The Name, the easy great way
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
साधनाचे कष्ट मोटे । येथें वाटे थोर हें ॥1॥
मुखें गावें भावें गीत । सर्व हित बैसलिया ॥ध्रु.॥
दासा नव्हे कर्म दान। तन मन निश्चळ ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आत्मनिष्ट । भागे चेष्ट मनाची॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The hardships of spiritual practice seem daunting. But here, the greatest thing is simply this: sing the song of God with love while sitting at ease. All welfare is in that. The servant needs no rituals or charity; body and mind should simply be still. Says Tuka, for the one established in the Self, even the restlessness of the mind subsides.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The hardships of spiritual practice are heavy. Here it feels like the great thing. Sing God's song with your mouth, with love, sitting at ease. All good is in that. The servant needs no rituals, no charity. Let body and mind be still. Tuka says: for the one settled in the Self, even the mind's restlessness wears away.
What it means
Tukaram weighs the grinding labor of formal practice against a far simpler path. Where austerities feel daunting and great, he says the truly great thing is small: to sing God's name aloud with love while sitting at ease. That singing holds all welfare in it; the devotee needs no elaborate rites or almsgiving, only a body and mind brought to stillness. The closing claim is the reward: for one who rests in the Self through the Name, even the mind's chronic restlessness quiets down on its own.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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