Surrender, the Name as my whole practice
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मज अभयदान देई दातारा । कृपेच्या सागरा मायबापा॥1॥
देहभाव तुझ्या ठेवियेला पायीं । आणीक मी कांहीं दुजें नेणें ॥ध्रु.॥
सेवाभक्तिहीन नेणता पतित । आतां माझे हित तुझ्या पायीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे माझें सर्व ही साधन । नाम संकीर्तन विठोबाचें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Grant me the gift of fearlessness, O generous Lord, O ocean of grace, O my mother and father. I have placed my entire sense of self at Your feet. I know nothing else. I am devoid of service and devotion, ignorant and fallen. Now my welfare lies only at Your feet. Says Tuka, my entire spiritual practice is the singing of Vithoba's name.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Grant me the gift of fearlessness, generous one. Ocean of grace, my mother and father. I have laid my whole sense of self at your feet. I know nothing else, nothing apart from you. I have no service, no devotion; I am ignorant and fallen. Now my good lies only at your feet. Tuka says: my whole practice is this: singing the name of Vithoba.
What it means
Tukaram asks for one gift, fearlessness, from the God he calls ocean of grace and both mother and father. He has nothing of his own to bring, so he places his entire sense of self at God's feet and admits he knows no other refuge. Rather than hide his poverty, he names it plainly: no record of service or devotion, ignorant and fallen. That confession is the ground of his trust, because it leaves his welfare resting only on God. The whole of his spiritual practice, he says, is reduced to one thing, singing Vithoba's name.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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