Prayer, hold my mind at Your feet
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
माझें चित्त तुझे पायीं । राहें ऐसें करीं कांहीं । धरोनियां बाहीं । भव तारीं दातारा ॥1॥
चतुरा तूं शिरोमणि । गुणलावण्याची खाणी । मुगुट सकळां मणि । तूं चि धन्य विठोबा ॥ध्रु.॥
करीं त्रिमिराचा नाश । दीप होउनि प्रकाश । तोडीं आशापाश। करीं वास हृदयीं ॥2॥
पाहें गुंतलों नेणतां । तुज असो माझी चिंता। तुका ठेवी माथा । पायीं आतां राखावें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Let my mind remain at Your feet; do something, anything, to make it so. Take me by the arm and carry me across this worldly existence, O generous Lord. You are the crown jewel among the wise, a mine of beauty and virtue, the crest gem above all. Become the lamp that destroys my darkness, shining with Your own light. Cut through the bonds of desire and make Your dwelling in my chitta. Says Tuka, I have become entangled without knowing it; let my care rest with You. I place my head at Your feet; protect me now.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Let my mind stay at Your feet. Do something, anything, to make it so. Take me by the arm and carry me across this worldly sea, O generous Lord. You are the crown jewel among the wise, a mine of beauty and virtue, the crest gem above them all. You alone are blessed, Vithoba. Destroy my threefold darkness. Become the lamp and shine. Cut the noose of desire. Come and live in my heart. Look, I have been caught without knowing it. Let my worry now be Yours. Tuka lays his head at Your feet. Protect me now.
What it means
This is a plain, urgent prayer to be held steady. Tukaram does not claim he can fix his own restless mind; he asks God to do it, by force if need be, to grab his arm and pull him across the ocean of worldly life. He praises Vitthal as the crest jewel of all the wise, then turns each praise into a request: be the lamp that kills my darkness, cut the rope of craving, take up residence in my heart. The line let my worry now be Yours is the hinge: he is handing over the whole anxious task of his salvation. Laying his head at the feet, he ends not with confidence in himself but with surrender, asking only to be guarded.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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