Exhortation, cling to Panduranga
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
पांडुरंगा ऐसा सांडुनि वेव्हारा । आणिकांची करा आस वांयां ॥1॥
बहुतांसी दिला उद्धार उदारें । निवडीना खरें खोटें कांहीं ॥ध्रु.॥
याचिया अंकिता वैकुंठ बंदर । आणीक वेव्हार चालितना ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे माझे हातींचें वजन । यासी बोल कोण ठेवूं सके ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Abandon all other dealings and cling to Panduranga; all other hopes are vain. He has generously given deliverance to many, without distinguishing between the true and the false. Under His seal, Vaikuntha's port is open, and no other commerce runs. Says Tuka, the weight in my hand is His endorsement; who can question it?.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Drop every other dealing; hold to Panduranga. Every other hope is wasted. He has freely lifted many, not sorting the true from the false. Under his seal the port of Vaikuntha is open, and no other trade runs there. Tuka says: the weight in my hand is his own mark. Who can find fault with it?
What it means
Tukaram urges the listener to abandon all other ventures and attach himself to Panduranga alone, since every other hope comes to nothing. He points to God's generosity: many have been delivered without God first weighing whether they were genuine or counterfeit. He uses the image of a port and a merchant's seal: only under God's stamp does the harbor of Vaikuntha open, and no rival commerce is allowed there. His closing claim is bold: what he holds carries God's own endorsement, so no one has the standing to question it.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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