Faith, the shameless patience of hope
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आशाबद्ध बहु असे निलाजिरें । होय ह्मणें धीरें फळ टोंकें ॥1॥
कारणापें चित्त न पाहें अपमान । चित्त समाधान लाभासाटीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे हातें लोटिलें न कळे । झांकितसें डोळे पांडुरंगा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Bound by hope, utterly shameless, one endures, saying 'Patience, the fruit will come at last.' The mind, fixed on its goal, does not notice any insult, for contentment lies in the promise of gain. Says Tuka, I have been pushed away without realizing it; I keep closing my eyes, O Panduranga.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Bound by hope, I am utterly shameless; I keep saying, with patience the fruit will come at last. The mind, fixed on its aim, takes no notice of any insult; its contentment lies in the gain it waits for. Tuka says: I have been pushed away without my knowing it, and still I keep my eyes closed, O Panduranga.
What it means
Tukaram describes the stubborn, unembarrassed patience of one who refuses to give up on God. Hope makes him shameless: he endures slights and delays because his mind is fixed only on the fruit it expects. He admits he may already have been pushed away without realizing it, yet he chooses to keep his eyes shut to that possibility. The poem honors a faith that will not read rejection into the silence, holding instead to the trust that Panduranga will not finally turn him away.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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