संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters
Chapter 1 — Namdharak Sees Shri Guru in Dream
Literal. Namdharak ("the name-bearer"), a devotee burdened with worldly miseries, sets out on foot in search of Shri Guru, praying continuously. Exhausted, he falls asleep under a tree. In his dream, a Personality with hair-locks, ash markings, and a kind face appears, applies ash to his forehead, and places a blessing hand on his head. He recognizes this as Shri Guru.
Symbolic. The opening chapter establishes the seeker archetype: anguished, in motion, internally calling without yet being heard. The dream is the standard Indian narrative trope for first contact — a teacher coming to a sincere seeker before the seeker has earned the meeting. The ash mark (vibhuti) is the sign of initiation into the Shaiva-Datta tradition.
Verse by verse
श्रीगणेशाय नमः । श्रीसरस्वत्यै नमः । श्रीकुलदेवतायै नमः । श्रीपादश्रीवल्लभाय नमः । श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्यै नमः ।
śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ | śrīsarasvatyai namaḥ | śrīkuladevatāyai namaḥ | śrīpādaśrīvallabhāya namaḥ | śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyai namaḥ |
Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa; salutations to Śrī Sarasvatī; salutations to the family deity; salutations to Śrī Pāda Śrīvallabha; salutations to Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī.
The text opens with the traditional invocation naming every power the author will call upon — wisdom's remover of obstacles, the goddess of speech, the family's own deity, and the two Datta avatāras whose story this book will tell.
Begin any important undertaking by first naming and honoring what you depend on, rather than rushing straight to the task.
ॐ नमोजी विघ्नहरा । गजानना गिरिजाकुमरा । जय जय लंबोदरा । एकदंता शूर्पकर्णा ॥१॥
oṁ namojī vighnaharā | gajānanā girijākumarā | jaya jaya lambodarā | ekadamtā śūrpakarṇā ||1||
Oṁ, salutations to you, remover of obstacles, elephant-faced son of Girijā; victory, victory to you, pot-bellied one, single-tusked, winnow-eared one.
The poet opens his own invocation with Gaṇeśa's playful, homely epithets — gajānana (elephant-faced), ekadanta (single-tusked) — the god who is approachable precisely in his ordinary, physical particularity.
Approach the sacred with affection as much as awe — familiarity need not diminish reverence.
हालविशी कर्णयुगुले । तेथूनि जो का वारा उसळे । त्याचेनि वाते विघ्न पळे । विघ्नांतक म्हणती तुज ॥२॥
hālaviśī karṇayugule | tethūni jo kā vārā usaḷe | tyāceni vāte vighna paḷe | vighnāmtaka mhaṇatī tuja ||2||
When you shake your two ears, the wind that rises from them scatters every obstacle in its path; that is why they call you the destroyer of obstacles.
Even Gaṇeśa's smallest gesture — the flick of an ear — clears the way; the verse teaches that a power fully surrendered to good need not strain to work great effect.
Trust that small, sincere actions from a settled heart can clear obstacles that force alone cannot.
तुझे शोभे आनन । जैसे तप्त कांचन । किंवा उदित प्रभारमण । तैसे तेज फाकतसे ॥३॥
tujhe śobhe ānana | jaise tapta kāmcana | kimvā udita prabhāramaṇa | taise teja phākatase ||3||
Your face shines like molten gold, or like the rising sun — such is the radiance that spreads from it.
The poet dwells on Gaṇeśa's brightness — tejas (radiance) — the traditional sign that a being embodies clarity and auspiciousness.
Let your own conduct carry a quiet brightness that others notice without your announcing it.
विघ्नकाननच्छेदनासी । हाती फरश धरिलासी । नागबंद कटीसी । उरग यज्ञोपवीत ॥४॥
vighnakānanacchedanāsī | hātī pharaśa dharilāsī | nāgabamda kaṭīsī | uraga yajñopavīta ||4||
To cut down the forest of obstacles you hold an axe in your hand; a serpent is bound at your waist, and a serpent serves as your sacred thread.
Every ornament on Gaṇeśa's body is a working tool — the axe fells obstacles like trees, the serpent-belt is discipline worn as adornment.
Carry your disciplines like ornaments, not burdens, so that facing difficulty feels natural rather than forced.
चतुर्भुज दिससी निका । विशालाक्षा विनायका । प्रतिपाळिसी विश्वलोका । निर्विघ्ने करूनिया ॥५॥
caturbhuja disasī nikā | viśālākṣā vināyakā | pratipāḷisī viśvalokā | nirvighne karūniyā ||5||
Four-armed and beautiful to behold, wide-eyed Vināyaka, you protect the whole world, keeping it free of obstacles.
The invocation names Gaṇeśa's cosmic role — not a private household god but the guardian who keeps the entire world's path clear.
Remember that clearing your own path well also helps clear the way for those around you.
तुझे चिंतन जे करिती । तया विघ्ने न बाधती । सकळाभीष्टे साधती । अविलंबेसी ॥६॥
tujhe cimtana je karitī | tayā vighne na bādhatī | sakaḷābhīṣṭe sādhatī | avilambesī ||6||
Those who keep you in mind are not troubled by obstacles; all their wishes are fulfilled without delay.
The promise of the invocation: sustained remembrance (cintana) itself dissolves obstruction, not any external intervention alone.
Keep your highest intention in mind through the day's small moments, not only at the start and end.
सकळ मंगल कार्यासी । प्रथम वंदिजे तुम्हासी । चतुर्दश विद्यांसी । स्वामी तूचि लंबोदरा ॥७॥
sakaḷa mamgala kāryāsī | prathama vamdije tumhāsī | caturdaśa vidyāmsī | svāmī tūci lambodarā ||7||
In every auspicious undertaking you are worshipped first; of the fourteen branches of knowledge, you alone, pot-bellied one, are the lord.
Gaṇeśa is invoked as lord of all learning — the traditional fourteen vidyās (branches of knowledge) — because right beginnings govern right endings.
Give your first attention to whatever governs everything that follows, before the details.
वेद शास्त्रे पुराणे । तुझेचि असेल बोलणे । ब्रह्मादिकि या कारणे । स्तविला असे सुरवरी ॥८॥
veda śāstre purāṇe | tujheci asela bolaṇe | brahmādiki yā kāraṇe | stavilā ase suravarī ||8||
The Vedas, the scriptures, and the Purāṇas are all, in truth, your own speech; for this reason even Brahmā and the other gods have praised you.
All sacred literature is traced back to Gaṇeśa as source, which is why even the highest gods honor him first.
Honor the source of your knowledge, not just the knowledge itself.
त्रिपुर साधन करावयासी । ईश्वरे अर्चिले तुम्हासी । संहारावया दैत्यांसी । पहिले तुम्हांसी स्तविले ॥९॥
tripura sādhana karāvayāsī | īśvare arcile tumhāsī | samhārāvayā daityāmsī | pahile tumhāmsī stavile ||9||
To accomplish the destruction of Tripura, even Śiva worshipped you first; to destroy the demons, you were the one praised before all else.
Even Śiva, before his great battle, first honors Gaṇeśa — the story insists that no undertaking, however powerful the doer, skips the first obeisance.
Do not let your own strength tempt you to skip preparation and humility before a hard task.
हरिहर ब्रह्मादिक गणपती । कार्यारंभी तुज वंदिती । सकळाभीष्टे साधती । तुझेनि प्रसादे ॥१०॥
harihara brahmādika gaṇapatī | kāryārambhī tuja vamditī | sakaḷābhīṣṭe sādhatī | tujheni prasāde ||10||
Viṣṇu, Śiva, Brahmā and the rest, O Gaṇapati, worship you at the start of any undertaking; through your grace all their wishes are fulfilled.
The Trimūrti themselves are shown bowing to Gaṇeśa first — grace (prasāda), not status, is what actually accomplishes things.
However capable you are, ask for support before you begin, rather than after things go wrong.
कृपानिधी गणनाथा । सुरवरादिका विघ्नहर्ता । विनायका अभयदाता । मतिप्रकाश करी मज ॥११॥
kṛpānidhī gaṇanāthā | suravarādikā vighnahartā | vināyakā abhayadātā | matiprakāśa karī maja ||11||
O treasury of grace, lord of the celestial hosts, remover of obstacles even for the gods, Vināyaka, giver of fearlessness — illumine my mind.
The poet now turns the invocation personal: he asks not for wealth or victory but for matiprakāśa (illumination of understanding) — clarity to do the work ahead.
Before undertaking difficult work, ask first for clarity of mind rather than for success.
समस्त गणांचा नायक । तूचि विघ्नांचा अंतक । तूते वंदिती जे लोक । कार्य साधे तयांचे ॥१२॥
samasta gaṇāmcā nāyaka | tūci vighnāmcā amtaka | tūte vamditī je loka | kārya sādhe tayāmce ||12||
Leader of all the divine hosts, you alone are the ender of obstacles; whoever worships you sees their work accomplished.
A plain restatement of the promise: worship (vandana) of the right beginning brings the task itself to fruition.
Trust that consistent respect for first principles carries a task through to completion.
सकळ कार्या आधारू । तूचि कृपेचा सागरू । करुणानिधि गौरीकुमरू । मतिप्रकाश करी मज ॥१३॥
sakaḷa kāryā ādhārū | tūci kṛpecā sāgarū | karuṇānidhi gaurīkumarū | matiprakāśa karī maja ||13||
You alone are the foundation of every undertaking, the very ocean of grace, the treasury of compassion, son of Gaurī — illumine my mind.
The refrain repeats: without a clear foundation (ādhāra), nothing that follows can stand, so the poet asks again for light before he writes.
When a task feels large, return to asking for a clear foundation rather than pushing ahead blind.
माझे मनींची वासना । तुवा पुरवावी गजानना । साष्टांग करितो नमना । विद्या देई मज आता ॥१४॥
mājhe manīmcī vāsanā | tuvā puravāvī gajānanā | sāṣṭāmga karito namanā | vidyā deī maja ātā ||14||
Fulfill the desire in my heart, O elephant-faced one; I offer you full prostration — grant me knowledge now.
The poet's inner wish is named plainly here: not fame, but the capacity (vidyā) to tell this story rightly.
State your real intention honestly to what you revere, instead of a vague or safe request.
नेणता होतो मतिहीन । म्हणोनि धरिले तुझे चरण । चौदा विद्यांचे निधान । शरणागतवरप्रदा ॥१५॥
neṇatā hoto matihīna | mhaṇoni dharile tujhe caraṇa | caudā vidyāmce nidhāna | śaraṇāgatavarapradā ||15||
Being ignorant, I was without understanding, and so I have taken hold of your feet — O treasury of the fourteen branches of knowledge, giver of boons to those who take refuge in you.
The poet names his own limitation openly — admitting ignorance is itself the posture (śaraṇāgati, taking refuge) that draws the boon.
Admit what you do not know honestly; that honesty is what opens the door to real help.
माझिया अंतःकरणीचे व्हावे । गुरुचरित्र कथन करावे । पूर्णदृष्टीने पहावे । ग्रंथसिद्धि पाववी दातारा ॥१६॥
mājhiyā amtaḥkaraṇīce vhāve | gurucaritra kathana karāve | pūrṇadṛṣṭīne pahāve | gramthasiddhi pāvavī dātārā ||16||
Let this become the true wish of my own heart — to narrate the Guru's life-story; look upon me with your complete sight, and grant, O giver, that this book reach completion.
Gaṇeśa's invocation closes with the actual purpose declared: the telling of Guru Charitra, and a prayer that the book itself be finished — writing scripture is treated as an act requiring grace all the way to the last page.
When you commit to a long task, ask not only for a good start but for the endurance to finish it.
