Faith, reckless self-surrender
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
माझिये मनींचा जाणा हा निर्धार । जिवासि उदार जालों आतां ॥१॥
तुजविण दुजें न धरीं आणिका । भय लज्जा शंका टाकियेली ॥ध्रु.॥
ठायींचा संबंध तुज मज होता । विशेष अनंता केला संतीं ॥२॥
जीवभाव तुझ्या ठेवियेला पायीं । हें चि आतां नाही लाज तुम्हां ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे संतीं घातला हावाला । न सोडीं विठ्ठला पाय आतां ॥४॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Know this to be the firm resolve of my mind: I have become reckless with my very life. I will hold no one but you; I have cast away fear, shame, and doubt. The bond between you and me existed from the beginning, and the saints have strengthened it further. I have placed my entire being at your feet; now the responsibility is yours, not mine. Says Tuka, the saints have vouched for me. I will not let go of your feet now, O Vitthal.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Know this firm resolve of my mind: I have become reckless with my own life. I will hold no one but you. I have thrown away fear, shame, and doubt. The bond between you and me was there from the start, and the saints have made it stronger still. I have placed my whole being at your feet. Now the shame is yours, not mine. Tuka says: the saints have vouched for me. I will not let go of your feet now, O Vitthal.
What it means
Tukaram declares a surrender that has burned away all caution. He has staked his life and will cling to no one but God, casting off the fear, shame, and doubt that hold most people back. He insists the bond is not new: it was there from the beginning, and the saints have only deepened it. Then he turns the responsibility around with a daring move. Having laid his whole self at God's feet, he says any disgrace now belongs to God, not to him, for it is God's name that suffers if a surrendered devotee is failed. With the saints standing as his guarantors, he refuses to release the feet he has grasped.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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