Prayer, come dwell within
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
न कळतां काय करावा उपाय । जेणें राहे भाव तुझ्या पायीं ॥1॥
येऊनियां वास करिसी हृदयीं । ऐसें घडे कई कासयानें ॥ध्रु.॥
साच भावें तुझें चिंतन मानसीं । राहे हें करिसी कैं गा देवा ॥2॥
लटिकें हें माझें करूनियां दुरी । साच तूं अंतरीं येउनि राहें ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे मज राखावें पतिता ।आपुलिया सत्ता पांडुरंगा ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I do not know what remedy to apply so that my devotion remains fixed at Your feet. When will You come and dwell within my heart? How can this ever come to pass, and by what means? When will genuine contemplation of You remain steady within my mind? When will You bring this about, O God? Remove all that is false in me, and come truly to abide within. Says Tuka, protect this fallen one by Your own sovereign power, O Panduranga.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Not knowing, what remedy can I use so that devotion stays at Your feet? When will You come and dwell in my heart? How can this ever happen, and by what means? When will true contemplation of You stay steady in my mind? When will You make it so, O God? Take away all that is false in me, and come truly to live within. Tuka says: protect this fallen one by Your own power, O Panduranga.
What it means
Tukaram prays out of his own helplessness, confessing he does not know the method to keep his devotion fixed. He asks again and again when God will come and abide in his heart, since he cannot make steady contemplation happen by himself. He asks God to remove the falseness in him and to come truly inside in its place. The closing line lays the whole burden on God. He cannot save himself, so he asks Panduranga to protect a fallen man by God's own sovereign power, not by Tukaram's effort.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
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