आता वंदू ब्रह्मकुमारी । जिचे नाम वागीश्वरी । पुस्तक वीना जिचे करी । हंसवाहिनी असे देखा ॥१७॥
ātā vamdū brahmakumārī | jice nāma vāgīśvarī | pustaka vīnā jice karī | hamsavāhinī ase dekhā ||17||
Now let me worship the daughter of Brahmā, whose name is Vāgīśvarī — a book and a vīṇā in her hands, riding, behold, upon a swan.
The invocation turns to Sarasvatī, goddess of speech (vāk) — her book and lute show that knowledge and art are one gift, carried by the swan that discerns pure from impure.
Cultivate both knowledge and beauty together in your own work; do not treat them as separate pursuits.
म्हणोनि नमतो तुझे चरणी । प्रसन्न व्हावे मज स्वामिणी । राहोनिया माझिये वाणी । ग्रंथी रिघू करी आता ॥१८॥
mhaṇoni namato tujhe caraṇī | prasanna vhāve maja svāmiṇī | rāhoniyā mājhiye vāṇī | gramthī righū karī ātā ||18||
Therefore I bow at your feet; be pleased with me, my Lady; abide in my speech, and now enter into this book.
The poet asks Sarasvatī not merely for a blessing from afar but to dwell in his own speech as he writes — inspiration as indwelling presence, not a one-time gift.
Invite what you revere to actually inhabit your daily work, not just to bless it from a distance.
विद्या वेद शास्त्रांसी । अधिकार जाणा शारदेशी । तिये वंदिता विश्वासी । ज्ञान होय अवधारा ॥१९॥
vidyā veda śāstrāmsī | adhikāra jāṇā śāradeśī | tiye vamditā viśvāsī | jñāna hoya avadhārā ||19||
Know that Śāradā holds authority over all knowledge, the Vedas, and the scriptures; know for certain that when the world worships her, wisdom comes.
Wisdom (jñāna) is described as arising from worship of the goddess of learning, not from effort alone — humility before the source is itself part of the method.
Approach learning with reverence, not just technique, and understanding will follow more readily.
ऐक माझी विनंती । द्यावी आता अवलीला मती । विस्तार करावया गुरुचरित्री । मतिप्रकाश करी मज ॥२०॥
aika mājhī vinamtī | dyāvī ātā avalīlā matī | vistāra karāvayā gurucaritrī | matiprakāśa karī maja ||20||
Hear my request: grant me now a mind at ease, so that I may expand upon the Guru's life-story; illumine my understanding.
The poet asks for avalīlā — an effortless, unstrained mind — recognizing that a long composition needs sustained ease, not just a single burst of inspiration.
For long undertakings, ask for steady ease rather than a single burst of motivation.
जय जय जगन्माते । तूचि विश्वी वाग्देवते । वेदशास्त्रे तुझी लिखिते । नांदविशी येणेपरी ॥२१॥
jaya jaya jaganmāte | tūci viśvī vāgdevate | vedaśāstre tujhī likhite | nāmdaviśī yeṇeparī ||21||
Victory, victory, mother of the world! You alone in this universe are the goddess of speech; the Vedas and scriptures are your writing, and by this you cause all to flourish.
Sarasvatī is again named source of scripture itself, and her presence is described as generative — making the world flourish, not merely informing it.
Recognize that clear, honest speech has the power to help others flourish, not just to convey facts.
माते तुझिया वाग्बाणी । उत्पत्ति वेदशास्त्रपुराणी । वदता साही दर्शनी । त्यांते अशक्य परियेसा ॥२२॥
māte tujhiyā vāgbāṇī | utpatti vedaśāstrapurāṇī | vadatā sāhī darśanī | tyāmte aśakya pariyesā ||22||
Mother, your very speech is the origin of the Vedas, scriptures, and Purāṇas; even the six systems of philosophy cannot fully describe it — understand this.
The poet emphasizes the limits of even the most rigorous philosophical systems (the six darśanas) before the source of speech itself — some things exceed systematic description.
Accept that some things you value most will always exceed your ability to fully explain them in words.
गुरूचे नामी तुझी स्थित । म्हणती नृसिंहसरस्वती । याकारणे मजवरी प्रीति । नाम आपुले म्हणूनी ॥२३॥
gurūce nāmī tujhī sthita | mhaṇatī nṛsimhasarasvatī | yākāraṇe majavarī prīti | nāma āpule mhaṇūnī ||23||
You abide within the Guru's own name, called Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī; and for this reason he holds love for me, since it is, in a sense, his own name too.
The poet plays on the shared word 'Sarasvatī' — his own name (Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar) echoes the Guru's, and he reads that shared syllable as a sign of the Guru's personal affection for him.
Look for the small, ordinary connections you already share with a teacher or mentor as grounds for trust, not for pride.
खांबसूत्रींची बाहुली जैसी । खेळती तया सूत्रासरसी । स्वतंत्रबुधि नाही त्यांसी । वर्तती आणिकाचेनि मते ॥२४॥
khāmbasūtrīmcī bāhulī jaisī | kheḷatī tayā sūtrāsarasī | svatamtrabudhi nāhī tyāmsī | vartatī āṇikāceni mate ||24||
Like a puppet on strings, dancing exactly as the string is pulled — it has no will of its own, but moves according to another's intention.
The poet compares himself to a marionette to describe how he will write: not from his own cleverness but moved entirely by another's will — a classic image of surrender before composition.
When doing meaningful work, let yourself be guided by something larger than your own cleverness.
तैसे तुझेनि अनुमते । माझे जिव्हे प्रेरीमाते । कृपानिधि वाग्देवते । म्हणोनि विनवी तुझा बाळ ॥२५॥
taise tujheni anumate | mājhe jivhe prerīmāte | kṛpānidhi vāgdevate | mhaṇoni vinavī tujhā bāḷa ||25||
Just so, by your leave, mother, set my tongue in motion; O treasury of grace, goddess of speech, thus your child makes this plea.
Continuing the puppet image, the poet asks Sarasvatī to be the hand that moves the strings of his own speech.
Ask whatever you revere to work through your ordinary faculties — your voice, your hands — rather than waiting for something extraordinary.
म्हणोनि नमिले तुझे चरण । व्हावे स्वामिणी प्रसन्न । द्यावे माते वरदान । ग्रंथी रिघू करवी आता ॥२६॥
mhaṇoni namile tujhe caraṇa | vhāve svāmiṇī prasanna | dyāve māte varadāna | gramthī righū karavī ātā ||26||
Therefore I bow at your feet; be pleased, my Lady; grant, Mother, this boon — now let me enter into the writing of the book.
A closing repetition of the same plea, marking the transition from invocation to the actual beginning of the narrative.
It is fine to repeat a sincere request in your own words before finally beginning; repetition itself steadies resolve.
आता वंदू त्रिमूर्तीसी । ब्रह्माविष्णुशिवांसी । विद्या मागे मी तयासी । अनुक्रमे करोनी ॥२७॥
ātā vamdū trimūrtīsī | brahmāviṣṇuśivāmsī | vidyā māge mī tayāsī | anukrame karonī ||27||
Now let me worship the Trimūrti — Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva — asking each of them in turn for understanding.
The invocation moves to the three great gods, whom the whole Guru Charitra will later identify with the Guru himself — establishing the theology before the story starts.
Take things in their proper order — one full step before the next — rather than rushing all requests at once.
चतुर्मुखे असती ज्यासी । कर्ता जो का सृष्टीसी । वेद झाले बोलते ज्यासी । त्याचे चरणी नमन माझे ॥२८॥
caturmukhe asatī jyāsī | kartā jo kā sṛṣṭīsī | veda jhāle bolate jyāsī | tyāce caraṇī namana mājhe ||28||
He who has four faces, who is the creator of this creation, from whom the Vedas came to be spoken — at his feet I offer my salutation.
Brahmā, the four-faced creator and source of the Vedas, receives his brief homage.
Honor the origins of whatever you rely on, even briefly, before moving on to using it.
आता वंदू ह्रषीकेशी । जो नायक त्या विश्वासी । लक्ष्मीसहित अहर्निशी । क्षीरसागरी असे जाणा ॥२९॥
ātā vamdū hraṣīkeśī | jo nāyaka tyā viśvāsī | lakṣmīsahita aharniśī | kṣīrasāgarī ase jāṇā ||29||
Now let me worship Hṛṣīkeśa, who is lord of this universe; know that he abides day and night in the ocean of milk, together with Lakṣmī.
Viṣṇu is introduced in his mythic resting place, the milk-ocean, a picture of sustaining calm at the heart of the world's activity.
Keep a steady, restful center for yourself even while presiding over a busy life.
चतुर्बाहु नरहरी । शंख चक्र गदा करी । पद्महस्त मुरारी । पद्मनाभ परियेसा ॥३०॥
caturbāhu naraharī | śamkha cakra gadā karī | padmahasta murārī | padmanābha pariyesā ||30||
Four-armed Narahari, holding conch, discus, and mace, lotus in hand — Murāri, Padmanābha, understand this.
A description of Viṣṇu's iconic weapons and forms, each symbolizing an aspect of protection and sovereignty.
Recognize the different tools you already carry for protecting what matters, rather than feeling unequipped.
पीतांबर असे कसियेला । वैजयंती माळा गळा । शरणागता अभीष्ट सकळा । देता होय कृपाळू ॥३१॥
pītāmbara ase kasiyelā | vaijayamtī māḷā gaḷā | śaraṇāgatā abhīṣṭa sakaḷā | detā hoya kṛpāḷū ||31||
Wearing his yellow silk garment, the Vaijayantī garland about his neck, he is gracious, granting every wish to those who take refuge in him.
Viṣṇu's grace is described in relation to refuge-seekers (śaraṇāgata) — the ornament of the passage is that his generosity responds specifically to surrender.
When you feel unequal to a difficulty, let yourself simply ask rather than trying to solve it alone.
आता नमू शिवासी । धरिली गंगा मस्तकेसी । पंचवक्त्र दहा भुजेसी । अर्धांगी असे जगन्माता ॥३२॥
ātā namū śivāsī | dharilī gamgā mastakesī | pamcavaktra dahā bhujesī | ardhāmgī ase jaganmātā ||32||
Now let us bow to Śiva, who bears the Gaṅgā upon his head, five-faced and ten-armed, with the world's mother forming half his body.
Śiva is introduced with the river on his head and Pārvatī as half his form — the image that the masculine and feminine, ascetic and worldly, are inseparably one.
Hold seemingly opposite qualities — discipline and tenderness — together in yourself rather than choosing only one.
पंचवदने असती ज्यासी । संहारी जो या सृष्टीसी । म्हणोनि बोलती स्मशानवासी । त्याचे चरणी नमन माझे ॥३३॥
pamcavadane asatī jyāsī | samhārī jo yā sṛṣṭīsī | mhaṇoni bolatī smaśānavāsī | tyāce caraṇī namana mājhe ||33||
He who has five faces, who dissolves this creation, and whom they therefore call the dweller of the cremation ground — at his feet I offer my salutation.
Śiva's role as dissolver and his dwelling among the dead point to the same truth all such texts return to: endings are not opposed to the sacred but part of it.
Do not flinch from endings and losses; treat them as part of what deserves your respect, not only beginnings.
व्याघ्रांबर पांघरून । सर्वांगी असे सर्पवेष्टण । ऐसा शंभु उमारमण । त्याचे चरणी नमन माझे ॥३४॥
vyāghrāmbara pāmgharūna | sarvāmgī ase sarpaveṣṭaṇa | aisā śambhu umāramaṇa | tyāce caraṇī namana mājhe ||34||
Wrapped in a tiger skin, his whole body wound about with serpents — such is Śambhu, the beloved of Umā; at his feet I offer my salutation.
