Confession, impurity and the snake-rope
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सोंवळा होऊं तों वोंवळें जडलें । सांडीमांडी बोलतोंडीं बीजीं ॥1॥
एकसरीं केलीं किळवरें साटी । आतां नका तुटी पायांसवें ॥ध्रु.॥
संकल्पीं विकल्प पापाचा सुकाळ । रज्जुसर्प मूळ मरणाचें ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे हें तूं ब्रह्मांड चािळता । मी कां करूं चिंता पांडुरंगा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Before I could become pure, impurity clung to me. In every attempt to set things right, new seeds of confusion are sown. I have traded everything away in one stroke for the wretched body. Now do not sever the bond with Your feet. In every intention, doubt creeps in, and sin flourishes. The rope mistaken for a snake becomes the root of death. Says Tuka, You who set this entire universe in motion, why should I worry, O Panduranga?.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Before I could become pure, impurity clung to me. Every time I try to set things right, new seeds of confusion get sown. In one stroke I traded everything away for this wretched body. Now do not break the bond with your feet. In every intention doubt creeps in, and sin runs wild. The rope mistaken for a snake becomes the root of death. Tuka says: you who keep this whole universe turning, why should I worry, O Panduranga?
What it means
Tukaram confesses that he cannot purify himself: the moment he reaches for purity, old impurity clings, and each attempt to mend his life only sows fresh confusion. He admits the bad bargain he has made, selling everything off for the sake of this poor body, and begs that the bond with God's feet not be cut. He names the trap in two images: doubt sneaking into every good intention, and the rope mistaken for a snake, an unreal fear that nonetheless breeds the dread of death. Then he lays it down. If God keeps the entire universe turning, his own worry is needless, and the last word is trust rather than anxiety.
Confession and Sin
Raw, unflinching accounts of personal failure, weakness, and the weight of sin.
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