Longing, no one ties the knot with truth
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कोठें आतां आह्मी वेचावी हे वाणी । कोण मना आणी जाणोनियां ॥1॥
न करावी सांडी आतां टाळाटाळी । देइन ये कळी होइल माजी ॥ध्रु.॥
घरोघरीं जाल्या ज्ञानाचिया गोष्टी । सत्यासवें गांठी न पडवी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आह्मां भाकितां करुणा। भलता चि शाहाणा शोध काढी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Where now shall I spend this voice? Who will bring it to mind with true understanding? Do not dismiss me or put me off any longer; if I must, I will raise a commotion. In every household they talk of spiritual knowledge, yet no one ties the knot with truth. Says Tuka, when I cry for mercy, every kind of clever person jumps in to investigate.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Where now am I to spend this voice? Who will take it to heart and truly understand? Do not cast me off or put me off any longer. If it comes to it, I will raise a commotion. In house after house they talk of spiritual knowledge, yet no one ties the knot with truth. Tuka says: when I cry out for mercy, every kind of clever person jumps in to investigate.
What it means
Tukaram asks where he can pour out his cry and who will actually understand it rather than just hear words. He warns God not to keep dismissing him; if pushed, he will make a loud disturbance. His complaint widens to the world around him: everyone talks of spiritual knowledge in every household, but no one truly binds himself to the truth they discuss. And when he cries for mercy, the clever ones rush not to help but to examine and analyze him, which is no comfort at all. The poem voices the loneliness of a real cry surrounded by mere talk.
Longing and Separation
Cries from the dark night of the soul: remonstrances, complaints, and desperate yearning.
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