Nature of God, the hidden puppeteer
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आहे सकळां वेगळा । खेळे कळा चोरोनि ॥1॥
खांबसुत्राचिये परी । देव दोरी हालवितो ॥ध्रु.॥
आपण राहोनि निराळा । कैसी कळा नाचवी ॥2॥
जेव्हां असुडितो दोरी । भूमीवरी पडे तेव्हां ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे तो जाणावा । सखा करावा आपुला ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
He remains apart from all, yet plays His hidden arts. Like a puppeteer with strings and a pole, God pulls the threads and makes everything move. Remaining separate and detached, He makes the show dance. When He releases the strings, the puppet falls to the ground. Says Tuka, know who He is and make Him your own beloved friend.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He stands apart from all things and plays his arts in secret. Like a puppeteer with a pole and strings, God pulls the cords and makes everything move. Staying separate himself, see how he makes the show dance. When he lets go of the strings, the puppet falls to the ground. Tuka says: know him, and make him your own friend.
What it means
Tukaram offers an image for how God works in the world: a puppeteer who stays offstage while the whole show moves at his hand. Everything that lives and acts is moved by strings it cannot see; the moment God releases them, the figure drops lifeless. The point is that no creature has its own independent power; all motion is borrowed and on loan. But the verse does not end in fear of this hidden controller. Tukaram turns it warm: since he is the one moving everything, the wise response is to recognize him and take him as your own dear friend rather than a distant operator.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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