The stark, ascetic image of Śiva — wild skins and serpents rather than silk and jewels — shows renunciation itself as a form of splendor.
Do not assume that what looks austere or plain lacks its own dignity and beauty.
नमन समस्त सुरवरा । सिद्धसाध्यां अवधारा । गंधर्वयक्षकिन्नरा । ऋषीश्वरा नमन माझे ॥३५॥
namana samasta suravarā | siddhasādhyām avadhārā | gamdharvayakṣakinnarā | ṛṣīśvarā namana mājhe ||35||
Salutation to all the gods, and know too the Siddhas and Sādhyas, the Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Kinnaras — to the great sages, my salutation.
The poet's homage widens to include the entire host of celestial and semi-divine beings and sages before turning, finally, to human predecessors.
Extend your gratitude beyond the obvious figures to everyone, seen or unseen, who supports your effort.
वंदू आता कविकुळासी । पराशरादि व्यासांसी । वाल्मीकादि सकळिकांसी । नमन माझे परियेसा ॥३६॥
vamdū ātā kavikuḷāsī | parāśarādi vyāsāmsī | vālmīkādi sakaḷikāmsī | namana mājhe pariyesā ||36||
Now let me bow to the lineage of poets — Parāśara, Vyāsa, and the rest, Vālmīki and all the others — my salutation to them all.
The poet turns to the human tradition of great composers of scripture, situating his own effort in a lineage of writers rather than claiming originality.
Acknowledge the tradition of those who did similar work before you; craft is rarely built alone.
नेणे कवित्व असे कैसे । म्हणोनि तुम्हा विनवितसे । ज्ञान द्यावे जी भरवसे । आपुला दास म्हणोनि ॥३७॥
neṇe kavitva ase kaise | mhaṇoni tumhā vinavitase | jñāna dyāve jī bharavase | āpulā dāsa mhaṇoni ||37||
I do not truly know what poetic craft is; therefore I make this request of you — grant me understanding, trusting me as your own servant.
The poet's humility deepens into a direct confession of inadequacy as a writer, asking the poet-sages themselves for the skill he lacks.
When taking up work beyond your training, say so honestly and ask for guidance rather than pretending competence.
न कळे ग्रंथप्रकार । नेणे शास्त्रांचा विचार । भाषा नये महाराष्ट्र । म्हणोनि विनवी तुम्हासी ॥३८॥
na kaḷe gramthaprakāra | neṇe śāstrāmcā vicāra | bhāṣā naye mahārāṣṭra | mhaṇoni vinavī tumhāsī ||38||
I do not know how a proper book should be composed, nor the reasoning of the scriptures, nor even the Marathi language well — for this reason I make this request of you.
The self-deprecation is conventional but sincere: even command of his own mother tongue is disclaimed, leaving everything to grace rather than skill.
Let humility about your own limits, honestly stated, be the very thing that opens you to help.
समस्त तुम्ही कृपा करणे । माझिया वचना साह्य होणे । शब्दब्युत्पत्तीही नेणे । कविकुळ तुम्ही प्रतिपाळा ॥३९॥
samasta tumhī kṛpā karaṇe | mājhiyā vacanā sāhya hoṇe | śabdabyutpattīhī neṇe | kavikuḷa tumhī pratipāḷā ||39||
May all of you show grace and become a support to my words; I do not even know how words are properly derived — you, lineage of poets, sustain me.
Closing the poets' invocation, the request is for ongoing support (sāhya) through the whole work, not just a single blessing at the outset.
Ask for sustained support through a long task, not only encouragement at the start.
ऐसे सकळिका विनवोनि । मग ध्याइले पूर्वज मनी । उभयपक्ष जनकजननी । माहात्म्य पुण्यपुरुषांचे ॥४०॥
aise sakaḷikā vinavoni | maga dhyāile pūrvaja manī | ubhayapakṣa janakajananī | māhātmya puṇyapuruṣāmce ||40||
Having thus made his request to everyone, he then called to mind his ancestors — on both sides, father's and mother's — the greatness of these meritorious people.
The invocation of gods now completes and the poet turns to his own human lineage — his family becomes, in this text, part of the sacred genealogy too.
Remember and honor your own family's contribution to who you are, not only distant or abstract figures.
आपस्तंबशाखेसी । गोत्र कौंडिण्य महाऋषि । साखरे नाम ख्यातिशी । सायंदेवापासाव ॥४१॥
āpastambaśākhesī | gotra kaumḍiṇya mahāṛṣi | sākhare nāma khyātiśī | sāyamdevāpāsāva ||41||
Of the Āpastamba branch of the Veda, in the gotra of the great sage Kauṇḍinya, known by the family name Sākhare, descending from Sāyandeva.
The poet lists the precise ritual and genealogical markers of his family — branch, gotra, ancestor's name — situating himself concretely in a real lineage rather than a vague piety.
Know the concrete details of where you come from; specific memory roots devotion better than vague sentiment.
त्यापासूनि नागनाथ । देवराव तयाचा सुत । सदा श्रीसद्गुरुचरण ध्यात ॥ गंगाधर जनक माझा ॥४२॥
tyāpāsūni nāganātha | devarāva tayācā suta | sadā śrīsadgurucaraṇa dhyāta || gamgādhara janaka mājhā ||42||
From him came Nāganātha; Devarāv was his son, ever meditating on the feet of the true Guru; Gaṅgādhar was my father.
The lineage narrows down generation by generation to the poet's own father, Gaṅgādhar, described simply as one who meditated constantly on the Guru's feet.
Let the example of a devoted parent or elder be your own first model of steady practice.
नमन करिता जनकचरणी । मातापूर्वज ध्यातो मनी । जो का पूर्वज नामधारणी । आश्वलायन शाखेचा ॥४३॥
namana karitā janakacaraṇī | mātāpūrvaja dhyāto manī | jo kā pūrvaja nāmadhāraṇī | āśvalāyana śākhecā ||43||
Bowing at his father's feet, he also calls to mind his mother's ancestors — an ancestor bearing this same lineage-name, of the Āśvalāyana branch.
Having honored the paternal line, the poet turns equally to the maternal side, keeping both parents' lineages in view.
Give equal honor to both sides of your family history, not just the more visible one.
काश्यपाचे गोत्री । चौंडेश्वरी नामधारी । वागे जैसा जन्हु अवधारी । अथवा जनक गंगेचा ॥४४॥
kāśyapāce gotrī | caumḍeśvarī nāmadhārī | vāge jaisā janhu avadhārī | athavā janaka gamgecā ||44||
Of the Kāśyapa gotra, bearing the name Cauṇḍeśvarī, behaving like sage Jahnu, or like the very father of the Gaṅgā river.
The maternal grandfather is compared to Jahnu, the sage in whose care the river Gaṅgā once flowed — a poetic way of saying he fostered his daughter as Jahnu fostered the sacred river.
Recognize the quiet role of a grandparent or guardian in shaping someone precious to you.
त्याची कन्या माझी जननी । निश्चये जैशी भवानी । चंपा नामे पुण्यखाणी । स्वामिणी माझी परियेसा ॥४५॥
tyācī kanyā mājhī jananī | niścaye jaiśī bhavānī | campā nāme puṇyakhāṇī | svāmiṇī mājhī pariyesā ||45||
His daughter is my own mother, truly like Bhavānī herself, named Campā, a very mine of merit — my lady, understand.
The poet's mother, Campā, is named directly and likened to the goddess — the domestic and the divine are treated as continuous, not separate registers.
See the ordinary goodness of your own mother or a maternal figure in you as itself sacred, not merely admirable.
नमिता जनकजननीसी । नंतर नमू श्रीगुरुसी । घाली मति प्रकाशी । गुरुचरण स्मरावया ॥४६॥
namitā janakajananīsī | namtara namū śrīgurusī | ghālī mati prakāśī | gurucaraṇa smarāvayā ||46||
Having bowed to father and mother, next let me bow to Śrī Guru; may he illumine my mind, so that I may keep remembering the Guru's feet.
The order of homage is deliberate — parents before Guru — echoing the traditional teaching that one's first teachers are one's own parents.
Honor your parents' place in your formation before turning to any later teacher or mentor.
गंगाधराचे कुशी । जन्म झाला परियेसी । सदा ध्याय श्रीगुरुसी । एका भावे निरंतर ॥४७॥
gamgādharāce kuśī | janma jhālā pariyesī | sadā dhyāya śrīgurusī | ekā bhāve niramtara ||47||
I was born of Gaṅgādhar's line, understand; and I have always meditated on Śrī Guru, with a single unwavering devotion.
The poet closes his self-introduction with the simple fact that defines his whole life: unbroken single-minded devotion (ekā bhāve) to the Guru.
Choose one steady focus for your devotion rather than scattering it, and hold to it without wavering.
म्हणोनि सरस्वतीगंगाधर । करी संतांसी नमस्कार । श्रोतया विनवी वारंवार । क्षमा करणे बाळकासी ॥४८॥
mhaṇoni sarasvatīgamgādhara | karī samtāmsī namaskāra | śrotayā vinavī vāramvāra | kṣamā karaṇe bāḷakāsī ||48||
Therefore I, Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar, offer salutation to the saints, and I entreat my listeners again and again to forgive this child of theirs.
The author now names himself in full — Sarasvatī Gaṅgādhar — and asks his audience's patience as a child asks an elder's.
When presenting your own work, ask honestly for patience rather than pretending confidence you do not feel.
वेदाभ्यासी संन्यासी । यती योगेश्वर तापसी । सदा ध्याती श्रीगुरुसी । तयांसी माझा नमस्कार ॥४९॥
vedābhyāsī samnyāsī | yatī yogeśvara tāpasī | sadā dhyātī śrīgurusī | tayāmsī mājhā namaskāra ||49||
To students of the Vedas, renunciants, ascetics, masters of yoga, those practicing austerity — all who constantly meditate on Śrī Guru — to them I offer my salutation.
The poet salutes the whole community of religious seekers who already practice what he is about to describe, placing his book among their company.
Honor the community of people already living the practice you are only beginning to learn about.
विनवितसे समस्तांसी । अल्पमती आपणासी । माझे बोबडे बोलांसी । सकळ तुम्ही अंगिकारा ॥५०॥
vinavitase samastāmsī | alpamatī āpaṇāsī | mājhe bobaḍe bolāmsī | sakaḷa tumhī amgikārā ||50||
I make this request of everyone: though I am of little understanding, may all of you accept my stammering words.
'Stammering words' (bobaḍe bola) is the image of a child's first speech — the poet frames his composition as an infant's earnest attempt, asking for the same tolerance a child receives.
Offer your imperfect first efforts openly and ask for tolerance rather than hiding them until they feel polished.
तावन्मात्र माझी मति । नेणे काव्यव्युतपत्ति । जैसे श्रीगुरु निरोपिती । तेणे परी सांगत ॥५१॥
tāvanmātra mājhī mati | neṇe kāvyavyutapatti | jaise śrīguru niropitī | teṇe parī sāmgata ||51||
This much only is my understanding — I do not know the finer craft of poetry; I speak only as Śrī Guru instructs me, in just that manner.
The poet disclaims personal authorship altogether: what follows is presented as dictation received, not composition invented.
When sharing something important, be willing to say 'this is what I was taught,' rather than claiming it as purely your own.
पूर्वापार आमुचे वंशी । गुरु प्रसन्न अहर्निशी । निरोप देती माते परियेसी । चरित्र आपुले विस्तारावया ॥५२॥
pūrvāpāra āmuce vamśī | guru prasanna aharniśī | niropa detī māte pariyesī | caritra āpule vistārāvayā ||52||
Since ancient times in our family, the Guru has been gracious day and night; he gave my mother the instruction, understand, to expand his own life-story.
