Nature of God, He loves the artless
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भाविकांचें काज अंगें देव करी । काढी धर्माघरीं उिच्छष्ट तें ॥1॥
उिच्छष्ट तीं फळें खाय भिल्लटीचीं । आवडी तयांची मोठी देवा ॥ध्रु.॥
काय देवा घरीं न मिळेची अन्न । मागे भाजीपान द्रौपदीसी ॥2॥
अर्जुनाचीं घोडीं धुतलीं अनंतें । संकटें बहुतें निवारिलीं ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे ऐसीं आवडती लडिवाळें । जाणीवेचें काळें तोंड देवा ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
God personally attends to the affairs of the faithful. He ate the leftovers at Dharma's house. He ate the half-tasted fruit offered by the tribal woman Shabari; such is God's great love for His devotees. As if God's own household lacked food, He begged Draupadi for greens and scraps. Ananta washed Arjuna's horses and rescued him from countless dangers. Says Tuka, God loves such innocent, childlike devotees. The face of calculated knowing is blackened before Him.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
God himself does the work of the faithful. He carried out the leftover scraps in Dharma's house. He ate the half-tasted berries of the tribal woman; his love for such people is great. As if there were no food in God's own house, he begged greens and scraps from Draupadi. Ananta washed Arjuna's horses and turned away many dangers. Tuka says: he loves these simple, childlike ones. The face of clever calculation is blackened before him.
What it means
Tukaram piles up the stories where God does the lowly, undignified work for those who love him simply: clearing scraps in Yudhishthira's house, eating Shabari's already-tasted berries, asking Draupadi for a few greens, washing Arjuna's horses, warding off danger after danger. The thread is that the Lord stoops gladly for the artless and trusting, and that their plain love draws him close. The sting is in the last line. The face of calculated cleverness, the one who comes with knowledge to bargain rather than love, is blackened, shamed, before him. He warns against the calculating posture, not against any person, and points to childlike trust instead.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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