The Name as wealth
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
दीप न देखे अंधारा । आतां हें चि करा जतन ॥1॥
नारायण नारायण । गांठी धन बळकट ॥ध्रु.॥
चिंतामणीपाशीं चिंता । तत्वता ही नयेल ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे उभयलोकीं । हे चि निकी सामोग्री ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A lamp knows no darkness. Now guard this alone with care. Narayana, Narayana. This Name is wealth, held firm in the knot of your garment. Near the chintamani, no worry can truly approach. Says Tuka, for both worlds, this is the finest provision of all.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A lamp never meets darkness. Now keep only this with care. Narayana, Narayana. This Name is wealth; tie it firmly in the knot of your cloth. Beside the wish-granting jewel, no worry can really come near. Tuka says: for both worlds, this is the best provision of all.
What it means
Tukaram is urging the listener to guard the one thing that matters. As a lamp can never know darkness, the Name carries its own light, so hold to it alone. He calls Narayana's Name true wealth and tells you to tie it tight in the knot of your garment the way a traveler secures his money. He likens the Name to the chintamani, the jewel that grants wishes: stay near it and anxiety simply cannot approach. The claim he lands is that this is the finest supply for the whole journey, in this world and the next alike.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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