटीं ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
On the path toward a sacred place, God is the straight road; one reaches the destination despite obstacles. Therefore it is good to sit firm at the root of the mind, in one steady place. Life built on mere intention is ruled by destiny; causes only multiply further causes. Says Tuka, desire has no single face; when joy is digested within, it fills the belly.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
If you long for a holy place, God himself is the straight road. You reach the destination in spite of every obstacle. So it is good to sit still in one place, at the root of the mind. A life built on mere intention is ruled by destiny. Causes only breed more causes. Tuka says: desire has no single mouth. When you digest joy within, it fills the belly.
What it means
Tukaram redirects the urge to go on pilgrimage back into the heart. If you crave a sacred destination, God is himself the straight road that gets you past every obstacle, so the better course is to sit still at the root of the mind. He warns that a life run on personal plans is at the mercy of destiny, where every cause only spawns further causes and nothing is finished. Desire, he says, has no single mouth to satisfy; it is endless. The contentment that lasts comes from joy taken inwardly and digested, which fills you the way food fills the belly.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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