राम
गाथा 2807The Nature of God

God of the lowly, He labors beside His devotees

Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram

मराठी मूळ

उंचनिंच नेणे कांहीं भगवंत । तिष्ठे भाव भक्त देखोनियां ॥1॥

दासीपुत्र कण्या विदुराच्या भक्षी । दैत्या घरीं रक्षी प्रल्हादासी ॥ध्रु.॥

चर्म रंगूं लागे रोहिदासा संगीं । कबिराचे मागीं विणी शेले ॥2॥

सजनकसाया विकुं लागे मास । मळा सांवत्यास खुरपूं लागे ॥3॥

नरहरिसोनारा घडों काुंफ्कुं लागे । चोख्यामेळ्या संगें ढोरें ओढी ॥4॥

नामयाची जनी सवें वेची शेणी । धर्मा घरीं पाणी वाहे झाडी ॥5॥

नाम्यासवें जेवी नव्हे संकोचित । ज्ञानियाची भिंत अंगीं ओढी ॥6॥

अर्जुनाचीं घोडीं हाकी हा सारथी । भक्षी पोहे प्रीती सुदाम्याची ॥7॥

गौिळयांचे घरीं गाई अंगें वळी । द्वारपाळ बळीद्वारीं जाला ॥8॥

यंकोबाचें ॠण फेडी हृषीकेशी । आंबॠषीचे सोशी गर्भवास ॥9॥

मिराबाई साटीं घेतो विषप्याला । दामाजीचा जाला पाडेवार ॥10॥

घडी माती वाहे गो†या कुंभाराची। हुंडी महत्याची अंगें भरी ॥11॥

पुंडलिकासाटीं अझूनि तिष्ठत । तुका ह्मणे मात धन्य याची ॥12॥

Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)

English Translation

The Lord knows neither high nor low; He stands wherever He sees sincere devotion. He ate the scraps offered by the servant-maid's son Vidura, and protected Prahlad in the demon's house. He dyed leather alongside Rohidas, and wove shawls behind Kabir. He sold meat with Sajan the butcher, and weeded the garden with Savata Mali. He hammered gold with Narhari the goldsmith, and dragged carcasses with Chokhamela. He sold cow-dung cakes alongside Namdev's Jani, and carried water and swept the floor in Dharma's house. He dined with Nama without hesitation, and bore the wall on His own body for the sake of a devotee. He drove Arjuna's chariot and ate the beaten rice of Sudama with love. He herded cows for the cowherd folk and became the doorkeeper of Bali. He paid off Yankoba's debt and endured the womb for Ambarisha's sake. He drank poison for Mirabai and stood as surety for Damaji. He carried clay for Gora the potter and honored the bill of Mahatma with His own person. For Pundalik's sake He still stands waiting. Says Tuka, blessed indeed is His story.

We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.

In Plain Words

The Lord knows nothing of high or low; He stands wherever He sees true devotion. He ate the scraps offered by Vidura, the servant-maid's son, and He guarded Prahlad in the demon's house. He dyed leather beside Rohidas, and wove shawls behind Kabir. He sold meat with Sajan the butcher, and weeded the garden with Savata Mali. He hammered gold with Narhari the goldsmith, and dragged carcasses with Chokhamela. He gathered cow-dung cakes beside Namdev's Jani, and carried water and swept the floor in Dharma's house. He dined with Nama without shame, and held up the wall with His own body for a devotee. He drove Arjuna's chariot, and ate Sudama's beaten rice with love. He herded cows for the cowherds, and became the doorkeeper at Bali's gate. He paid off Yankoba's debt, and entered the womb for Ambarisha's sake. He drank poison for Mirabai, and stood as surety for Damaji. He carried clay for Gora the potter, and honored Mahatma's bill with His own person. For Pundalik's sake He still stands waiting. Tuka says: blessed indeed is His story.

What it means

Tukaram answers the question of who God favors by listing the people God actually showed up for. The Lord recognizes no caste and no rank; He stands wherever the heart is true. So he names devotee after devotee, many of them low-born or outcaste, and shows God doing their humble work beside them: dyeing leather, weaving, butchering, sweeping, dragging carcasses, herding cows. The God of the Bhagavatas is not above the labor of the despised; He kneels in it. And He still stands waiting at Pandhari for Pundalik, a love that has not ended. The whole song is a refusal of the idea that holiness belongs to the high.

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