God's vow, He carries His servants
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सोसियेला आटी गर्भवास फेरे । आयुधांचे भारे वागवितां ॥1॥
वाहोनि सकळ आपुलिये माथां । भार दासां चिंता वाहों नेदी ॥2॥
नेदी काळाचिये हातीं सेवकांसि । तुका ह्मणे ऐसी िब्रदावळी॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
He endured the ordeal of entering the womb again and again, bearing the weight of weapons upon Himself. He carries everything upon His own head and does not let His servants bear the burden of worry. He does not give His servants over to the hands of Death. Says Tuka, such is His legacy of pledges.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He endured the ordeal of the womb, born again and again. He took up the weight of His weapons and carried them. He carries everything upon His own head. He does not let His servants bear the burden of worry. He does not hand His servants over to the hands of Death. Tuka says: such are His standing pledges.
What it means
Tukaram is naming what kind of God this is, by what He does for those who are His. The incarnations, the births into the womb, the weapons taken up: all of that weight He puts on His own head, so His servants do not have to carry it. The point of each line is the same exchange: the burden moves from the servant to God. He keeps His devotees out of the hands of Death itself. Tukaram calls this God's biruda, His standing vow, the thing He has bound Himself to do.
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