Knowledge, the taste belongs to the eater
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
वेदाचा तो अर्थ आह्मांसी च ठावा । येरांनी वाहावा भार माथां ॥1॥
खादल्याची गोडी देखिल्यासी नाहीं । भार धन वाही मजुरीचें ॥ध्रु.॥
उत्पित्तपाळणसंहाराचें निज । जेणें नेलें बीज त्याचे हातीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आलें आपण चि फळ । हातोहातीं मूळ सांपडलें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The true meaning of the Vedas is known to us alone; let others carry the load upon their heads. The sweetness of eating belongs to the one who eats, not to the one who merely watches; the porter carries the wealth for wages. The secret of creation, preservation, and dissolution is in the hands of the One who holds the seed. Says Tuka, the fruit has come of its own accord, and the root has been found in our very hands.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The true meaning of the Vedas is known to us alone; let others carry the load on their heads. The one who watches does not taste the sweetness of what is eaten; the porter only hauls the wealth for his wages. The secret of creation, keeping, and dissolution belongs to the One who holds the seed. Tuka says: the fruit has come of itself, and the root has been found in our own hands.
What it means
Tukaram claims that the heart of the Vedas is grasped by the devotee, not by the one who merely carries the texts as a burden of learning. He sets two figures against each other: the eater who tastes the sweetness, and the porter who lugs another man's wealth and is paid only in wages. Scholarship without devotion is that porter, handling the treasure but never owning it. The real key is held by the One who holds the seed of all creation, preservation, and dissolution. To find that One is to find the fruit ripening on its own and the root itself in your hands; you no longer need to carry the load.
The Necessity of Experience
Why direct experience of God, not mere learning, is the only path.
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