Surrender, leaving the estate to its Master
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भोगावरि आह्मीं घातला पाषाण । मरणा मरण आणियेलें ॥1॥
विश्व तूं व्यापक काय मी निराळा । काशासाठीं बळा येऊं आतां ॥ध्रु.॥
काय सारूनियां काढावें बाहेरी । आणूनि भीतरी काय ठेवूं ॥2॥
केला तरी उरे वाद चि कोरडा । बळें घ्यावी पीडा स्वपनींची ॥3॥
आवघे चि वाण आले तुह्मां घरा । मजुरी मजुरा रोज कीदव ॥4॥
तुका ह्मणे कांहीं नेणें लाभ हानी । असेल तो धनी राखो वाडा ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I have placed a stone over all worldly enjoyment. I have brought death to death itself. You pervade the universe; am I something separate? Why should I now exert any force? What should I push outside, and what should I bring within? Even if we argue, only dry debate remains; why forcibly take on the suffering of a dream? All goods have come to Your house, O Lord; the laborer is owed his daily wage. Says Tuka, I know nothing of profit or loss. Let the Master guard His own estate.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I have laid a stone over all worldly pleasure. I have brought death to death itself. You fill the whole universe. Am I something apart from you? Why should I strain with force now? What is there to push outside, and what to bring within? Even if I try, only dry argument is left. Why take on, by force, the suffering of a dream? All the goods have come to your house, Lord. The laborer is owed his daily wage. Tuka says: I know nothing of profit or loss. Let the Master keep watch over his own estate.
What it means
Tukaram declares he has shut the lid on worldly enjoyment and even put an end to death by giving up the self that dies. His reasoning is that God pervades everything, so he is not a separate someone who must struggle to push pleasures out or pull goods in. Such effort would only be empty debate, like fighting the hardships of a dream as if they were real. So he hands the whole concern over: the goods belong to God's house, and he is content to be the hired laborer waiting for his wage. Knowing nothing of gain and loss, he leaves the Master to guard his own estate, which is the posture of complete surrender.
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