Procession, the feet that float stones
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
घडिया घालुनि तळीं चालती वनमाळी । उमटती कोमळीं कुंकुमाचीं ॥१॥
वंदा चरणरज अवघे सकळ जन । तारियेले पाषाण उदकीं जेणें ॥ध्रु.॥
पैस धरुनी चला ठाकत ठायीं ठायीं । मौन्य धरुनी कांहीं नो बोलावें ॥२॥
तुका अवसरु जाणवितो पुढें । उघडलीं महाल मंदिरें कवाडें ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Placing sandals beneath His feet, the Lord walks forward, and soft vermilion footprints appear wherever he steps. All people, bow to the dust of those feet, for these are the feet that made even stones float upon the water. Follow quietly in his train, keeping silence, and do not speak. Says Tuka, I announce that the hour has come; the doors of the great palace have been opened.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Sandals placed beneath his feet, Vanamali walks forward, and soft vermilion footprints rise where he steps. All you people, bow to the dust of those feet. These are the feet that made even stones float upon the water. Keep your distance and stand in your places along the way. Hold silence; say nothing at all. Tuka says: I announce that the hour has come. The doors of the great palace and temple have been opened.
What it means
This is a procession song, marshalling the crowd as the Lord walks out. The vermilion footprints make his passage visible, and the call to bow to the dust of his feet sets the right posture: reverence, not jostling. The reminder that these feet floated stones on the water points to the bridge to Lanka, naming the power hidden in the gentle figure walking by. The instruction to keep back and keep silent guards the moment, and the final announcement that the palace doors have opened tells the people the long-awaited hour of darshan has finally come.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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