Prayer, the Name on the lips
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
शेवटींची विनंती । ऐका ऐका कमळापती ॥1॥
जीवपरमात्मा ऐक्यासि। सदा वसो हृदयेंसीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे देवा । कंठीं वसावें केशवा॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
This is my final supplication. Listen, O Lord of Lakshmi. May the jiva and the Supreme Self remain united, dwelling forever in my chitta. Says Tuka, O Keshava, please reside in my throat so Your Name may always be on my lips.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
This is my last request. Listen, listen, Lord of Lakshmi. Let the jiva and the Supreme Self be one, and stay forever in my heart. Tuka says: O God, O Keshava, live in my throat, so Your Name is always on my lips.
What it means
Tukaram offers what he calls his final petition, and it has two parts. First he asks that the soul and the Supreme Self be joined and never leave his heart, the union the scriptures point toward. Then he names a homelier wish: that Keshava live in his throat itself, so the Name keeps rising even without effort. The high goal of oneness and the simple practice of constant remembrance are asked for together, as if one carries the other.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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