Reunion, after many births
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
बहुजन्मां शेवटीं स्वामी तुझी भेटी । बहु मोह पोटीं थोर जाला ॥1॥
बहु पुरें पाहिलीं बहु दिशा शोधिली । बहु चिंता वाहिली दुर्भराची ॥ध्रु.॥
बहु काळ गेले अनुचित केलें । बहु नाहीं गाइलें नाम तुझें ॥2॥
ऐसा मी अपराधी अगा कृपानिधि । बहु संतां संनिधि ठेवीं तुका ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
After so many births, at last, O Lord, Your meeting has come. Much delusion had grown great within my chitta. I wandered through many cities and searched in every direction, carrying the heavy burden of unbearable anxiety. Much time passed in wrongdoing; Your Name was not sung enough. Such a sinner am I, O treasure of mercy. Says Tuka, keep me always in the company of the saints.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
After many births, at last, Lord, the meeting with You has come. Great delusion had grown large inside me. I wandered through many cities, searched in every direction, carried a heavy weight of unbearable worry. Much time passed in wrong deeds; I did not sing Your Name enough. Such a sinner I am, treasure of mercy. Tuka says: keep me always near the saints.
What it means
Tukaram looks back from the moment of meeting across the long road that led to it. Birth after birth was spent in delusion, in restless searching from city to city, and under a load of anxiety he calls unbearable. He owns the waste plainly: time misspent, the Name left unsung, and names himself a sinner without softening it. Yet the confession opens into a single request that protects the gain. Keep me with the saints, because their company is what holds a wandering heart in place.
Ecstasy and Joy
Triumphant happiness: poems written from the far side of the struggle.
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