Bold longing, holding God to His word
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
असो आतां किती । तुज यावें काकुलती ॥1॥
माझें प्रारब्ध हें गाढें । तूं बापुडें तयापुढें ॥ध्रु.॥
सोडवीन आतां । ब्रीदें तुझीं पंढरीनाथा ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे बळी । तो गांढएाचे कान पिळी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
How long must I keep pleading with You in supplication? My fate is strong indeed; perhaps You are helpless before it. I will now hold You to Your own pledges, O Lord of Pandhari. Says Tuka, the strong one twists the ears of the timid.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Enough now. How long should I keep crying to You in supplication? My fate weighs heavy, and before it You look helpless. So I will set You free of it myself by holding You to Your own promises, O Lord of Pandhari. Tuka says: the strong one twists the ears of the weak.
What it means
Tukaram is tired of pleading, so he changes his footing from beggar to claimant. His destiny is so heavy that, he says with affectionate provocation, even God seems unable to lift it. His move is to hold God to the pledges God has publicly made, the titles and vows by which the Lord is known as the rescuer of the helpless. The closing proverb names the new strategy bluntly: the strong one takes the timid one by the ears. By leaning on God's own reputation, the devotee gains a holy leverage over Him.
Longing and Separation
Cries from the dark night of the soul: remonstrances, complaints, and desperate yearning.
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