God serves the one who wants nothing
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
चित्तीं नाहीं आस । त्याचा पांडुरंग दास ॥1॥
असे भक्तांचिये घरीं । काम न संगतां करी ॥ध्रु.॥
अनाथाचा बंधु । असे अंगीं हा संबंधुं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे भावें । देवा सत्ता राबवावें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Panduranga becomes the servant of one who has no desire in the chitta. He dwells in the homes of the devoted and does their work without being asked. He is the kinsman of the destitute; this bond runs through His very being. Says Tuka, through devotion, one can command God to serve.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The one who keeps no craving in his heart, Panduranga becomes his servant. He stays in the homes of the devoted and does their work without being asked. He is the brother of the helpless; this bond is bound into his very body. Tuka says: through love, you can set God to work for you.
What it means
Tukaram states the paradox at the heart of devotion: God makes himself the servant of the one who has emptied his heart of desire. To such a person God comes unbidden, living in the house and doing the work before it is even asked. The reason is that being kin to the helpless is woven into his very nature, not an act he chooses. The closing claim is bold and deliberate, that pure love itself gives the devotee a kind of authority over God; the price of that power is wanting nothing for oneself.
The Nature of God
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