Nondual seeing, no ground for fate
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आधीं देह पाहता वाव । कैचा प्रारब्धासी ठाव॥1॥
कां रे रडतोसी माना । लागें विठ्ठलचरणा ॥ध्रु.॥
दुजेपण जालें वाव। त्रिभुवनासि नाहीं ठाव ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे खरे पाहें । विठ्ठल पाहोनियां राहें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
When you look closely, this body itself is empty; where then is there any ground for fate? Why do you weep? Devote yourself to the feet of Vitthal. When duality itself is seen to be hollow, there is no place for it in all three worlds. Says Tuka, look truly and remain steadfast in the vision of Vitthal.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Look first: the body itself is empty. Where then is there any place for fate? Why are you crying, my mind? Hold to Vitthal's feet. Duality has become empty; in the three worlds it has no place. Tuka says: see truly. Look at Vitthal, and stay.
What it means
Tukaram is cutting away the ground that worry stands on. He tells his own mind to look closely and see that the body it grieves over is hollow; if the body is empty, the karma and fate hung on it have nowhere to rest. He pushes further, saying duality itself is hollow and has no place in all three worlds. The cure he offers is not argument but attention: hold to Vitthal's feet, look truly at Vitthal, and remain there. The weeping stops not because the problem is solved but because the seer sees there was no second thing to fear.
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