The Name, the boat across the ocean
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नाम तारक भवसिंधु । विठ्ठल तारक भवसिंधु ॥1॥
नामधारक तया अरि मित्रु । समता त्यागुनियां क्रोधु ॥ध्रु.॥
नामधारक तया । कदापि न घडे विषयाचा बाधु ॥2॥
ज्या नामें तरले शुकादिक । नारद संत मुनिजन साधु ॥3॥
जाणूनियां जे नसरें । ते नेणति जैसा गज अंधु ॥4॥
सहज तुकया । नाम चि जपतां स्वरुपीं वेधु ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The Name is the vessel to cross the ocean of worldly existence; Vitthal is the vessel to cross the ocean of worldly existence. One who bears the Name regards friend and foe alike, casting aside anger and abiding in equanimity. No sensory temptation can ever touch the bearer of the Name. By that Name, Shuka and others were liberated, along with Narada, saints, and sages. Those who knowingly refuse it are like a blind elephant, stumbling in ignorance. Says Tuka, simply by chanting the Name, one naturally becomes absorbed in the true Self.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The Name is the boat that carries you across the ocean of worldly life; Vitthal is the boat that carries you across. One who holds the Name sees enemy and friend as the same, letting go of anger and resting in evenness. No temptation of the senses can ever harm the one who holds the Name. By that Name Shuka and others crossed over, and Narada, and the saints, sages, and seekers. Those who know it and still refuse it are like a blind elephant, stumbling on. Tuka says: simply by repeating the Name, one is naturally drawn into the true Self.
What it means
This abhanga makes the Name the whole vessel of liberation, identifying it with Vitthal himself. Holding the Name is not a magic charm but a change of heart: the devotee treats friend and foe alike, drops anger, and grows steady, so that no craving can take hold. Tukaram backs the claim by naming those who crossed over by it, from Shuka to Narada and the saints. Then he turns to the willful: those who recognize the Name and still refuse it are like a blind elephant blundering forward. The promise is that mere repetition, kept up, pulls one naturally into one's true nature.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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