The Name, every sense to Vithoba
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
घेई माझे वाचे । गोड नाम विठोबाचें ॥1॥
तुह्मी घ्या रे डोळे सुख । पाहा विठोबाचें मुख ॥ध्रु.॥
तुह्मी ऐका रे कान । माझ्या विठोबाचे गुण ॥2॥
मना तेथें धांव घेई । राहें विठोबाचे पायीं ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे जीवा । नको सोडूं या केशवा ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
O tongue, take up the sweet Name of Vithoba. O eyes, feast on the joy of Vithoba's face. O ears, listen to the virtues of my Vithoba. O mind, run and take your place at Vithoba's feet. Says Tuka, O soul, do not let go of this Keshava.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
O my tongue, take up the sweet Name of Vithoba. O eyes, take your joy: look at Vithoba's face. O ears, listen to the virtues of my Vithoba. O mind, run there and stay at Vithoba's feet. Tuka says: O soul, do not let go of this Keshava.
What it means
Tukaram calls each faculty by name and gives it one task. The tongue is to speak the sweet Name, the eyes to feast on Vithoba's face, the ears to hear His virtues, the mind to run and settle at His feet. He gathers every sense into a single direction so that no part of him is left out of the devotion. The final plea to the soul, never to let go of Keshava, makes clear this is not a passing exercise but the one hold he means to keep for good.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
More in this theme →