True worship, no fine voice needed
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नये जरी तुज मधुर उत्तर । दिधला सुस्वर नाहीं देवें ॥१॥
नाहीं तयाविण भुकेला विठ्ठल । येइल तैसा बोल रामकृष्ण ॥ध्रु.॥
देवापाशीं मागें आवडीची भक्ति । विश्वासेंशीं प्रीति भावबळें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे मना सांगतों विचार । धरावा निर्धार दिसेंदिस ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
If a sweet reply does not come to you, if God has not given you a fine voice, Vitthal is not hungry without that. Let the words Rama, Krishna come as they may. Ask God for the devotion born of love, for love accompanied by trust, empowered by feeling. Says Tuka, I tell the mind this thought: hold firm your resolve, day by day.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
If no sweet words come to you, if God did not give you a fine voice, do not worry: Vitthal is not hungry for any of that. Let the names Rama and Krishna come however they come. Ask God only for the devotion that is born of love, for love joined to trust and carried by real feeling. Tuka says: I keep telling my own mind, hold your resolve firm, day after day.
What it means
Reassurance for the ordinary devotee. You do not need eloquence or a beautiful singing voice; God is not waiting to be impressed by your skill. Simply let the holy names come as they will. What to ask for is not talent but the right inwardness: devotion that grows from love, love that rests on trust, the whole thing carried by genuine feeling rather than performance. And the practical close, addressed to his own mind: this is not a one-time decision but a resolve to be renewed every single day.
True Worship
What genuine worship looks like, beyond outward observances and images.
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