Longing, crying at the great gate
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आशाबद्ध आह्मी भाकितसों कींव । तत्पर हा जीव कार्यापाशीं ॥1॥
प्रतिउत्तराची पाहातसें वाट । करूनि बोभाट महाद्वारीं ॥ध्रु.॥
आपुल्या उचितें करूनियां ठेवीं । संबंध गोसावी तोडोनियां ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे एक जालिया निवाड । कोण बडबड करी मग ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Bound by hope, I cry out for mercy, with my whole life devoted to this cause. I wait for a reply, crying out at the great gate. Do what is fitting according to Your nature, O Lord, even if it means cutting all ties. Says Tuka, once the final verdict is given, who would carry on with empty chatter?.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Bound by hope, I cry out for mercy, my whole life bent on this one thing. I stand at the great gate, calling out, waiting for an answer. Do what fits Your own nature, Lord, even if it means cutting every tie. Tuka says: once the final verdict is given, who keeps up the empty chatter then?
What it means
Tukaram is held fast by hope and pours his whole life into a single plea for mercy, crying out at the great gate and waiting for any reply. He leaves the outcome to God, asking only that the Lord act according to His own nature, even if that means severing every attachment that binds him. He is not bargaining for a particular result; he wants the matter settled. The last line says why: once a final verdict is delivered, the restless arguing simply stops, and that settled silence is what he longs for.
Longing and Separation
Cries from the dark night of the soul: remonstrances, complaints, and desperate yearning.
More in this theme →