Confession, no voice, only the heart
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नेणें गाणें कंठ नाहीं हा सुस्वर । घालूं तुज भार पांडुरंगा ॥१॥
नेणें राग वेळ काळ घात मात । तुझे पायीं चित्त ठेवीं देवा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे मज चाड नाहीं जना । तुज नारायणा वांचूनिया ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I do not know how to sing, and my voice is not sweet. I place the whole burden upon You, O Panduranga. I do not know ragas, timing, rhythmic cycles, or techniques of melody. I simply place my chitta at Your feet, O God. Says Tuka, I have no concern for people; I care for no one but You, O Narayana.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I do not know how to sing, and my voice has no sweetness. So I lay the whole burden on you, Panduranga. I know nothing of ragas, of timing, of rhythm or the arts of melody. I only set my heart down at your feet, God. Tuka says: I have no use for the approval of people. I care for no one but you, Narayana.
What it means
A confession that doubles as a teaching, close kin to his earlier word that Vitthal is not hungry for a fine voice. Here he makes it personal: he lacks the singer's skill entirely, so he simply hands the whole performance over to God and lays his heart at God's feet. The freedom is in the last line. Because he is singing for God and not for people, he is released from needing anyone's approval. Devotion without craft is enough, once you stop performing for the crowd and sing only for the One.
Confession and Sin
Raw, unflinching accounts of personal failure, weakness, and the weight of sin.
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