Faith, the essence is the heart's devotion
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
पाषाण देव पाषाण पायरी । पूजा एकावरी पाय ठेवी ॥1॥
सार तो भाव सार तो भाव । अनुभवीं देव ते चि जाले॥ध्रु.॥
उदका भिन्न पालट काई । गंगा गोड येरां चवी काय नाहीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे हें भाविकांचें वर्म । येरीं धर्माधर्म विचारावें॥3॥ ॥10॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The stone that is worshipped as God and the stone that serves as a step are both stone; one receives worship while the other bears the weight of feet. The essence is faith, the essence is faith; those who live by experience have themselves become God. Is water any different from water? The Ganga is holy, but does the other water not also have taste? Says Tuka, this is the secret of the faithful. Let others deliberate over dharma and adharma.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The stone worshipped as God and the stone laid as a step are both stone; one gets worship, the other carries feet. The essence is faith, the essence is faith; those who live by experience have themselves become God. Is one water different from another? The Ganga is holy, but does other water have no taste? Tuka says: this is the secret of the faithful. Let others debate dharma and adharma.
What it means
Tukaram observes that the idol and the doorstep are the same stone; what divides them is the faith poured into one and not the other. The decisive thing is not the material but the devotion, and those who know God by direct experience have themselves become one with God. He pushes the point with water: all water has taste, yet faith makes the Ganga holy. So holiness lives in the heart's relation, not in the object. This, he says, is the open secret of the devotee; the endless arguing over what is dharma and adharma he leaves to others.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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