Faith, no need to defend yourself
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
न करावी चिंता । भय धरावें सर्वथा ॥1॥
दासां साहे नारायण । होय रिक्षता आपण ॥ध्रु.॥
न लगे परिहार । कांहीं योजावें उत्तर ॥2॥
न धरावी शंका । नये बोलों ह्मणे तुका ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Do not worry, but maintain your reverence in all things. Narayana bears everything for His servants, even enduring sacrifice Himself. There is no need for defense or for fashioning clever replies. Says Tuka, do not harbor any doubt; one must simply speak the truth.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Do not worry. Do not be afraid of anything at all. Narayana stands by his servants; he carries the burden himself. You do not have to answer back. You do not have to think up a clever reply. Do not hold any doubt. Tuka says: do not even argue. Just speak what is true.
What it means
Tukaram is telling the devotee to put down two things: anxiety and self-defense. If Narayana himself carries the weight for those who are his, then there is no situation a servant must rescue himself from by worry, by argument, or by a manufactured answer. The poem treats the urge to defend oneself, to fashion the perfect reply, as a kind of distrust. Drop the doubt, speak plainly and truthfully, and let God be the one who bears it.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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