Devotion, the God-lover called mad
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कोटिजन्म पुण्यसाधन साधिलें । तेणें हाता आलें हरिदास्य ॥1॥
ऐसिया प्रेमळा ह्मणताती वेडा । संसार रोकडा बुडविला ॥2॥
एकवीस कुळें जेणें उद्धरिलीं । हे तों न कळे खोली भाग्यमंदा ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे त्याची पायधुळी मिळे । भवभय पळे वंदितां चि ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Through the merit of countless births, the service of Hari came into one's hands. People call such a lover of God a madman, saying he has drowned his worldly prospects. Yet he has liberated twenty-one generations of his family. This depth is beyond the understanding of the unfortunate. Says Tuka, if one obtains the dust of his feet, the fear of worldly existence flees at the mere act of bowing.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Through the merit gathered over countless births, the service of Hari came into his hands. People call such a lover of God mad and say he has drowned his worldly future right before their eyes. Yet he has lifted up twenty-one generations of his family. The unlucky cannot see this depth. Tuka says: if you get the dust of his feet, the fear of this world flees the moment you bow.
What it means
Tukaram answers the world's verdict on the devotee. To outsiders the man who gives himself to Hari looks insane, throwing away his livelihood and prospects. But Tukaram reverses the account: that service was earned across countless lifetimes of merit, and far from ruining himself, the devotee redeems twenty-one generations of his line. Those who call him mad are simply too unfortunate to see how deep this goes. The closing turn makes the devotee himself a means of grace: merely bowing to take the dust of his feet drives off the fear of worldly existence.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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