Crying out with love, knowledge is not enough
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
ब्रह्मयाचे वेद शंखासुरें नेले । त्यासाटीं धरिलें मत्स्यरूप ॥1॥
तेणें आत्मा नव्हता नेला ब्रह्मांडासी । काय ब्रह्मयासी नव्हतें ज्ञान ॥ध्रु.॥
परि तेणें धावा केला आवडीनें । जाले नारायण कृपासिंधु ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे विठोबा मी नामधारक । पोसनें सेवक भेटी देई ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
When the demon Shankhasura stole the Vedas from Brahma, You assumed the form of a fish. It was not as though Brahma's soul had been stolen away or that he lacked knowledge. Yet because he called out to You with love, You, Narayana, ocean of mercy, came to his rescue. Says Tuka, O Vitthal, I am a bearer of Your name; nourish this servant and grant me Your audience.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
When the demon Shankhasura stole the Vedas from Brahma, You took the form of a fish. It was not that Brahma's soul had been carried off, or that Brahma lacked knowledge. Yet because he called out to You with love, You, Narayana, ocean of mercy, came. Tuka says: O Vitthal, I am a bearer of Your name. Feed this servant and grant me Your sight.
What it means
Tukaram makes a sharp distinction: Brahma, the creator, was not ignorant and his self was never in danger, yet his own knowledge did not recover the stolen Vedas. What brought the Lord as the fish was the loving cry, not the learning. The unspoken claim is that knowing about God is not the same as calling on him, and the second is what moves him. Tuka then places himself in the same posture, owning no merit but the Name he carries, and asks to be fed and granted a sight of the Lord like a servant fed by his master.
Sacred Stories
Abhangas drawing on mythological narratives to illuminate spiritual truths.
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