The poet reveals the origin story of the commission itself — the Guru's grace toward this family stretches back generations, and it was through his mother that the instruction to write came.
Trust that a calling passed down through your family across time deserves to be taken seriously, not dismissed as coincidence.
म्हणे ग्रंथ कथन करी । अमृतघट स्वीकारी । तुझे वंशी परंपरी । लाधती चारी पुरुषार्थ ॥५३॥
mhaṇe gramtha kathana karī | amṛtaghaṭa svīkārī | tujhe vamśī paramparī | lādhatī cārī puruṣārtha ||53||
He said: narrate this text — accept it as a pot of nectar; and in your lineage, generation after generation, the four aims of human life will be attained.
The Guru promises that the fruit of this text (amṛta, nectar of immortality) will benefit not just the writer but his whole descending lineage, in terms of the four classical goals of life — duty, prosperity, desire, and liberation.
Undertake meaningful work partly for the benefit of those who come after you, not only for yourself.
गुरुवाक्य मज कामधेनु । मनी नाही अनुमानु । सिद्धि पावविणार आपणु । श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वती ॥५४॥
guruvākya maja kāmadhenu | manī nāhī anumānu | siddhi pāvaviṇāra āpaṇu | śrīnṛsimhasarasvatī ||54||
The Guru's word is to me like the wish-fulfilling cow — I hold no doubt in my mind; Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī himself will bring this work to its completion.
The poet expresses total confidence, comparing the Guru's spoken word to the mythic kāmadhenu that grants any wish — a promise, once given, is treated as already fulfilled.
Once you have received sincere guidance, act on it with confidence rather than second-guessing it endlessly.
त्रैमूर्तीचा अवतार । झाला नृसिंहसरस्वती नर । कवण जाणे याचा पार । चरित्र कवणा न वर्णवे ॥५५॥
traimūrtīcā avatāra | jhālā nṛsimhasarasvatī nara | kavaṇa jāṇe yācā pāra | caritra kavaṇā na varṇave ||55||
He who is an incarnation of the Trimūrti became Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī in human form; who can fathom his depth? No one can fully describe his life-story.
The theological claim of the whole book is stated directly here: Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī is not merely a saint but the incarnation of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva together, whose full nature exceeds any single telling.
Approach anyone genuinely wise with the humility that you will never fully take their measure — keep learning rather than assuming you have.
चरित्र ऐसे श्रीगुरुचे । वर्णू न शके मी वाचे । आज्ञापन असे श्रीगुरुचे । म्हणोनि वाचे बोलतसे ॥५६॥
caritra aise śrīguruce | varṇū na śake mī vāce | ājñāpana ase śrīguruce | mhaṇoni vāce bolatase ||56||
Such is Śrī Guru's life-story that my voice alone cannot describe it; it is only because of Śrī Guru's own command that my voice speaks at all.
Again the poet insists that his ability to narrate comes wholly from obedience to command, not from his own capacity.
When you are asked to do something beyond your felt ability, let the trust placed in you be reason enough to try.
ज्यास पुत्रपौत्री असे चाड । त्यासी कथा हे असे गोड । लक्ष्मी वसे अखंड । तया भुवनी परियेसा ॥५७॥
jyāsa putrapautrī ase cāḍa | tyāsī kathā he ase goḍa | lakṣmī vase akhamḍa | tayā bhuvanī pariyesā ||57||
For anyone who desires children and grandchildren, this story is sweet indeed; understand that wealth dwells unbroken in that household.
The poet begins listing the traditional benefits of the text for households that engage with it — a common convention in devotional literature promising worldly and spiritual fruit alike.
Bring stories of devotion into your household intentionally, treating shared reading as something that nourishes family life.
ऐशी कथा जयाचे घरी । वाचिती नित्य प्रेमभरी । श्रियायुक्त निरंतरी । नांदती पुत्रकलत्रयुक्त ॥५८॥
aiśī kathā jayāce gharī | vācitī nitya premabharī | śriyāyukta niramtarī | nāmdatī putrakalatrayukta ||58||
In whatever house this story is read daily and with love, that house is endowed with prosperity always, and its people live happily with children and spouse.
The promise continues: regular, affectionate reading (not mere ritual recitation) is what is said to bring prosperity and family happiness.
Make a daily, unhurried practice of reading or reflection a part of home life, done with real affection rather than obligation.
रोग नाही तया भुवनी । सदा संतुष्ट गुरुकृपेकरोनि । निःसंदेह साता दिनी । ऐकता बंधन तुटे जाणा ॥५९॥
roga nāhī tayā bhuvanī | sadā samtuṣṭa gurukṛpekaroni | niḥsamdeha sātā dinī | aikatā bamdhana tuṭe jāṇā ||59||
There is no illness in that household; it remains always content through the Guru's grace; without doubt, hearing it over seven days, know that bondage is broken.
The poet promises health and freedom from bondage through sustained listening over a set period — a traditional structure (like a week-long recitation) shaping how the text was meant to be used.
Give a spiritual practice a defined, sustained period of time rather than a single scattered attempt.
ऐसी पुण्यपावन कथा । सांगेन ऐक विस्तारता । सायासाविण होय साध्यता । सद्यःफल प्राप्त होय ॥६०॥
aisī puṇyapāvana kathā | sāmgena aika vistāratā | sāyāsāviṇa hoya sādhyatā | sadyaḥphala prāpta hoya ||60||
Such a purifying, sacred story I shall now tell at length — listen; it is accomplished without effort, and its fruit is attained immediately.
The poet reassures his audience that the benefit of hearing this story requires no exertion (sāyāsa) of their own — only attentive listening.
Recognize that some good comes simply from receptive attention, without needing to strive for it.
निधान लाधे अप्रयासी । तरी कष्ट का सायासी । विश्वास माझिया बोलासी । ऐका श्रोते एकचित्ते ॥६१॥
nidhāna lādhe aprayāsī | tarī kaṣṭa kā sāyāsī | viśvāsa mājhiyā bolāsī | aikā śrote ekacitte ||61||
If treasure is obtained without effort, then why struggle uselessly? Trust my words, and listen, O listeners, with a single-pointed mind.
The poet asks for undivided attention (ekacitta) as the one real condition for receiving what is otherwise given freely.
Give your full, undivided attention when receiving something valuable, even if it costs you nothing else.
आम्हा साक्षी ऐसे घडले । म्हणोनि विनवितसे बळे । श्रीगुरुस्मरण असे भले । अनुभवा हो सकळिक ॥६२॥
āmhā sākṣī aise ghaḍale | mhaṇoni vinavitase baḷe | śrīgurusmaraṇa ase bhale | anubhavā ho sakaḷika ||62||
This has happened before our own eyes as witnesses, and so I entreat you strongly — remembrance of Śrī Guru is a true good; let everyone experience it for themselves.
The poet grounds his claims in personal witness (sākṣī), not hearsay, and invites listeners to verify by their own experience rather than take it only on faith.
Encourage others to test spiritual claims through their own honest experience, not blind acceptance.
तृप्ति झालियावरी ढेकर । देती जैसे जेवणार । गुरुमहिमेचा उद्गार । बोलतसे अनुभवोनि ॥६३॥
tṛpti jhāliyāvarī ḍhekara | detī jaise jevaṇāra | gurumahimecā udgāra | bolatase anubhavoni ||63||
As one who has eaten well lets out a satisfied belch, so I speak this exclamation of the Guru's greatness, out of my own experience.
The homely image of a satisfied eater's belch conveys that what follows overflows naturally from lived fullness, not composed effort.
Let your sincerest words come from what has genuinely filled you, rather than from performance.
मी सामान्य म्हणोनि । उदास व्हाल माझे वचनी । मक्षिकेच्या मुखांतुनी । मधु केवी ग्राह्य होय ॥६४॥
mī sāmānya mhaṇoni | udāsa vhāla mājhe vacanī | makṣikecyā mukhāmtunī | madhu kevī grāhya hoya ||64||
Do not turn away from my words merely because I am an ordinary man — after all, one may ask, how could honey be accepted from a fly's mouth?
The poet anticipates the listener's doubt about his low standing as narrator and voices the very objection himself before answering it.
Do not dismiss good counsel just because it comes from an unremarkable source.
जैसे शिंपल्यांत मुक्ताफळ । अथवा कर्पूर कर्दळ । विचारी पा अश्वत्थमूळ । कवणापासावउत्पत्ति ॥६५॥
jaise śimpalyāmta muktāphaḷa | athavā karpūra kardaḷa | vicārī pā aśvatthamūḷa | kavaṇāpāsāvautpatti ||65||
Just as a pearl forms within a plain oyster-shell, or camphor within a common plantain — consider too from what humble source the peepal tree's root arises.
The poet answers his own doubt with three images of precious things arising from unremarkable sources — pearl from shell, camphor from plantain, the sacred tree from ordinary root.
Look for value inside plain, unglamorous places rather than assuming worth only comes dressed impressively.
ग्रंथ कराल उदास । वाकुड कृष्ण दिसे ऊस । अमृतवत निघे त्याचा रस । दृष्टि द्यावी तयावरी ॥६६॥
gramtha karāla udāsa | vākuḍa kṛṣṇa dise ūsa | amṛtavata nighe tyācā rasa | dṛṣṭi dyāvī tayāvarī ||66||
Do not lose interest in this book; sugarcane too appears crooked and dark, yet nectar-like juice flows from it — give it your attention rather than judging by appearance.
The sugarcane image completes the argument: outward roughness is no measure of the sweetness within.
Judge a teaching or a person by what it actually yields, not by its outward polish.
तैसे माझे बोलणे । ज्याची चाड गुरुस्मरणे । अंगिकार करणार शहाणे । अनुभविती एकचित्ते ॥६७॥
taise mājhe bolaṇe | jyācī cāḍa gurusmaraṇe | amgikāra karaṇāra śahāṇe | anubhavitī ekacitte ||67||
So too my speech: whoever has a real longing for remembering the Guru will find the wise accepting of it, and will experience it with a single-pointed mind.
The poet trusts that genuine longing (cāḍa) in the listener, not literary polish in the speaker, is what makes the teaching land.
Trust that sincere longing in your own heart will let you receive good teaching, whatever its outer form.
ब्रह्मरसाची गोडी । अनुभवितां फळें रोकडी । या बोलाची आवडी । ज्यासी संभवे अनुभव ॥६८॥
brahmarasācī goḍī | anubhavitām phaḷem rokaḍī | yā bolācī āvaḍī | jyāsī sambhave anubhava ||68||
The sweetness of the essence of the Absolute, once tasted, yields its fruit at once; and only one for whom real experience is possible will come to love these words.
The reward promised (brahmarasa, the taste of the Absolute) is described as immediate for those actually capable of inward experience, not merely for careful readers.
Seek the immediate, felt taste of what you practice, not just an intellectual grasp of it.
गुरुचरित्र कामधेनु । ऐकता होय महाज्ञानु । श्रोती करोनिया सावध मनु । एकचिते परियेसा ॥६९॥
gurucaritra kāmadhenu | aikatā hoya mahājñānu | śrotī karoniyā sāvadha manu | ekacite pariyesā ||69||
The Guru Charitra is a wish-fulfilling cow — hearing it brings great wisdom; O listeners, make your minds attentive and understand it with single-pointed focus.
The invocatory section closes with the same wish-fulfilling-cow image now applied to the whole text — a final call to attentive listening before the story itself begins.
Set your mind deliberately before beginning something valuable, rather than drifting into it.
