Praise of the saints, joy in their courtyard
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सोलीव जें सुख अतिसुखाहुनि । उभें हें अंगणीं वैष्णवांच्या ॥1॥
वृंदावन सडे चौक रंग माळा । नाचे तो सोहोळा देखोनियां ॥ध्रु.॥
भूषणमंडित सदा सर्वकाळ । मुद्रा आणि माळ तुळसी कंठीं ॥2॥
नामओघ मुखीं अमृताचें सार । मस्तक पवित्र सहित रजें ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे मोक्ष भक्ताचिया मना । नये हा वासना त्याची करी ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
That pure joy, surpassing all other joys, stands in the courtyard of the Vaishnavas. Tulsi gardens are swept, rangoli patterns and garlands of flowers are arranged, and one dances beholding this celebration. Adorned with sacred marks at all times, they wear the mudra marks and the tulsi garland around the neck. The Name flows from their lips, the essence of nectar. Their heads are holy, blessed with the dust of the saints' feet. Says Tuka, liberation itself desires the heart of such a devotee; it waits upon his will.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
That pure joy, greater than the greatest joy, stands in the courtyard of the Vaishnavas. Tulsi gardens are swept, squares are drawn with colored powder, garlands are hung, and one dances to see the festival. They are always adorned with sacred marks, wearing the mudra signs and the tulsi beads at the neck. The flood of the Name is on their lips, the essence of nectar. Their heads are holy, blessed with the dust of the saints' feet. Tuka says: liberation itself longs for the heart of such a devotee; it waits upon his will.
What it means
Tukaram says the highest joy is not somewhere far off but standing in the courtyard where the devotees of God gather. He paints the scene with festival detail: swept tulsi plots, rangoli squares, garlands, dancing, bodies marked with the sacred signs and beaded with tulsi, mouths pouring the Name like nectar, heads humbled by the dust of holy feet. The whole picture argues that the company of the saints is itself the goal, not merely the road to it. He lands the claim by reversing the usual hunger: liberation, which everyone chases, here desires the devotee instead, and waits on his pleasure. The one absorbed in the Name no longer needs to seek release; release seeks him.
The Saints
The character and service of true saints: softer than butter, harder than diamond.
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