TUKARAM IV

Aapuliya bale nahi mi bolat / Sakha krupavant vacha tyachi //1//
Salunki bolatse manjul wani / Shikvata dhani vegalachi //2//
Kay mya pamare bolavi uttare / Pari tya Viswambhare bolavile //3//
TUKA mhane tyachi kon jane kala / Vagavi pangula payavin //4//

Literally meaning :-
1 Aapuliya = my, bale = strength, nahi = not, mi = I, bolat = speak,
Sakha = friend, krupavant = benevolent, vacha= speech, tyachi = his
2 Salunki = a singing bird like nightingale, bolatse = speaks (sings), manjul
= sweet, wani = notes, Shikvata = teaching, dhani= master, vegalachi
= somebody else
3 Kay = what, mya= I (same as mi in 1st line ), pamare = poor, bolavi =
should say, uttare= utterances, Pari = yet, tya = he, Viswambhare
= Lord of Universe (Vishwa) , bolavile = prompted ( to speak)
4 TUKA, mhane = says, tyachi = his, kon= who, jane = knows, kala = skill,
Vagavi = keeps, upholds, pangula = lame, payavin = without legs

Liberal translation :

I don’t speak of my own but that kind friend makes me speak.
Salunki may sing sweet notes but master is somebody else.
What can poor me utter but that lord of Universe prompts me to speak.
TUKA says that rarely somebody knows his skill that can move a lame.

Commentary :

Sant Tukaram here gives credit of his all words (and deeds) to the lord. He cites the example of singing bird. Its notes cannot be sweet unless the Lord wills it to be so. He has all powers like miracles like making a lame walk . In Vedanta, a jeev or individual suffers because he takes credit of his actions as a doer. Any action has to create a reaction or fruit which is not possible to discard. If one denounces the notion of being a doer, the action then belongs to the Lord and fruits also become his. The JEEV or individual being is then free of reaction.
Arvind Khare
khare_am@yahoo.com
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