The Name, the sword of peace
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
करावें कीर्तन । मुखीं गावे हरिचे गुण ॥1॥
मग कांहीं नव्हे बाधा । काम दुर्जनाच्या क्रोधा ॥ध्रु.॥
शांतिखड्ग हातीं। काळासी ते नागविती ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे दाता सखा । ऐसा अनंतासारिखा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Perform kirtan and sing the virtues of Hari. Then no harm can come from lust, the wicked, or anger. Those who hold the sword of peace in hand can outwit even Death. Says Tuka, there is no friend and benefactor like the Infinite One.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Sing kirtan, and let your mouth sing the virtues of Hari. Then no harm can come to you, not from lust, not from the wicked, not from anger. Those who hold the sword of peace in hand strip even Death of its power. Tuka says: there is no giver and friend like the Infinite One.
What it means
Tukaram makes the Name a defense. Once the mouth is busy singing Hari's praises, the usual attackers, lust, wicked people, and anger, find no opening to wound you. He gives the singer a paradoxical weapon: a sword of peace, which disarms even Death, the one enemy no ordinary blade can touch. The stakes are large: kirtan is not decoration but protection against everything that ruins a life. He closes by naming why this works, that the Infinite One is a friend and giver beyond any other, so leaning on that Name is the safest stance there is.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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