Adoration, the generous king on the brick
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
उदार चक्रवर्ती । वैकुंठीचा भूपति । पुंडलिकाचिया प्रीती । विटेवरी राहिला ॥1॥
सर्वसिद्धीचा दातार । सवें आणिला परिवार । भक्त अभयंकर । घ्याघ्या ऐसें ह्मणतसे ॥ध्रु.॥
जेणें हें विश्व निमिनलें । महर्षीदेवा संस्थापिलें । एकवीस स्वर्गांतें धरिलें । सत्तामात्रें आपुलिया ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे कृपावंत । इिच्छले पुरवी अर्थ। रििद्धसििद्धमुक्ती देतसे । शेखीं संग आपुला ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The generous sovereign of Vaikuntha, out of love for Pundalik, stands upon the brick. He is the giver of all attainments and has brought His entire retinue with Him. He who grants fearlessness to His devotees calls out, saying take, take. He who created this universe and established the great sages and gods, who upholds the twenty-one heavens by His mere will alone. Says Tuka, the compassionate one fulfills every desire and grants prosperity, powers, liberation, and ultimately His own company.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The generous emperor, the king of Vaikuntha, out of love for Pundalik, stands upon the brick. He is the giver of every attainment, and He has brought His whole retinue with Him. He who grants His devotees freedom from fear keeps calling out, take, take. He who made this universe, who set up the great sages and gods, who holds up the twenty-one heavens by His will alone. Tuka says: the compassionate one fulfills every wish, and grants prosperity, powers, and liberation; and in the end, His own company.
What it means
Tukaram marvels that the sovereign of Vaikuntha, who could stay enthroned in heaven, came and stands on a humble brick at Pandhari out of love for his devotee Pundalik. This is the same God who made the universe, established the sages and gods, and upholds all the heavens by his mere will. Yet here he stands open-handed, calling out take, take, and giving away every gift, riches, powers, even liberation. The poem saves the greatest gift for last: beyond all these prizes, the compassionate Lord finally gives his own company, which is the thing worth having.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
More in this theme →