True worship, the simple-hearted lover of the Name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कुशळ वक्ता नव्हे जाणीव श्रोता । राहे भाव चित्ता धरूनियां ॥1॥
धन्य तो जगीं धन्य तो जगीं । ब्रह्म तया अंगीं वसतसे ॥ध्रु.॥
न धोवी तोंड न करी अंघोळी । जपे सदाकाळीं रामराम ॥2॥
जप तप ध्यान नेणे याग युक्ती । कृपाळु जो भूतीं दयावंत ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे होय जाणोनि नेणता । आवडे अनंता जीवाहूनि ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
He is not the clever speaker, nor the learned listener. He simply holds devotion within his chitta. Blessed is he in this world, truly blessed, for Brahman dwells within him. He does not wash his face or take a ritual bath, yet he ceaselessly chants Rama, Rama. He knows nothing of chanting, penance, meditation, or sacrificial technique, but he is compassionate and kind to all beings. Says Tuka, he who knowingly becomes as if unknowing is dearer to the Infinite than the jiva itself.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He is not the clever speaker, nor the learned listener. He just keeps devotion in his heart. Blessed is he in this world, truly blessed; Brahman lives in him. He does not wash his face or take a ritual bath, yet all day long he says Rama, Rama. He knows nothing of chanting, penance, meditation, or the rules of sacrifice, but he is kind and merciful to every creature. Tuka says: the one who, knowing, becomes as if he knew nothing is dearer to the Infinite than life itself.
What it means
Tukaram is naming who really belongs to God, and it is not the skilled or the studied. It is the unremarkable man who simply holds love in his heart; Brahman dwells in him, and that makes him the blessed one. He keeps none of the outward forms, no ritual bath, no learned technique of penance or sacrifice, but the Name is always on his lips and he is gentle with every living thing. The closing line turns the usual hierarchy over: the soul who lays down its cleverness and becomes simple is dearer to God than anything. Learning is not the measure; mercy and the Name are.
True Worship
What genuine worship looks like, beyond outward observances and images.
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