श्रीगुरुनृसिंहसरस्वती । होते गाणगापुरी ख्याति । महिमा त्यांचा अत्यद्भुती । सांगेन ऐका एकचित्ते ॥७०॥
śrīgurunṛsimhasarasvatī | hote gāṇagāpurī khyāti | mahimā tyāmcā atyadbhutī | sāmgena aikā ekacitte ||70||
Śrī Guru Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī was renowned at Gāṇagāpur; his glory is exceedingly wondrous — I shall tell it; listen with a single-pointed mind.
The narrative proper begins now by naming the actual place, Gāṇagāpur, where the Guru was renowned — grounding the story in a real, visitable location.
Let your devotion take shape in real, particular places and routines, not only in abstract feeling.
तया ग्रामी वसती गुरु । म्हणोनि महिमा असे थोरु । जाणती लोक चहू राष्ट्रु । समस्त जाती यात्रेसी ॥७१॥
tayā grāmī vasatī guru | mhaṇoni mahimā ase thoru | jāṇatī loka cahū rāṣṭru | samasta jātī yātresī ||71||
The Guru resided in that village, and for this its fame is great; people from every region know of it, and all go there on pilgrimage.
The presence of a realized teacher is described as itself transforming an ordinary village into a destination for seekers from every direction.
Recognize how the presence of one wholehearted person can draw and benefit an entire community.
तेथे राहोनि आराधिती । त्वरित होय फलप्राप्ति । पुत्र दारा धन संपत्ति । जे जे इच्छिले होय जना ॥७२॥
tethe rāhoni ārādhitī | tvarita hoya phalaprāpti | putra dārā dhana sampatti | je je icchile hoya janā ||72||
Those who stay there and worship find their fruit quickly — children, spouse, wealth, prosperity — whatever a person desires comes to be.
The pilgrimage site is described as swiftly responsive to sincere worship, in the traditional Puranic register of naming worldly boons alongside spiritual ones.
Give a sacred practice sustained, patient presence rather than a single hurried visit, and let its fruit come in its own time.
लाधोनिया संताने । नामे ठेविती नामकरणे । संतोषरूपे येऊन । पावती चारी पुरुषार्थ ॥७३॥
lādhoniyā samtāne | nāme ṭhevitī nāmakaraṇe | samtoṣarūpe yeūna | pāvatī cārī puruṣārtha ||73||
Having obtained children, they hold the naming ceremony for them; in a state of contentment, they attain the four goals of human life.
The verse quietly sets up the coming story: a childless devotee will seek exactly this blessing of offspring and a name.
Mark important milestones in a child's life — even something as simple as naming — as occasions of gratitude.
ऐसे असता वर्तमानी । भक्त एक ’नामकरणी’ । कष्टतसे अति गहनी । सदा ध्याय श्रीगुरुसी ॥७४॥
aise asatā vartamānī | bhakta eka ’nāmakaraṇī’ | kaṣṭatase ati gahanī | sadā dhyāya śrīgurusī ||74||
In those times there lived a devotee named 'Nāmakaraṇī' who suffered very deeply, yet always meditated on Śrī Guru.
The chapter's central figure is now introduced by name — a devotee in deep distress whose one constant is his unbroken remembrance of the Guru, even in suffering.
Keep your practice steady precisely during hard seasons, not only when life is easy.
ऐसा मनी व्याकुळित । चिंतेने वेष्टिला बहुत । गुरुदर्शना जाऊ म्हणत । निर्वाणमानसे निघाला ॥७५॥
aisā manī vyākuḷita | cimtene veṣṭilā bahuta | gurudarśanā jāū mhaṇata | nirvāṇamānase nighālā ||75||
Distressed in mind and wound about by great anxiety, saying 'let me go for the Guru's darshan,' he set out with a mind fully resolved.
Anguish becomes decisive action: rather than staying paralyzed by worry, the devotee turns his distress into a resolute journey toward the Guru's presence, darśana.
When anxiety weighs on you, turn it into a concrete step toward the source of your comfort rather than sitting with it passively.
अति निर्वाण अंतःकरणी । लय होवोनि गुरुचरणी । जातो शिष्यशिरोमणी । विसरोनिया क्षुधातृषा ॥७६॥
ati nirvāṇa amtaḥkaraṇī | laya hovoni gurucaraṇī | jāto śiṣyaśiromaṇī | visaroniyā kṣudhātṛṣā ||76||
With his inner heart utterly resolved, absorbed wholly in the Guru's feet, this foremost of disciples went on, forgetting even hunger and thirst.
The journey is described as total absorption (laya) — a single-minded devotion so complete that ordinary bodily needs simply fall away.
Let a wholehearted purpose occasionally override lesser comforts, when the cause truly warrants it.
निर्धार करोनि मानसी । म्हणे पाहीन श्रीगुरुसी । अथवा सांडीन देहासी । जडस्वरूपे काय काज ॥७७॥
nirdhāra karoni mānasī | mhaṇe pāhīna śrīgurusī | athavā sāmḍīna dehāsī | jaḍasvarūpe kāya kāja ||77||
He resolved firmly in his mind and said, 'Either I will see Śrī Guru, or I will give up this body — what use is this mere lump of flesh otherwise?'
The devotee's resolve reaches its extreme: he stakes his very life on attaining the Guru's presence, a traditional trope of total commitment.
Let the intensity of your resolve for what truly matters exceed your attachment to mere comfort or safety.
ज्याचे नामस्मरण करिता । दैन्यहानि होय त्वरिता । आपण तैसा नामांकिता । किंकर म्हणतसे ॥७८॥
jyāce nāmasmaraṇa karitā | dainyahāni hoya tvaritā | āpaṇa taisā nāmāmkitā | kimkara mhaṇatase ||78||
By remembering whose very name, misery is swiftly destroyed — he himself, so named, calls himself only that one's servant.
A play on the devotee's own name, which itself contains 'nāma' (name) — he is defined entirely by his relation to the Guru's name, as its servant.
Let your own identity be shaped by what you serve, rather than by titles you claim for yourself.
दैव असे आपुले उणे । तरी का भजावे श्रीगुरुचरण । परिस लावता लोहा जाण । सुवर्ण केवी होतसे ॥७९॥
daiva ase āpule uṇe | tarī kā bhajāve śrīgurucaraṇa | parisa lāvatā lohā jāṇa | suvarṇa kevī hotase ||79||
My own fortune is lacking — so why should I even worship Śrī Guru's feet? Yet consider: when the touchstone touches iron, how does it turn to gold?
The devotee voices his own despair and immediately answers it with the classic image of the touchstone (paris) — contact with the Guru transforms fortune, rather than requiring good fortune first.
Do not wait to feel deserving before seeking help; contact with the right source is what changes your condition, not the reverse.
तैसे तुझे नाम परिसे । माझे ह्रदयी सदा वसे । माते कष्टी सायासे । ठेविता लाज कवणासी ॥८०॥
taise tujhe nāma parise | mājhe hradayī sadā vase | māte kaṣṭī sāyāse | ṭhevitā lāja kavaṇāsī ||80||
Just so, your name, like that touchstone, dwells always in my heart; if you leave me, your child, laboring in distress, whose shame would that be?
The devotee turns the argument back onto the Guru: since the Guru's name already dwells in his heart, abandoning him now would reflect on the Guru's own reputation, not the devotee's worth.
Trust the bond you have already formed with what you revere, even when you cannot see the outcome yet.
या बोलाचिया हेवा । मनी धरोनि पहावा । गुरुमूर्ती सदाशिवा । कृपाळू बा सर्वभूती ॥८१॥
yā bolāciyā hevā | manī dharoni pahāvā | gurumūrtī sadāśivā | kṛpāḷū bā sarvabhūtī ||81||
Holding fast in his mind the confidence of these very words, let him look upon the Guru's form as the eternal Śiva, gracious toward all beings.
The devotee steadies himself by identifying the Guru with Śiva's universal compassion — grace meant for all beings, not withheld from any single one.
Remind yourself, when in doubt, that genuine compassion is meant universally, and you are not excluded from it.
अतिव्याकुळ अंतःकरणी । निंदास्तुति आपुली वाणी । कष्टला भक्त नामकरणी । करिता होय परियेसा ॥८२॥
ativyākuḷa amtaḥkaraṇī | nimdāstuti āpulī vāṇī | kaṣṭalā bhakta nāmakaraṇī | karitā hoya pariyesā ||82||
With his inner heart in deep anguish, his own words mixing complaint and praise together, the suffering devotee Nāmakaraṇī speaks in this way — understand.
The narrator names the tone of what is coming: a passionate mixture of complaint and praise (nindā-stuti), a well-established devotional mode where even reproach is itself an act of intimacy and love.
Allow yourself honest complaint even in prayer or reflection; voicing frustration can itself be a form of trust.
राग स्वेच्छा ओवीबद्ध म्हणावे । आजि पाहुणे पंढरीचे रावे । वंदू विघ्नहरा भावे । नमू ते सुंदरा शारदेसी ॥८३॥
rāga svecchā ovībaddha mhaṇāve | āji pāhuṇe pamḍharīce rāve | vamdū vighnaharā bhāve | namū te sumdarā śāradesī ||83||
Let it be sung freely, in whatever tune, composed in ovī verse — today the guest is the very king of Paṇḍharī; let me worship the remover of obstacles with devotion, and bow to lovely Śāradā.
The poet briefly steps outside the story to note the verse-form itself and renews his opening invocations, treating Viṭṭhal of Paṇḍharī as an honored guest of the poem.
Revisit your foundational commitments periodically even mid-task, rather than only at the very start.
गुरूची त्रैमूर्ति । म्हणती वेदश्रुति । सांगती दृष्टान्ती । कलियुगात ॥८४॥
gurūcī traimūrti | mhaṇatī vedaśruti | sāmgatī dṛṣṭāntī | kaliyugāta ||84||
The scriptures — the Vedas and the Śrutis — declare the Guru to be the threefold form [of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva]; they teach this through examples, for this Kali age.
The narrator restates the theology directly: scripture itself testifies that the Guru embodies the Trimūrti, given as a teaching suited to a difficult age.
Trust that guidance suited to hard times is offered precisely because the times are hard, not despite it.
कलियुगात ख्याति । श्रीनृसिहसरस्वती । भक्तांसी सारथी । कृपासिंधू ॥८५॥
kaliyugāta khyāti | śrīnṛsihasarasvatī | bhaktāmsī sārathī | kṛpāsimdhū ||85||
Renowned in this Kali age is Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī, the charioteer of his devotees, the very ocean of grace.
The image of sārathī (charioteer) recalls Kṛṣṇa guiding Arjuna — the Guru is described as one who actively steers his devotees, not a distant object of worship.
Look for guidance that actively steers you through difficulty, and let yourself be led rather than insisting on driving alone.
कृपासिंधु भक्ता । वेद वाखाणिता । त्रयमूर्ति गुरुनाथा । म्हणोनिया ॥८६॥
kṛpāsimdhu bhaktā | veda vākhāṇitā | trayamūrti gurunāthā | mhaṇoniyā ||86||
The Vedas themselves praise him as the ocean of grace to his devotees, calling him the threefold Lord and Guru.
The verse repeats the theological claim once more with the emphasis that this is scripture's own testimony, not the poet's private opinion.
Ground your convictions in something beyond your own private feeling when you can, for steadiness.
त्रयमूर्तीचे गुण । तू एक निधान । भक्तांसी रक्षण । दयानिधि ॥८७॥
trayamūrtīce guṇa | tū eka nidhāna | bhaktāmsī rakṣaṇa | dayānidhi ||87||
You alone are the treasury holding the qualities of all three divine forms; you are the protection of your devotees, the very treasury of compassion.
Here begins the devotee Nāmakaraṇī's own direct address to the Guru — the long personal supplication that will run through much of the rest of the chapter.
When you address what you revere directly, name plainly what you need from it — protection, compassion — rather than speaking only in generalities.
