Plea, hold God to His own name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
उदार कृपाळ पतितपावन । िब्रदें नारायणा जाती वांयां ॥1॥
वणिनलासि श्रुति नेणे तुझा पार । राहे मौनाकार नेति ऐसें ॥ध्रु.॥
तेथें माझा धांवा पावे कोणीकडे । अदृष्ट हें पुढें वोडवलें ॥2॥
कोण ऐसा भक्त लाधला भाग्यासी । आठवण ऐसी द्यावी तुज ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे नको पाहों माझा अंत । जाणोनि हे मात उडी घालीं ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Generous, compassionate, Purifier of the Fallen: are these pledges of Yours, O Narayana, to go to waste? The Vedas, having tried to describe You, remain silent, saying 'not this, not this,' unable to know Your extent. So how can my cry reach You from here? Misfortune has overtaken me. What devotee has been so blessed as to be able to remind You of Yourself? Says Tuka, do not test my limits. Knowing my plight, take the leap and come to me.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Generous, compassionate, Purifier of the fallen: are these names of Yours, O Narayana, to go to waste? The Vedas tried to describe You and fell silent, saying not this, not this, unable to reach Your end. Then where can my cry reach You from here? This misfortune has risen up before me. What devotee was ever so blessed that he could remind You of Your own self? Tuka says: do not test how far I can go. Knowing my state, leap in and save me.
What it means
Tukaram prays by holding God to His own titles. He names Him generous, compassionate, the Purifier of the fallen, and then presses the point: if these names are true, they cannot be allowed to go empty, for then God Himself is at stake. He measures the distance honestly, that the Vedas themselves could only say not this, not this and stop short, so his small cry seems to have no way of reaching across. His boldness is to remind God of His own nature, then plead that God not see how far his endurance can be stretched but instead, knowing his plight, leap down and save him.
Longing and Separation
Cries from the dark night of the soul: remonstrances, complaints, and desperate yearning.
More in this theme →