Plea to a rich Father, ask for my share
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कैवल्याच्या तुह्मां घरीं । रासी हरी उदंड ॥1॥
मजसाठीं कां जी वाणी । नव्हे धणी विभागा ॥ध्रु.॥
सर्वा गुणीं सपुरता । ऐसा पिता असोनी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे पांडुरंगा । जालों सांगा सन्मुख ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
In Your home of kaivalya, O Hari, there are heaps of abundance. Why then should there be shortage for me? I am not even the owner of my own share. You are a father complete in every virtue. Says Tuka, O Panduranga, I have come before You. Speak to me.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
In your house, Hari, the treasure of kaivalya lies in heaps. Why then should there be any shortage for me? I am not even the owner of my own share. You are a father complete in every virtue. Tuka says: O Panduranga, I have come and stood before you. Speak to me.
What it means
Tukaram approaches God as a son before a wealthy father. The wealth here is kaivalya, final liberation, and he sees it piled high in God's house. The complaint is filial: with such abundance in the family, why is the child left wanting, denied even the portion that is rightly his? He leans on the relationship, naming God a father perfect in every good quality, so that withholding would be unworthy of him. Then he simply presents himself, standing face to face, and asks for the one thing a waiting child wants: a word, a response.
Prayers
Direct appeals to God: for protection, guidance, strength, and mercy.
More in this theme →