The mirror God, you see your own dealing
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
तूं पांढरा स्पटिक मणी । करिसी आणिकां त्याहुनि ॥1॥
ह्मणोनि तुझ्या दारा । न येत ठकती दातारा ॥ध्रु.॥
तुझी ठावी नांदनूक । अवघा बुडविला लोक ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे ज्याचें घेसी । त्यास हें चि दाखविसी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
You are a white crystal, and You make others even more so than Yourself. That is why those who do not come to Your door are the ones who are cheated, O Generous One. Your way of dwelling is well known: You have submerged the entire world. Says Tuka, whoever You take something from, You show them exactly this.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
You are a white crystal. You make others into your own color. So those who never come to your door are the ones who get cheated, generous Lord. Your way of living is well known: you have drowned the whole world. Tuka says: whatever you take from a person, that is exactly what you show them back.
What it means
Tukaram is teasing out a hard truth about how God deals with us. He calls God a clear crystal that takes on and returns whatever color is placed against it: God gives back to each person what that person brings. So the loss falls on those who never approach God's door at all, because they never offer anything to be returned. The line about drowning the whole world points at how this same law sweeps everyone along. The closing turn is the key: God shows you your own dealing, mirrors your own measure back to you, so the quality of what you receive is set by the quality of what you give.
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