Nature of God, the one within all
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भूतांचिये नांदे जीवीं । गोसावी च सकळां ॥1॥
क्षणक्षणां जागा ठायीं । दृढ पायीं विश्वास ॥ध्रु.॥
दावूनियां सोंग दुजें । अंतर बीजें वसतसे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे जाणे धने । धरी तें वर्म चिंतन ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
He who dwells in all beings is the true lord of all. Moment by moment, stay alert in that place, with firm faith at His feet. Though He assumes different outward guises, the inner seed remains the same. Says Tuka, the one who is wise and the master knows the secret of this contemplation.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He who dwells in the life of all beings is the lord of them all. Stay awake to that place, moment by moment, with firm faith at his feet. Though he shows different outward forms, the inner seed stays the same. Tuka says: the one who is wise, the true owner, holds to this secret of contemplation.
What it means
This abhanga points to the one presence living inside every being as the real master of all. Tukaram counsels constant alertness to that indwelling presence, kept up moment by moment and anchored by firm faith at the feet. He distinguishes the changing outer forms from the unchanging inner seed: the disguises differ, but what dwells within is one and the same. The closing line names who actually possesses this, not the outwardly clever, but the one who keeps the inner seed in steady contemplation.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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