Nature of God, the patient mother
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
संतोषे माउली आरुषा वचनी । वोरसोनि स्तनीं लावी बाळा ॥1॥
तैसे परिमळाचें अवघें चि गोड । पुरवितो कोड पांडुरंग ॥ध्रु.॥
सेवा करी साहे निष्ठ उत्तरें । त्याचें वाहे मनीं तेंच बरें ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे इच्छावसे खेळ खेळें । चिंता ते सकळ कांहीं नेणें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A mother is pleased even by her child's angry words; she draws it to her breast and lets it nurse. Just so, Panduranga finds everything sweet in devotion and fulfills every whim. He serves and endures even harsh words; whatever the devotee does, He considers good. Says Tuka, let the child play as it wishes; God knows no worry at all.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A mother is glad even at her child's angry words. Her love wells up and she draws it to her breast to nurse. Just so, Panduranga finds everything in devotion sweet, and grants every wish. He serves and bears even harsh words; whatever the devotee does, he counts it good. Tuka says: let the child play as it likes; God carries no worry at all.
What it means
Tukaram explains God's tenderness through the image of a mother who is not offended even by her child's cross words but only loves the more and feeds it. In the same way Panduranga takes everything offered in devotion as sweet and meets every wish. The startling reversal is that God himself serves the devotee, enduring even harsh speech and reckoning whatever the devotee does as good. The closing line completes the picture: like a watchful, untroubled parent, God lets the child play freely and carries no worry, which frees the devotee to be unguarded before him.
The Nature of God
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