Surrender, the greater strength
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
ब्रम्हादिक जया लाभासि ठेंगणे । बळिये आम्ही भले शरणागत ॥१॥
कामनेच्या त्यागें भजनाचा लाभ । जाला पद्मनाभ सेवाॠणी ॥ध्रु.॥
कामधेनूचिया क्षीरा पार नाहीं । इच्छेचिये वाही वरुषावे ॥२॥
बैसलिये ठायीं लागलें भरतें । त्रिपुटीवरतें भेदी ऐसें ॥३॥
हरि नाहीं आम्हां विष्णुदासां जगीं । नारायण अंगीं विसावला ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे बहु लाटे हें भोजन । नाहीं रिता कोण राहत राहों ॥५॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Even Brahma and the gods fall short of this treasure, yet we who surrender are mightier still. By renouncing desire, the gain of devotion appears, and Padmanabha becomes indebted through service. The milk of the wish-fulfilling cow has no limit; it rains at the mere stream of longing. Sitting in one place, the tide rises and pierces beyond the triputi. For us servants of Vishnu there is no separation from Hari; Narayana has come to rest within our very being. Tuka says, this feast is lavish; no one who stays can remain unfed.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Even Brahma and the gods come up short of this treasure, yet we who surrender are stronger than they are. When you let go of desire, the gain of devotion appears, and Padmanabha himself becomes the debtor, bound by the service you offer. The milk of the wish-granting cow has no end; it rains down at the first trickle of longing. Sitting still in one place, the tide rises in you and breaks past the knower, the known, and the knowing. For us, the servants of Vishnu, there is no being parted from Hari; Narayana has come to rest inside us. Tuka says: this feast is lavish. No one who stays at the table goes away unfed.
What it means
Surrender, Tukaram insists, is not weakness but the greater strength: the one who gives himself up outranks even the gods who strive. He flips the usual account of debt too, when you serve God by letting go of desire, God becomes the one in your debt. The images pile up abundance: the wish-cow's endless milk, the rising inner tide that breaks past the threefold split of knower, known, and knowing into pure oneness. And the conclusion is hospitable, his favorite note: the table is loaded, and anyone who simply stays is fed.
Surrender and Acceptance
The conditions of spiritual receptivity and the letting go of the separate self.
More in this theme →