The Name, the lowly one's friend
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
राम कृष्ण गोविंद नारायण हरी । केशवा मुरारी पांडुरंगा ॥1॥
लक्ष्मीनिवासा पाहें दिनबंधु । तुझा लागो छंदु सदा मज ॥2॥
तुझे नामीं प्रेम देई अखंडित । नेणें तप व्रत दान कांहीं॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे माझें हें चि गा मागणें । अखंड ही गाणें नाम तुझें ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Rama, Krishna, Govinda, Narayana, Hari, Keshava, Murari, Panduranga. O Lord of Lakshmi, look upon me, O Friend of the lowly. May Your enchantment possess me always. Grant me unbroken love for Your name; I know no austerity, vows, or charity. Says Tuka, this alone is my request: to sing Your name without ceasing.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Rama, Krishna, Govinda, Narayana, Hari. Keshava, Murari, Panduranga. You who are the home of Lakshmi, look at me. You are the friend of the lowly. Let me stay caught up in You always. Give me unbroken love for Your name. I know nothing of penance, vows, or charity. Tuka says: this is my one request. Let me sing Your name forever, without a break.
What it means
Tukaram strings the names of God together and then asks for only one thing. He calls Vitthal the home of Lakshmi and the friend of the lowly, and on that ground he asks to be looked upon. He admits he has none of the standard credentials: no austerity, no vows, no almsgiving. So his whole prayer narrows to a single request, that he be given unbroken love for the Name and never stop singing it. The poem makes the Name itself the path, in place of every other practice.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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