Adoration, the essence of all sweetness
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
जीवाचें जीवन अमृताची तनु । ब्रह्मांड भूषणु नारायण ॥1॥
सुखाचा सांगात अंतकासी अंत । निजांचा निवांत नारायण ॥ध्रु.॥
गोडाचें ही गोड हर्षाचें ही कोड । प्रीतीचा ही लाड नारायण ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे जें हें साराचें हें सार । माझा अंगीकार तेणें केला ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Narayana is the life of all life, whose body is made of nectar, the ornament of the entire universe. He is the companion of bliss, the end of Death itself, the deep repose of those who rest in the Self. He is the sweetness within all sweetness, the delight within all delight, the tender affection within all love. Says Tuka, He is the very essence of all that is essential, and He has accepted me as His own.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Narayana is the life of all life. His body is made of nectar. He is the ornament of the whole universe. He is the companion of bliss, the end of Death itself, the quiet rest of those who rest in the Self. He is the sweetness inside all that is sweet, the delight inside all delight, the tenderness inside all love. Tuka says: he is the essence of all that is essential, and he has taken me as his own.
What it means
Tukaram piles up names for Narayana that all point to the same thing: God is not one good thing among many but the inner core of every good thing. Whatever is alive draws its life from him; whatever is sweet is sweet because of him. He even names God the end of Death and the deep stillness of those who rest in the Self, so the praise reaches past pleasure into liberation. The poem turns at the close: this essence of all essences is not distant but has accepted Tukaram personally, so the cosmic praise lands as intimate belonging.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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