Adoration, the form that contents the mind
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
देखोनियां तुझ्या रूपाचा आकार । उभा कटीं कर ठेवूनियां ॥१॥
तेणें माझ्या चित्ता होतें समाधान । वाटतें चरण न सोडावे ॥ध्रु.॥
मुखें गातों गीत वाजवितों टाळी । नाचतों राउळीं प्रेमसुखें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे मज तुझ्या नामापुढें । तुश हें बापुडें सकळी काळ ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Seeing the form of your figure standing with hands placed upon your hips, my chitta finds perfect contentment and I feel I should never let go of your feet. I sing songs with my lips, clap my hands, and dance in your temple, overflowing with the joy of love. Says Tuka, before your name, all of time itself is a humble, trifling thing.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Seeing the shape of your form, standing with your hands on your hips, my mind comes to rest. I feel I must never let go of your feet. With my mouth I sing the song; I clap my hands; I dance in your temple in the joy of love. Tuka says: before your name, all of time itself is a poor, small thing.
What it means
Tukaram looks at Vitthal in his familiar pose, standing with hands on the hips, and that single sight settles his restless mind completely. The contentment turns at once into clinging: he never wants to release those feet. From stillness it overflows into motion, singing, clapping, dancing in the temple, the body joining the joy the mind has found. The closing line sets the scale of it all: measured against the Name, even time, the great devourer of everything, shrinks to something small and pitiable. Adoration here is both deep rest and overflowing dance.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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