Autobiography, the holy ground of Dehu
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
धन्य देहूं गांव पुण्य भूमि ठाव । तेथें नांदे देव पांडुरंग ॥1॥
धन्य क्षेत्रवासी लोक दइवाचे । उच्चारिती वाचे नामघोष ॥ध्रु.॥
गरुड पारीं उभा जोडुनियां कर । अश्वत्थ समोर उत्तरामुख ॥3॥
दिक्षणे शंकर लिंग हरेश्वर । शोभे गंगातीर इंद्रायणी ॥4॥
लक्ष्मीनारायण बल्लाळाचें वन । तेथें अधिष्ठान सिद्धेश्वर ॥5॥
विघ्नराज द्वारीं बहिरव बाहेरी । हनुमंत शेजारीं सहित दोघे ॥6॥
तेथें दास तुका करितो कीर्तन । हृदयीं चरण विठोबाचे ॥7॥
शाक्तावर - अभंग 13
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Blessed is the village of Dehu, that holy land, that sacred ground where Panduranga Himself dwells. Blessed are those who live in this holy place; they utter the Name with their own voices. Garuda stands with folded hands at the boundary stone. The Ashvattha tree faces north across from him. To the south stands the Shiva linga of Hareshwar, and the banks of the Indrayani shine like the Ganga. There are Lakshmi-Narayana and the grove of Ballala, with the Siddheshwar shrine established there. Vighnaraja guards the gate, Bhairava stands outside, and Hanuman is nearby with both his forms. There the servant Tuka performs kirtan, holding the feet of Vithoba in his heart.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Blessed is the village of Dehu, that holy land, that sacred place. There God Panduranga dwells. Blessed are the people who live in this holy ground; with their own mouths they cry out the Name. Garuda stands with folded hands at the boundary stone. The ashvattha tree faces north across from him. To the south is the Shiva linga of Hareshwar, and the bank of the Indrayani shines like the Ganga. There are Lakshmi-Narayana and the grove of Ballala, with the Siddheshwar shrine set up there. Vighnaraja guards the gate, Bhairava stands outside, and Hanuman is nearby in both his forms. There the servant Tuka does kirtan, holding the feet of Vithoba in his heart.
What it means
Tukaram is praising his own village, Dehu, as holy ground and walking the listener through its shrines. He names the place where Panduranga dwells and blesses the people there because they call out the Name aloud. Then he maps the sacred geography: Garuda at the boundary, the ashvattha tree, the Shiva linga, the Indrayani river bright as the Ganga, the shrines of Lakshmi-Narayana, Ballala, Siddheshwar, Vighnaraja, Bhairava, and Hanuman. The point of the catalog is the last line: in the middle of all this, Tuka simply does kirtan, carrying Vithoba's feet in his heart. The holiness of the place is real, but the living center is the servant who keeps the Lord's feet inside him.
Autobiography
Tukaram's own account of his life, struggles, awakening, and mission.
More in this theme →