True worship, everything in its place
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
वक्त्या आधीं मान । गंध अक्षता पूजन । श्रोता यति जाला जाण । तरी त्या नाहीं उचित ॥१॥
शीर सर्वांगा प्रमाण । यथाविधि कर चरण । धर्माचें पाळण । सकळीं सत्य करावें ॥ध्रु.॥
पट्ट पुत्र सांभाळी । पिता त्याची आज्ञा पाळी । प्रमाण सकळीं । ते मर्यादा करावी ॥२॥
वरासनीं पाषाण । तो न मानावा सामान्य । येर उपकरणें । सोनियाचीं परी तीं नीच ॥३॥
सोनियाचा पैंजण । मुगुटमणि केला हीण । जयाचें कारण । तया ठायीं अळंकार ॥४॥
सेवका स्वामीसाठीं मान । त्याचें नाम त्याचें धन । तुका म्हणे जाण । तुम्ही संत तदर्थी ॥५॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
First, honor the speaker with sandalwood paste, flowers, and worship. Even if the listener be a renunciant, he does not deserve that same honor. The head governs the whole body. As hands and feet serve their proper duty, so let all uphold the law of dharma in truth. The anointed heir is cherished by all, yet even his father obeys the throne's command. Let everyone observe that rightful order. A stone seated on the high altar must not be treated as ordinary. Other implements, even if made of gold, remain lowly beside it. A golden anklet, however precious, is counted less than the jewel in the crown. Each ornament belongs to its own rightful place. The servant earns honor for the sake of the master. The master's name is the servant's true wealth. Says Tuka: know this, O saints, and live accordingly.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Honor the one who speaks of God first, with sandal paste and flowers and worship; even a renunciant in the audience does not claim that same honor. The head governs the whole body, and as the hands and feet each keep to their task, so let everyone uphold dharma in truth. The crown prince is cherished by all, yet even his father bows to the throne; let everyone keep that rightful order. A plain stone set on the high altar is no ordinary stone; beside it, even implements of gold rank lower. A golden anklet, precious as it is, counts for less than the jewel in the crown; each ornament has its own rightful place. A servant is honored for his master's sake; the master's name is the servant's true wealth. Tuka says: understand this, O saints, and live by it.
What it means
An abhanga about rightful order and where honor truly belongs. Tukaram argues by a series of proportions: the speaker of God's word outranks even a renunciant listener; the head governs the limbs; the throne outranks even the prince's father; a stone on the altar outranks golden tools; the crown-jewel outranks the golden anklet. In each case worth is set not by the material but by relation to the sacred center. The conclusion ties it to devotion: a servant's dignity comes entirely from his master, and the master's name is his real wealth. Honor flows from nearness to God, and the saint who grasps this keeps everything in its proper place.
True Worship
What genuine worship looks like, beyond outward observances and images.
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