Devotion, the bond that shines
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
याजसाठीं भक्ति । जगीं रूढवावया ख्याति ॥१॥
नाहीं तरी कोठें दुजें । आहे बोलाया सहजें ॥ध्रु.॥
गौरव यासाटीं । स्वामिसेवेची कसोटी ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे अळंकारा । देवभक्त लोकीं खरा ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The purpose of devotion is to establish its glory in the world. Otherwise, where is any second thing to speak of? This is the test of service to the Lord: the honor it earns. Says Tuka, in all the world, what truly shines is the bond between God and devotee.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
It is for this that devotion exists: to spread its glory through the world. For otherwise, where is any second thing to speak of? This is its honor, the test of service to the Lord. Tuka says: in all the world, the true ornament is the bond of God and devotee.
What it means
Tukaram asks what devotion is finally for, and answers that its purpose is to make its own glory known in the world. Apart from this bond there is nothing else worth speaking of at all. He calls faithful service to the Lord the real test, the thing that earns true honor. The closing image is that across the whole world the one genuine ornament, the thing that actually shines, is the bond between God and devotee.
Devotion to Vitthal
Poems of praise, invocation, and intimate address to Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur.
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