Nature of God, Hari speaks through me
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
माझ्या मुखें मज बोलवितो हरि । सकळां अंतरीं नारायण ॥1॥
न करावा द्वेष भूतांचा मत्सर । हा तंव विचार जाणों आह्मी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे दोष नाहीं या विचारें । हिताचीं उत्तरें शिकवितां ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Hari Himself speaks through my mouth. Narayana dwells in within all. One should not harbor hatred or envy toward any creature; this truth I know well. Says Tuka, there is no fault in offering words of genuine counsel.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Hari speaks to me through my own mouth. Narayana lives inside everyone. So one should hold no hatred, no envy, toward any creature. This I know well. Tuka says: there is no fault in this, in teaching words that do good.
What it means
Tukaram grounds his teaching in who is really speaking and where God really lives. The words come through his mouth, but it is Hari who speaks them, and Narayana dwells inside every being alike. From that one fact follows the whole ethic: if God is in all, then hatred or envy of any creature is hatred of God. He adds a quiet defense of his own preaching, that there is no fault in offering words meant for another's good, since they carry this truth and not his opinion.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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