True worship, nothing good is ever wasted
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
न वजे वांयां कांहीं ऐकतां हरिकथा । आपण करितां वांयां न वजे ॥1॥
न वजे वांयां कांहीं देवळासी जातां । देवासी पूजितां वांयां न वजे ॥ध्रु.॥
न वजे वांयां कांहीं केलिया तीर्थ । अथवा कां व्रत वांयां न वजे ॥2॥
न वजे वांयां जालें संतांचें दर्शन । शुद्ध आचरण वांयां न वजे ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे भाव असतां नसतां । सायास करितां वांयां न वजे ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Nothing is wasted by hearing the harikatha of Hari. Nothing goes in vain by performing it yourself. Nothing is wasted by going to the temple. Nothing is wasted by worshipping God. Nothing is wasted by visiting sacred places or by keeping a vow. Nothing is wasted by the sight of saints, nor by righteous conduct. Says Tuka, whether devotion is present or absent, nothing is wasted by making the effort.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Nothing is lost by hearing the harikatha of Hari. Nothing is lost by telling it yourself. Nothing is lost by going to the temple. Nothing is lost by worshipping God. Nothing is lost by going on pilgrimage, or by keeping a vow. Nothing is lost by the sight of saints, nor by clean and righteous conduct. Tuka says: whether the feeling is there or not, nothing is lost by making the effort.
What it means
Tukaram reassures the beginner who fears that worship without perfect feeling is wasted breath. He runs through the whole range of devotional acts, hearing and telling the stories of Hari, going to the temple, worshipping, pilgrimage, vows, the company of saints, upright living, and stamps each one: nothing here goes to waste. The bold closing line meets the real worry head on: even when the inward devotion is not yet present, the effort itself still counts. This is not a license for hollow ritual but an encouragement to begin; the doing draws the feeling along behind it, and nothing offered toward God is ever thrown away.
True Worship
What genuine worship looks like, beyond outward observances and images.
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