Devotion, the vow of service
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सन्मुख चि तुह्मीं सांगावी जी सेवा । ऐसे माझे देवा मनोरथ ॥1॥
निघों आह्मी कांहीं चित्तवित्त घरें । आपुल्या उदारें जीवावरी ॥ध्रु.॥
बोल परस्परें वाढवावें सुख । पाहावें श्रीमुख डोळेभरी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे सत्य बोलतों वचन । करुनी चरण साक्ष तुझे ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
May You command Your service to me face to face, O Lord; such is the desire of my chitta. I will give away my mind, my wealth, my home, and my very life for Your sake. Let us exchange words that increase our mutual joy, and let me gaze at Your blessed face to my full satisfaction. Says Tuka, I speak this as a true vow, with Your feet as my witness.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
May you command me to your service face to face, O Lord; this is the desire of my mind. I will set out giving up my mind, my wealth, my home, all of it freely, even my life. Let us trade words back and forth that make our joy grow, and let me gaze at your blessed face till my eyes are full. Tuka says: I speak this as a true word, with your feet as my witness.
What it means
Tukaram wants God to assign him service directly, not at a distance, and he stakes everything on it. The offering is total and named item by item: mind, wealth, home, and life, all given freely. But this is not grim duty; he pictures it as a back-and-forth conversation between the two of them that keeps increasing their shared joy, and as the simple pleasure of looking at God's face until his eyes are satisfied. He seals it as a vow, swearing on God's feet, so that the longing becomes a binding promise rather than a passing wish.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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