Experience, devotion merges into God
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कस्तुरीचें अंगीं मीनली मृित्तका । मग वेगळी कां येईल लेखूं ॥1॥
तयापरि भेद नाहीं देवभक्तीं । संदेहाच्या युक्ति सरों द्याव्या ॥ध्रु.॥
इंधनें ते आगी संयोगाच्या गुणें । सागरा दरुषणें वाहाळ तों चि ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे माझें साक्षीचें वचन । येथें तों कारण शुद्ध भाव ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
When earth mingles with musk, how can they be separated again? In the same way there is no difference between God and devotion; let the doubts of logic be put to rest. Firewood becomes fire by contact; a stream is a stream only until it reaches the sea. Says Tuka, my words bear witness: what matters here is pure faith.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
When earth is mixed into musk, how could you count them as two again? It is like that: there is no gap between God and devotion. Let the tricks of doubt and logic come to an end. Wood becomes fire by touching it. A stream is a stream only until it reaches the sea. Tuka says: my words stand as witness; here the one thing that matters is pure faith.
What it means
Tukaram is reporting from experience that devotion and God are not two things. He gives three images of merging: earth ground into musk cannot be sifted out again, wood touched by fire becomes fire, a stream keeps its name only until the ocean takes it. In each case the smaller thing loses its separate identity in the greater. He tells the doubting, calculating mind to stop, because this is not a thing logic can divide. What carries a person across is not argument but pure, single-hearted faith.
The Necessity of Experience
Why direct experience of God, not mere learning, is the only path.
More in this theme →