God as merciful and generous
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
देव दयाळ देव दयाळ । साहे कोल्हाळ बहुतांचा॥1॥
देव उदार देव उदार । थोडएासाटीं फार देऊं जाणे ॥2॥
देव चांगला देव चांगला । तुका लागला चरणीं ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
God is merciful, truly merciful; He endures the clamor of many. God is generous, truly generous; for a small offering He gives back abundantly. God is good, truly good. Says Tuka, I cling to His feet.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
God is merciful, God is merciful; He bears the clamor of the many. God is generous, God is generous; for a little He knows how to give much. God is good, God is good. Tuka has caught hold of His feet.
What it means
A short praise-poem listing three things about God in turn. He is merciful, patient enough to endure the noisy demands of crowds of people. He is generous, returning far more than the small offering anyone brings Him. He is simply good. The point of the listing is to make the conclusion irresistible: such a one is worth clinging to, so Tukaram seizes His feet and holds on. The plainness of the praise is itself the argument, a God like this needs no further reason for surrender.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
More in this theme →