Nature of God, all is You
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कवण जन्मता कवण जन्मविता । न कळे कृपावंता माव तुझी ॥1॥
कवण हा दाता कवण हा मागता । न कळे कृपावंता माव तुझी ॥ध्रु.॥
कवण भोगिता कवण भोगविता । न कळे कृपावंता माव तुझी ॥2॥
कवण ते रूप कवण अरूपता । न कळे कृपावंता माव तुझी ॥3॥
सर्वां ठायीं तूं चि सर्व ही जालासी। तुका ह्मणे यासी दुजें नव्हे ॥4॥
जेथें देखें तेथें तुझी च पाउलें । विश्व अवघें कोंदाटलें।
रूप गुण नाम अवघा मेघश्याम । वेगळें तें काय उरलें ।
जातां लोटांगणीं अवघी च मेदिनी । सकळ देव पाट जालें ।
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Who is born, who causes birth? Your mystery cannot be fathomed, O merciful Lord. Who gives, who begs? Your mystery cannot be fathomed. Who enjoys, who causes enjoyment? Your mystery cannot be fathomed. What is form, what is formlessness? Your mystery cannot be fathomed. You have become everything in every place; there is nothing apart from You. Says Tuka, wherever I look I see Your footprints; the whole universe is filled with You. Name, form, and quality are all the dark-hued Lord; what else remains? When I bow down, the entire earth becomes a holy place and all the gods become one altar.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Who is born, and who causes birth? Your maya cannot be fathomed, merciful Lord. Who gives, and who begs? Your maya cannot be fathomed. Who enjoys, and who causes enjoyment? Your maya cannot be fathomed. What is form, and what is formlessness? Your maya cannot be fathomed. In every place you alone have become everything. Tuka says: there is no second to this. Wherever I look, I see only your footprints; the whole universe is packed full of you. Form, quality, and name are all the dark-hued Lord; what else is left over? When I fall down to bow, the whole earth becomes a holy place, and all the gods become one single altar.
What it means
Tukaram piles up pairs that usually seem opposite, the born and the begetter, giver and beggar, enjoyer and the one who grants enjoyment, form and formlessness, and confesses that he cannot tell them apart, because God's maya hides the seam. The resolution is that there are not really two: God alone has become everything, in every place, so the apparent pairs are one. From there it pours out as vision. Everywhere he looks he sees only God's footprints, the universe crammed with him, every name and form and quality nothing but the dark-hued Lord. When he prostrates, the ground itself turns sacred and all the separate gods collapse into one altar.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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