True worship, the heart over the offering
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
शक्ती द्याव्या देवा । नाहीं पदार्थी सेवा ॥1॥
मुख्य आहे ऐसा धर्म । जाणते हो जाणा वर्म ॥ध्रु.॥
मना पोटीं देव । जाणे जैसा तैसा भाव ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे सोसें । लागे लाविल्याचें पिसें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Offer your full strength to God; true service lies not in material offerings alone. This is the highest law of dharma; those who are wise should know this secret. God sees into the chitta and knows your devotion as it truly is. Says Tuka, whatever longing you have planted, that very passion will take hold of you.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Give your full strength to God; service is not in objects alone. This is the chief law; you who are wise, know this secret. God is in your heart and knows your feeling exactly as it is. Tuka says: whatever longing you have planted, that very madness takes hold of you.
What it means
Tukaram lifts true worship above the things laid on the altar. What God asks is your whole strength and your inward devotion, not the value of the items you offer. Since God lives within and reads the heart directly, no display can fool Him and no poverty can shortchange Him. The closing line states the law of the inner life: whatever desire you sow becomes the passion that grips you, so what you plant in the heart is exactly what you will be ruled by.
True Worship
What genuine worship looks like, beyond outward observances and images.
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