दयानिधि यती । विनवितो मी श्रीपती । नेणे भावभक्ति । अंतःकरणी ॥८८॥
dayānidhi yatī | vinavito mī śrīpatī | neṇe bhāvabhakti | amtaḥkaraṇī ||88||
O treasury of compassion, ascetic Lord — I entreat you, O Śrīpati; I confess I do not truly know heartfelt devotion within my own heart.
The devotee's plea grows more personal and confessional, admitting even that his devotion itself may be lacking in depth — an honest, unflattering self-assessment offered as part of the prayer.
Admit even the shortcomings of your own faith or effort honestly, rather than performing a confidence you don't feel.
अंतःकरणी स्थिरु । नव्हे बा श्रीगुरु । तू कृपासागरु । पाव वेगी ॥८९॥
amtaḥkaraṇī sthiru | navhe bā śrīguru | tū kṛpāsāgaru | pāva vegī ||89||
My inner heart is not steady, O Śrī Guru; you are the very ocean of grace — come to me quickly.
The devotee names his own instability plainly and asks for swift help, trusting the Guru's compassion to meet him in that very unsteadiness.
When your own resolve wavers, ask for help immediately rather than waiting until you feel more composed.
पाव वेगी आता । नरहरी अनंता । बाळालागी माता । केवी टाकी ॥९०॥
pāva vegī ātā | naraharī anamtā | bāḷālāgī mātā | kevī ṭākī ||90||
Come to me quickly now, infinite Narahari — how could a mother ever abandon her own child?
The devotee appeals to the most basic image of unbreakable bond — a mother and child — to argue that the Guru's care cannot simply cease.
When you feel forsaken, recall the most basic, trustworthy bonds you know as evidence that abandonment is not the whole truth.
तू माता तू पिता । तूचि सखा भ्राता । तूचि कुळदेवता । परंपरी ॥९१॥
tū mātā tū pitā | tūci sakhā bhrātā | tūci kuḷadevatā | paramparī ||91||
You are my mother, you are my father, you alone are my friend and brother, you alone are my family's deity across generations.
The devotee collapses every human relationship into the single figure of the Guru — a common devotional move that says no other bond is truly separate from this one.
Let one central relationship of trust inform how you understand all your other relationships, rather than compartmentalizing them.
वंशपरंपरी । धरूनि निर्धारी । भजतो मी नरहरी । सरस्वतीसी ॥९२॥
vamśaparamparī | dharūni nirdhārī | bhajato mī naraharī | sarasvatīsī ||92||
Holding this resolve firmly, generation after generation of my lineage, I worship you, Narahari, here at Sarasvatī.
The devotee locates his worship at a specific place associated with the river Sarasvatī, tying personal devotion to inherited family practice and to place.
Keep a family tradition of devotion alive by continuing to practice it in its own place and form, not just in memory.
सरस्वती नरहरी । दैन्य माझे हरी । म्हणूनि मी निरंतरी । सदा कष्टे व९३॥
sarasvatī naraharī | dainya mājhe harī | mhaṇūni mī niramtarī | sadā kaṣṭe va93||
O Narahari of Sarasvatī, take away my distress — and yet I go on, continuously, always suffering.
The devotee states the raw fact of his ongoing suffering directly to the Guru, without softening it, as part of his honest complaint.
State the plain truth of your suffering directly rather than dressing it up, when you turn to seek help.
सदा कष्ट चित्ता । का हो देशी आता । कृपासिंधु भक्ता । केवी होसी ॥९४॥
sadā kaṣṭa cittā | kā ho deśī ātā | kṛpāsimdhu bhaktā | kevī hosī ||94||
My mind is always in distress — why do you give me this now? You who are the ocean of grace to your devotees — how can you be so?
The devotee's complaint sharpens into a direct challenge, questioning how one called an 'ocean of grace' can allow such suffering to continue.
It is permitted to question honestly, even to protest, when suffering continues despite your faith; sincerity matters more than polite silence.
कृपासिंधु भक्ता । कृपाळू अनंता । त्रयमूर्ति जगन्नाथा । दयानिधी ॥९५॥
kṛpāsimdhu bhaktā | kṛpāḷū anamtā | trayamūrti jagannāthā | dayānidhī ||95||
Ocean of grace to your devotees, gracious and infinite, threefold Lord of the world, treasury of compassion.
Even mid-complaint, the devotee returns automatically to praise — the two are woven together rather than opposed.
Let complaint and gratitude coexist honestly in your prayer, rather than forcing yourself into only one register.
त्रयमूर्ति तू होसी । पाळिसी विश्वासी । समस्त देवांसी । तूचि दाता ॥९६॥
trayamūrti tū hosī | pāḷisī viśvāsī | samasta devāmsī | tūci dātā ||96||
You alone are the threefold form; you sustain this whole world; to all the gods themselves, you alone are the giver.
The devotee's argument builds toward its point: if the Guru is the giver even to the gods, surely he can give to one suffering man.
When making an honest request, build your case step by step rather than simply demanding.
समस्ता देवांसी । तूचि दाता होसी । मागो मी कवणासी । तुजवांचोनी ॥९७॥
samastā devāmsī | tūci dātā hosī | māgo mī kavaṇāsī | tujavāmconī ||97||
To all the gods you alone are the giver — from whom else, then, should I ask, apart from you?
The rhetorical question closes the logical chain: there being no other true source of giving, all his need must be brought to this one place.
When you have identified your true source of help, take your real needs there directly rather than scattering requests elsewhere.
तुजवाचोनी आता । असे कवण दाता । विश्वासी पोषिता । सर्वज्ञ तू ॥९८॥
tujavāconī ātā | ase kavaṇa dātā | viśvāsī poṣitā | sarvajña tū ||98||
Apart from you now, who else is there to give? You who sustain the whole world, you are the all-knowing one.
The devotee names the Guru's omniscience (sarvajña) directly, implying that a Guru who knows all should not need to be told of his suffering.
Trust that someone who truly understands you does not need every detail explained before they can help.
सर्वज्ञाची खूण । असे हे लक्षण । समस्तांचे जाणे । कवण ऐसा ॥९९॥
sarvajñācī khūṇa | ase he lakṣaṇa | samastāmce jāṇe | kavaṇa aisā ||99||
This is the very mark of one who is all-knowing — to know the state of everyone; who else is there like this?
The devotee defines what 'all-knowing' actually means: complete knowledge of every being's condition, which he will next use as leverage in his plea.
Define clearly, to yourself, what you actually mean by trusting someone, rather than leaving your trust vague.
सर्वज्ञ म्हणोनि । वानिती पुराणी । माझे अंतःकरणी । न ये साक्षी ॥१००॥
sarvajña mhaṇoni | vānitī purāṇī | mājhe amtaḥkaraṇī | na ye sākṣī ||100||
The Purāṇas praise you as all-knowing, yet within my own heart, no proof of it has yet come to me.
The devotee's honest doubt surfaces plainly: scripture's claim and his own lived experience have not yet matched, and he says so without pretending otherwise.
Voice the gap between what you have been taught and what you have actually experienced, rather than suppressing the doubt.
कवण कैशापरी । असती भूमीवरी । जाणिजेचि तरी । सर्वज्ञ तो ॥१॥
kavaṇa kaiśāparī | asatī bhūmīvarī | jāṇijeci tarī | sarvajña to ||1||
Whoever, in whatever way, truly exists upon this earth — if that can be known completely, only then is one truly all-knowing.
The devotee pushes the logical test further: true omniscience must mean knowing every single being on earth in full, a nearly impossible standard he sets as his challenge.
Hold your own standards for trust to a high bar, but be willing to test them honestly rather than only assert them.
बाळक तान्हये । नेणे बापमाये । कृपा केवी होय । मातापित्या ॥२॥
bāḷaka tānhaye | neṇe bāpamāye | kṛpā kevī hoya | mātāpityā ||2||
An infant, still nursing, does not even recognize its own father and mother — so how, then, does a parent's compassion still come to it?
The devotee answers his own hard question with a tender image: a baby's ignorance of its parents does not stop the parents' love from acting anyway — grace precedes recognition.
Trust that genuine care can reach you even before you are able to fully recognize or understand its source.
दिलियावांचोनि । न देववे म्हणोनि । असेल तुझे मनी । सांग मज ॥३॥
diliyāvāmconi | na devave mhaṇoni | asela tujhe manī | sāmga maja ||3||
Perhaps it is in your mind that unless something is first given [to you], you cannot give in return — tell me if that is so.
The devotee half-jokingly, half-earnestly accuses the Guru of withholding as if waiting for an offering first, continuing the bold, familiar tone of complaint-as-love.
It is acceptable to name, gently and honestly, what you suspect is holding someone back from helping you, even in a relationship of trust.
समस्त महीतळी । तुम्हा दिल्हे बळी । त्याते हो पाताळी । बैसविले ॥४॥
samasta mahītaḷī | tumhā dilhe baḷī | tyāte ho pātāḷī | baisavile ||4||
The whole earth was given to you by King Bali; and him you sent down to the netherworld [in return].
The devotee recalls the story of Vāmana and Bali — Viṣṇu received the whole earth from Bali's generosity, then still consigned Bali below, illustrating that giving does not obligate a simple exchange.
Do not expect that generosity toward someone above you obliges them to a simple, tit-for-tat return.
सुवर्णाची लंका । तुवा दिल्ही एका । तेणे पूर्वी लंका । कवणा दिल्ही ॥५॥
suvarṇācī lamkā | tuvā dilhī ekā | teṇe pūrvī lamkā | kavaṇā dilhī ||5||
The golden city of Laṅkā was given by you to one man [Vibhīṣaṇa]; but before that, to whom had that Laṅkā ever been given [by him]?
The devotee cites another mythic gift — Rāma giving Laṅkā to Vibhīṣaṇa — arguing that such gifts did not depend on the receiver having first given anything.
Recognize that true generosity is not conditional on the receiver having earned it through prior payment.
अढळ ध्रुवासी । दिल्हे ह्रषीकेशी । त्याने हो तुम्हासी । काय दिल्हे ॥६॥
aḍhaḷa dhruvāsī | dilhe hraṣīkeśī | tyāne ho tumhāsī | kāya dilhe ||6||
The unshakable place [as the pole star] was given to Dhruva by Hṛṣīkeśa — what, in turn, did Dhruva ever give to you?
A third mythic example: the boy Dhruva received an eternal place in the heavens purely through devotion, having given nothing material in exchange.
Trust that sincere devotion alone, without any material offering, can be enough to receive real and lasting good.
निःक्षत्र करूनी । विप्राते मेदिनी । देता तुम्हा कोणी । काय दिल्हे ॥७॥
niḥkṣatra karūnī | viprāte medinī | detā tumhā koṇī | kāya dilhe ||7||
Having cleared the earth of warrior-kings and given the whole earth to the brahmins — did anyone, in turn, give anything to you for it?
A fourth example, from Paraśurāma's story: an entire kingdom given away as a gift, again without any prior payment received.
Give freely of your own effort toward a worthy cause without insisting on being repaid first.
सृष्टीचा पोषक । तूचि देव एक । तूते मी मशक । काय देऊ ॥८॥
sṛṣṭīcā poṣaka | tūci deva eka | tūte mī maśaka | kāya deū ||8||
You alone, sustainer of all creation, are God; and I, a mere gnat before you, what could I possibly give?
The devotee draws his own conclusion from the string of examples: since the giver has never needed anything in return, his own smallness is no obstacle to receiving.
Do not let a sense of your own smallness stop you from asking for help from someone truly capable of giving it.
