Prayer, refuge of the weary
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भागल्यांचा तूं विसांवा । करीं नांवा निंबलोण ॥1॥
परमानंदा पुरुषोत्तमा । हरीं या श्रमापासूनि ॥ध्रु.॥
अनाथांचा अंगीकार। करितां भार न मनिसी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे इच्छा पुरे । ऐसें धुरेगे विठ्ठल ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
You are the resting place of the weary. Ward off the evil eye from Your own name, O generous Lord. O Purushottama, O supreme bliss, remove this weariness from me. You take up the cause of the helpless without considering it a burden. Says Tuka, Vitthal fulfills every wish at the very source.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
You are the rest of all who are worn out. Ward off the evil eye from Your own name, generous Lord. O supreme bliss, O Purushottama, take this weariness from me. You take up the cause of the helpless and never count it a burden. Tuka says: Vitthal fulfills every wish at its very source.
What it means
Tukaram comes to God not with a list of wants but as one who is simply tired, and he names God as the place where the weary lie down. He even asks God to guard His own good name, since that name is what the exhausted lean on. The plea rests on a settled trust: God takes up the cause of the helpless and never treats it as a chore. He ends by affirming that Vitthal grants what is needed at the root, before the asking is even finished.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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