The auspicious moment, seize it now
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
गर्जा जेजेकार हरि हृदयीं धरा । आळस नका करूं लाहानां सांगतों थोरां ॥१॥
या हो या हो बाइयानो निघाले हरी । सिलंगणा वेगीं घेउनि आरत्या करीं ।
ओवाळूं श्रीमुख वंदूं पाउलें शिरीं । आम्हां दैव आलें येथें घरिच्या घरीं ॥ध्रु.॥
अक्षय मुहूर्त औठामध्यें साधे तें । मग येरी गर्जे जैसें तैसें होत जातें ।
म्हणोनि मागें पुढें कोणी न पाहावें येथें । सांडा परतें काम जाऊं हरी सांगातें ॥२॥
बहुतां बहुतां रीतीं चित्तीं धरा हें मनीं । नका गै करूं आइकाल ज्या कानीं ।
मग हें सुख कधीं न देखाल स्वप्नीं । उरेल हायहाय मागें होईल काहाणी ॥३॥
ऐसियास वंचती त्यांच्या अभाग्या पार । नाहीं नाहीं नाहीं सत्य जाणा निर्धार ।
मग हे वेळ घटिका न ये अजरामर । कळलें असों द्या मग पडतील विचार ॥४॥
जयासाटीं ब्रम्हादिक जालेति पिसे । उच्छिष्टा कारणें देव जळीं जाले मासे ।
अद्धापगीं विश्वमाता लक्षुमी वसे । तो हा तुकयाबंधु म्हणे आलें अनायासें ॥५॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Raise the cry of victory and hold Hari in your heart. Do not be lazy; I say this to the young and old alike. Come, come, O women, Hari is setting out. Hurry with your lamps for the waving of lights; let us wave the flame before his blessed face and bow our heads to his feet. Good fortune has come to us right here at home. The imperishable moment may be seized in the space of a single breath; after that, things go on as they will. Therefore look neither forward nor backward; drop all other work and go with Hari. Take this to heart in every possible way. Do not let it slip, for if it reaches your ears and you still waste the chance, you will never find this joy even in a dream; only regret will remain, and it will become an old, sad tale. There is truly no measuring the misfortune of those who squander such an opportunity. This moment will not return, deathless and undying; know this with certainty, and then let your deliberations begin. For this prize, Brahma and the other gods went mad. For the sake of a leftover morsel, God himself became a fish in the water. Lakshmi, the mother of the universe, still dwells in the depths of the ocean for his sake. Says Tuka's brother, he has come here of his own accord and without effort.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Shout the cry of victory and hold Hari in your heart. Do not be lazy; I say this to the young and to the old. Come, come, O women, Hari is setting out; hurry, take up your lamps for the waving of lights. Let us wave the flame before his blessed face and bow our heads to his feet. Good fortune has come to us, right here in our own home. The unfading moment can be won in the space of a single breath; after that, things go on as they will. So look neither behind you nor ahead; drop every other task and go with Hari. Hold this in your heart in every way; do not let it slip once your ears have heard it. If you waste this chance, you will never see this joy again, even in a dream; only the cry of regret will be left, and it will become an old, sad tale. There is no measuring the misfortune of those who throw such a chance away. No, no, no; know this for certain. This hour will not come back, deathless and undying. Let this be understood, and then your reasonings can begin. For this prize Brahma and the gods went mad. For the sake of a leftover morsel God became a fish in the water; and Lakshmi, mother of the world, still lives in the depths of the ocean for his sake. Tuka's brother says: he has come here on his own, and without any effort of ours.
What it means
This is an urgent call to seize a rare moment of God's nearness before it passes. Hari is setting out, the lights are ready, and the singer drives everyone, young and old, women with their lamps, to drop all other business and come now. The whole force of the poem is on the smallness of the window: the imperishable instant can be caught in one breath, and then ordinary life resumes. He paints the cost of missing it bluntly, that nothing will be left but lifelong regret turned into a sad old story. Then he raises the stakes, recalling that the gods themselves longed for this, that God stooped to become a fish for a small thing, that Lakshmi waits in the deep for his sake. The relief in the last line is that this prize, so coveted, has now come to the ordinary devotee freely and without any earning.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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