नाही तुम्हा जरी । श्रीमंत नरहरी । लक्ष्मी तुझे घरी । नांदतसे ॥९॥
nāhī tumhā jarī | śrīmamta naraharī | lakṣmī tujhe gharī | nāmdatase ||9||
Even setting that question aside, Narahari — wealth [Lakṣmī] itself already dwells in your own house.
The devotee notes that the Guru, identified with Viṣṇu, already possesses Lakṣmī as consort, so there is no shortage from which to give.
When asking someone for help, remember that true abundance is not diminished by sharing it.
याहोनी आम्हासी । तू काय मागसी । सांग ह्रषीकेशी । काय देऊ ॥११०॥
yāhonī āmhāsī | tū kāya māgasī | sāmga hraṣīkeśī | kāya deū ||110||
Beyond this, then, what do you ask of me? Tell me, Hṛṣīkeśa — what is it I should give?
The devotee, having exhausted his arguments, finally turns the question back with real openness — willing to give whatever is actually asked, if only he is told.
When you have argued your case honestly, be ready to genuinely listen for what is actually being asked of you in return.
मातेचे वोसंगी । बैसोनिया बाळ वेगी । पसरी मुखसुरंगी । स्तनकांक्षेसी ॥११॥
mātece vosamgī | baisoniyā bāḷa vegī | pasarī mukhasuramgī | stanakāmkṣesī ||11||
Sitting quickly in his mother's lap, the child opens his sweet little mouth, longing for the breast.
The narrative shifts to a tender image of infant hunger — a child does not reason or argue, only opens its mouth in trust, which becomes the model for how the devotee should now simply ask.
Sometimes the right response to need is simple, trusting openness rather than elaborate argument.
बाळापासी माता । काय मागे ताता । ऐक श्रीगुरुनाथा । काय देऊ ॥१२॥
bāḷāpāsī mātā | kāya māge tātā | aika śrīgurunāthā | kāya deū ||12||
What does a mother ever ask from her own child in return? Hear this, O Śrī Guru Lord — so then, what is it I should give?
The devotee applies the mother-child image directly: since a mother asks nothing of her nursing child, he wonders again what exactly the Guru could want from him.
Do not assume that love requires you to repay it before receiving it; some love is simply given.
घेऊनिया देता । नाम नाही दाता । दयानिधि म्हणता । बोल दिसे ॥१३॥
gheūniyā detā | nāma nāhī dātā | dayānidhi mhaṇatā | bola dise ||13||
One who only gives after first taking is not truly called a giver — if that were so, calling you 'treasury of compassion' would be an empty word indeed.
The devotee makes his sharpest logical point: true compassion cannot be transactional, or the very title 'treasury of compassion' becomes meaningless.
Judge whether kindness is genuine by whether it is offered freely, not only in exchange for something received first.
देऊ न शकसी । म्हणे मी मानसी । चौदाही भुवनासी । तूचि दाता ॥१४॥
deū na śakasī | mhaṇe mī mānasī | caudāhī bhuvanāsī | tūci dātā ||14||
'You cannot give' — I say this only to myself in doubt; and yet you are the true giver to all fourteen worlds.
The devotee catches himself in the very act of doubting and immediately corrects it by recalling the Guru's true, cosmic scope of generosity.
Notice your own doubting thoughts as they arise, and be willing to correct them with what you actually know to be true.
तुझे मनी पाही । वसे आणिक काही । सेवा केली नाही । म्हणोनिया ॥१५॥
tujhe manī pāhī | vase āṇika kāhī | sevā kelī nāhī | mhaṇoniyā ||15||
Look into your own mind — something else must be dwelling there; perhaps it is because I have not yet performed service that you withhold.
The devotee raises a new possible reason for the Guru's apparent withholding — his own lack of prior service — before immediately preparing to refute this too.
Examine your own assumptions about why you feel unworthy of help before accepting them as true.
सेवा घेवोनिया । देणे हे सामान्य । नाम नसे जाण । दातृत्वासी ॥१६॥
sevā ghevoniyā | deṇe he sāmānya | nāma nase jāṇa | dātṛtvāsī ||16||
To give only after receiving service in return is a common, ordinary transaction — know that such a thing does not deserve the name of true generosity.
The devotee dismisses his own hypothesis: even if service were required first, that would make the Guru merely ordinary, which he cannot accept as true.
Hold the people and forces you trust to a standard higher than mere transaction, and expect that standard of yourself too.
तळी बावी विहिरी । असती भूमीवरी । मेघ तो अंबरी । वर्षतसे ॥१७॥
taḷī bāvī vihirī | asatī bhūmīvarī | megha to ambarī | varṣatase ||17||
Ponds, step-wells, and wells exist upon this earth; and the cloud up in the sky rains down [upon them all alike].
A new natural image begins: rain falls on every kind of water-body without distinction or prior claim, setting up the next argument about unconditional giving.
Give your own goodwill evenly, the way rain falls, rather than reserving it only for those who have somehow earned it.
मेघाची ही सेवा । न करिता स्वभावा । उदकपूर्ण सर्वा । केवी करी ॥१८॥
meghācī hī sevā | na karitā svabhāvā | udakapūrṇa sarvā | kevī karī ||18||
Without anyone rendering service to the cloud, purely by its own nature, how does it come to fill every water-body with water?
The devotee draws the natural law explicitly: the cloud rains from its own inherent nature (svabhāva), asking nothing in return, which he now applies directly to the Guru.
Let your own generosity flow from your basic nature and values, not from what you expect to receive back.
सेवा अपेक्षिता । बोल असे दाता । दयानिधि म्हणता । केवी साजे ॥१९॥
sevā apekṣitā | bola ase dātā | dayānidhi mhaṇatā | kevī sāje ||19||
If service is expected [first], the very word 'giver' does not fit; how, then, does calling you 'treasury of compassion' suit you at all?
The devotee closes this line of argument, returning to his earlier point that conditional giving cannot coexist with the title of boundless compassion.
Test your own claims of generosity against whether you truly ask nothing in return.
नेणे सेवा कैसी । स्थिर होय मानसी । माझे वंशोवंशी । तुझे दास ॥१२०॥
neṇe sevā kaisī | sthira hoya mānasī | mājhe vamśovamśī | tujhe dāsa ||120||
I do not truly know what real service is — let my mind become steady; generation after generation, my whole family has been your servant.
The devotee shifts from argument to plain declaration: whatever his understanding of service, his family's loyalty across generations is simply a fact he now offers as his claim.
Let long, faithful continuity — not clever argument — be the real basis of the trust you place in someone.
माझे पूर्वजवंशी । सेविले तुम्हांसी । संग्रह बहुवसी । तुझे चरणी ॥२१॥
mājhe pūrvajavamśī | sevile tumhāmsī | samgraha bahuvasī | tujhe caraṇī ||21||
My ancestral lineage has served you; a great store [of that devoted service] lies gathered at your feet.
The devotee treats generations of family devotion as a kind of accumulated credit already deposited with the Guru, which he now draws upon in his need.
Draw strength, in hard times, from the accumulated faithfulness of those who came before you.
बापाचे सेवेसी । पाळिती पुत्रासी । तेवी त्वा आम्हासी । प्रतिपाळावे ॥२२॥
bāpāce sevesī | pāḷitī putrāsī | tevī tvā āmhāsī | pratipāḷāve ||22||
In return for a father's service, his sons are cared for; in just the same way, may you now care for us.
The devotee makes his final direct plea using the family logic he has built: as one generation's faithfulness is honored in caring for the next, so should his family's devotion now be honored in him.
Feel entitled, in a healthy sense, to lean on the goodwill your family or community has built over time.
माझे पूर्वधन । तुम्ही द्यावे ऋण । का बा नये करुणा । कृपासिंधु ॥२३॥
mājhe pūrvadhana | tumhī dyāve ṛṇa | kā bā naye karuṇā | kṛpāsimdhu ||23||
My ancestral wealth [of devotion] — you should repay it now as a debt owed; why, O ocean of grace, does your compassion not yet come?
The devotee's boldest claim: he frames the accumulated family devotion as a literal debt the Guru now owes, pressing his complaint to its sharpest point.
It is possible to press an honest, even bold, claim on someone's goodwill without that being disrespectful, if the relationship has truly earned it.
आमुचे आम्ही घेता । का बा नये चित्ता । मागेन मी सत्ता । घेईन आता ॥२४॥
āmuce āmhī ghetā | kā bā naye cittā | māgena mī sattā | gheīna ātā ||24||
If I simply take back what is rightfully mine, why should that trouble your mind at all? I will demand it by right — I will claim it now.
The devotee's rhetoric reaches its peak of daring, threatening almost playfully to simply claim by right what he feels is owed — the intimacy of true devotion allowing such boldness.
In a relationship built on real trust, it can be healthy to ask directly and firmly for what you need, rather than only waiting passively.
आता मज जरी । न देसी नरहरी । जिंतोनि वेव्हारी । घेईन जाणा ॥२५॥
ātā maja jarī | na desī naraharī | jimtoni vevhārī | gheīna jāṇā ||25||
Now if you do not give it to me, Narahari, know that I will win the argument and simply take it.
He continues in this bold, almost playful legal-argument mode, characteristic of the nindā-stuti register where a devotee's audacity is itself proof of deep trust.
Do not mistake polite hesitation for the only acceptable way to ask; sometimes persistent, direct asking is itself an act of faith.
दिसतसे आता । कठिणता गुरुनाथा । दास मी अंकिता । सनातन ॥२६॥
disatase ātā | kaṭhiṇatā gurunāthā | dāsa mī amkitā | sanātana ||26||
It now seems to me, O Guru Lord, that there is hardness in you toward me; yet I remain your servant, devoted and eternal.
The devotee names his perceived hardness openly while affirming his own unbroken loyalty regardless — complaint and fidelity held together without contradiction.
You can voice disappointment honestly while still remaining faithfully committed.
आपुले समान । असेल कवण । तयासवे मन । कठिण कीजे ॥२७॥
āpule samāna | asela kavaṇa | tayāsave mana | kaṭhiṇa kīje ||27||
Whoever might be your equal — toward such a one, perhaps, hardness might reasonably be shown.
The devotee argues that sternness is fitting only between equals, implying it is out of place between the Guru and his lowly servant.
Reserve toughness for situations of genuine equal standing, and offer gentleness to those who depend on you.
कठीण कीजे हरी । तुवा दैत्यांवरी । प्रल्हाद कैवारी । सेवकांसी ॥२८॥
kaṭhīṇa kīje harī | tuvā daityāmvarī | pralhāda kaivārī | sevakāmsī ||28||
Show your hardness, Hari, toward the demons — but toward your servants you are, as with Prahlāda, always the protector.
The devotee invokes the well-known story of Prahlāda, whom Viṣṇu protected against his own demon father — a precedent for protecting a devoted servant regardless of others' wrath.
Direct your firmness toward genuine harm, and reserve protection and gentleness for those loyal to you.
सेवका बाळकासी । करू नये ऐसी । कठिणता परियेसी । बरवे न दिसे ॥२९॥
sevakā bāḷakāsī | karū naye aisī | kaṭhiṇatā pariyesī | barave na dise ||29||
Toward a servant, a mere child, such hardness ought not to be shown, understand — it does not seem fitting at all.
The devotee makes his moral case explicit: harshness toward someone dependent and childlike is simply unbecoming of the one he trusts.
Judge your own conduct toward those who depend on you by whether it would seem fitting, not just permissible.
माझिया अपराधी । धरोनिया बुद्धि । अंतःकरण क्रोधी । पहासी जरी ॥१३०॥
mājhiyā aparādhī | dharoniyā buddhi | amtaḥkaraṇa krodhī | pahāsī jarī ||130||
If, holding my faults in your mind, your inner heart should look on me with anger.
The devotee raises the possibility that his own faults might justify the Guru's anger, setting up the argument he is about to make against holding a grudge.
Be willing to acknowledge your own faults honestly, even while making your case for mercy.
बाळक मातेसी । बोले निष्ठुरेसी । अज्ञाने मायेसी । मारी जरी ॥३१॥
bāḷaka mātesī | bole niṣṭhuresī | ajñāne māyesī | mārī jarī ||31||
If a child speaks harshly to its mother, or even, out of ignorance, strikes her.
The devotee sharpens the image: even a child's worst behavior toward a mother does not end her love, and he asks the same for himself.
Remember that a single lapse does not have to define or end a relationship built on real love.
माता त्या कुमारासी । कोप न धरी कैशी । आलिंगोनि हर्षी । संबोखी पा ॥३२॥
mātā tyā kumārāsī | kopa na dharī kaiśī | ālimgoni harṣī | sambokhī pā ||32||
The mother does not hold on to anger toward that child — see how, embracing him joyfully, she comforts him instead.
The answer arrives: a mother's love simply overrides the child's fault, embracing rather than punishing — the model the devotee wants the Guru to follow.
Let love override the impulse to hold on to a grievance against someone who is genuinely yours to care for.
कवण्या अपराधेसी । न घालिसी आम्हासी । अहो ह्रषीकेशी । सांगा मज ॥३३॥
kavaṇyā aparādhesī | na ghālisī āmhāsī | aho hraṣīkeśī | sāmgā maja ||33||
For what fault of mine do you withhold your embrace from me? Tell me, O Hṛṣīkeśa.
The devotee applies the mother-child argument directly to himself, asking plainly what specific fault could justify his continued distance from grace.
Ask directly and specifically what stands between you and reconciliation, rather than assuming vaguely that you are unworthy.
माता हो कोपासी । बोले बाळकासी । जावोनि पितयासी । सांगे बाळ ॥३४॥
mātā ho kopāsī | bole bāḷakāsī | jāvoni pitayāsī | sāmge bāḷa ||34||
If a mother becomes angry and speaks harshly to her child, the child goes and tells his father about it.
The devotee extends the family image further, describing how a child appeals from one parent to the other when hurt — introducing a fallback source of comfort.
When one source of comfort seems to fail you, it is reasonable to turn to another trusted source rather than giving up entirely.
माता कोपे जरी । एखादे अवसरी । पिता कृपा करी । संबोखूनि ॥३५॥
mātā kope jarī | ekhāde avasarī | pitā kṛpā karī | sambokhūni ||35||
If the mother happens to grow angry on some occasion, the father shows compassion, comforting the child instead.
The pattern completes: even if one parent is momentarily harsh, the other's compassion steps in — a natural balance the devotee will now say does not exist for him.
Trust that even when one support fails you momentarily, care has a way of coming from somewhere else.
तू माता तू पिता । कोपसी गुरुनाथा । सांगो कवणा आता । क्षमा करी ॥३६॥
tū mātā tū pitā | kopasī gurunāthā | sāmgo kavaṇā ātā | kṣamā karī ||36||
You are my mother, you are my father — if you, O Guru Lord, are angry with me, to whom shall I now turn? Forgive me.
The devotee reaches the emotional crux: since the Guru is both mother and father to him, there is no other appeal available — his final plea is simply for forgiveness.
When one relationship holds all your trust, be honest that there is no backup, and ask directly for reconciliation.
तूचि स्वामी ऐसा । जगी झाला ठसा । दास तुझा भलतैसा । प्रतिपाळावा ॥३७॥
tūci svāmī aisā | jagī jhālā ṭhasā | dāsa tujhā bhalataisā | pratipāḷāvā ||37||
You alone are recognized in this world as Lord — and your servant, whatever he may be like, should still be cared for.
The devotee shifts from personal plea to a claim on the Guru's public reputation — being known as 'Lord' entails an obligation to care for servants regardless of their flaws.
Hold yourself to the standard implied by the role you have taken on, even toward those who are difficult.
अनाथरक्षक । म्हणती तुज लोक । मी तुझा बाळक । प्रतिपाळावे ॥३८॥
anātharakṣaka | mhaṇatī tuja loka | mī tujhā bāḷaka | pratipāḷāve ||38||
People call you the protector of the helpless and the orphaned; I am your child — care for me.
The devotee invokes yet another of the Guru's known titles — protector of the helpless — as another ground for his plea, building his case from the Guru's own reputation.
It is fair to appeal to someone's own stated values when asking them to help you.
कृपाळु म्हणोनि । वानिती पुराणी । माझे बोल कानी । न घालिसीच ॥३९॥
kṛpāḷu mhaṇoni | vānitī purāṇī | mājhe bola kānī | na ghālisīca ||39||
The Purāṇas praise you, calling you gracious, and yet you do not even let my words reach your ear.
The devotee's frustration peaks with the accusation that his own plea seems to go entirely unheard, despite the scriptural claims of the Guru's compassion.
It is human to feel unheard even while holding faith; naming that feeling honestly does not betray the faith.
नायकसी गुरुराणा । माझे करुनावचना । काय दुश्चितपणा । तुझा असे ॥४०॥
nāyakasī gururāṇā | mājhe karunāvacanā | kāya duścitapaṇā | tujhā ase ||40||
You do not heed, O royal Guru, my words of pleading appeal — what sort of distraction is this of yours?
The devotee's tone becomes almost teasingly bold, questioning the Guru's own attentiveness, a mark of the deep familiarity permitted in this devotional style.
In an intimate relationship of trust, honest teasing or challenge can itself be a sign of closeness, not disrespect.
माझे करुणावचन । न ऐकती तुझे कान । ऐकोनि पाषाण । विखुरतसे ॥४१॥
mājhe karuṇāvacana | na aikatī tujhe kāna | aikoni pāṣāṇa | vikhuratase ||41||
My words of appeal, your ears do not seem to hear — yet hearing them, even a stone would surely be moved to break apart.
The devotee's despair is voiced in its starkest image yet: his suffering is so acute it would move even inanimate stone, making the Guru's apparent silence all the more painful.
Do not be ashamed of expressing pain vividly and fully when seeking help; muted expression can go unheard.
करुणा करी ऐसे । वानिती तुज पिसे । अजुनी तरी कैसे । कृपा न ये ॥४२॥
karuṇā karī aise | vānitī tuja pise | ajunī tarī kaise | kṛpā na ye ||42||
'Show compassion' — this is what they call you, compassionate; even now, then, how is it that your grace still does not come?
The devotee's final questioning line before the turn — the plea has reached its most direct and vulnerable point, immediately before the Guru's response arrives.
Allow your deepest and most vulnerable question to be voiced fully; often it is exactly what precedes real relief.
ऐसे नामांकित । विनविता त्वरित । कृपाळु श्रीगुरुनाथ । आले वेगी ॥४३॥
aise nāmāmkita | vinavitā tvarita | kṛpāḷu śrīgurunātha | āle vegī ||43||
As this devotee, named [after the Name], made his swift entreaty, the gracious Śrī Guru Lord came to him at once.
The turning point of the whole chapter: after the long, honest, even audacious plea, the Guru's response is immediate — the story affirms that such heartfelt appeal is truly heard.
Trust that honest, sustained appeal, even one filled with doubt and complaint, does eventually reach the one you are calling to.
वत्सालागी धेनु । जैशी ये धावोनु । तैसे श्रीगुरु आपणु । आले जवळी ॥४४॥
vatsālāgī dhenu | jaiśī ye dhāvonu | taise śrīguru āpaṇu | āle javaḷī ||44||
Just as a cow comes running to her calf, so Śrī Guru himself came close to his devotee.
The image of the cow running to her calf completes the family metaphors used throughout — the Guru's approach is instinctive and immediate, not calculated.
Trust that real care, once truly needed, responds as instinctively as a mother to her child, without needing to be summoned twice.
येतांचि गुरुमुनि । वंदी नामकरणी । मस्तक ठेवोनि । चरणयुग्मी ॥४५॥
yetāmci gurumuni | vamdī nāmakaraṇī | mastaka ṭhevoni | caraṇayugmī ||45||
As soon as the sage-Guru arrived, the devotee bowed in worship, placing his head at the Guru's two feet.
All the devotee's arguing and complaint dissolve instantly into simple prostration the moment the Guru actually appears — words give way to gesture.
When you finally receive what you have long sought, let simple gratitude replace whatever argument brought you there.
केश तो मोकळी । झाडी चरणधुळी । आनंदाश्रुजळी । अंघ्रि क्षाळी ॥४६॥
keśa to mokaḷī | jhāḍī caraṇadhuḷī | ānamdāśrujaḷī | amghri kṣāḷī ||46||
Loosening his own hair, he wipes the dust from the Guru's feet; with tears of joy, he washes those feet.
The image recalls the classic gesture of using one's own hair to clean a revered one's feet — an act of total, uncalculated devotion, joy expressed through tears rather than words.
Let gratitude sometimes express itself through simple physical acts of care rather than only speech.
ह्रदयमंदिरात । बैसवोनि व्यक्त । पूजा उपचारित । षोडशविधि ॥४७॥
hradayamamdirāta | baisavoni vyakta | pūjā upacārita | ṣoḍaśavidhi ||47||
Seating the Guru openly within the very temple of his own heart, he performs worship with the traditional sixteen ritual offerings.
The devotee's outer worship becomes inward as well — the Guru is enthroned not only before him but within his heart, worshipped with the full traditional rite of sixteen offerings.
Make room in your own inner life, not only in outward ritual, for whatever you have come to trust and revere.
आनंदभरित । झाला नामांकित । ह्रदयी श्रीगुरुनाथ । स्थिरावला ॥४८॥
ānamdabharita | jhālā nāmāmkita | hradayī śrīgurunātha | sthirāvalā ||48||
The devotee became filled with bliss, and Śrī Guru Lord came to rest steadily within his heart.
The chapter's resolution: what began in anguish ends in settled joy, the Guru's presence no longer sought from afar but abiding within.
Recognize that a long season of seeking can end not with an external prize, but with an inward settledness.
भक्तांच्या ह्रदयांत । राहे श्रीगुरुनाथ । संतोष बहुत । सरस्वतीसी ॥४९॥
bhaktāmcyā hradayāmta | rāhe śrīgurunātha | samtoṣa bahuta | sarasvatīsī ||49||
Within the hearts of his devotees, Śrī Guru Lord continues to dwell; and this brings great contentment to the poet Sarasvatī himself.
The narrator generalizes the story's lesson — the Guru dwells in the heart of every true devotee, not only this one — and signs off with his own satisfaction as author.
Take the lesson of one person's story as a pattern that can hold true for your own life as well.
इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रपरमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे मंगलाचरणं नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः ॥१॥
iti śrīgurucaritraparamakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde mamgalācaraṇam nāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ ||1||
Thus ends the first chapter, named 'The Auspicious Invocation,' in the wish-fulfilling-tree of the supreme tale that is the Guru Charitra, within the dialogue between Siddha and Nāmadhārak, in the narrative of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī.
The formal colophon closes the chapter, naming it 'Maṅgalācaraṇa' (the auspicious invocation) and situating it within the frame-story of Siddha instructing the disciple Nāmadhārak, the traditional narrative device through which the whole Guru Charitra unfolds.
Mark the completion of a stage of practice formally, giving it a name, before moving on to the next.
॥श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पणमस्तु॥
||śrīgurudattātreyārpaṇamastu||
May this be offered to Śrī Guru Dattātreya.
The closing dedication returns the entire chapter — invocation, genealogy, and story alike — as an offering to Dattātreya, the source from which both writer and reader understand it to have come.
Close any significant effort by dedicating its fruit to something beyond yourself, rather than claiming it purely as your own.