Nature of God, the Lord bound by his own name
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
समर्थासी लाज आपुल्या नामाची । शरण आल्याची लागे चिंता ॥1॥
न पाहे तयाचे गुण दोष अन्याय । सुख देउनि साहे दुःख त्याचें ॥ध्रु.॥
मान भलेपण नाहीं फुकासाटीं । जयावरि गांठी झीज साहे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे हें तूं सर्व जाणसी । मज अधिरासी धीर नाहीं ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A powerful lord is bound by the honor of his own name. He is ever concerned about those who have taken his shelter. He does not look at their merits, faults, or offenses. He bears their sorrow and grants them happiness. Reputation and honor are not had for free. He who ties the knot bears the cost. Says Tuka, You know all of this. I am restless, and I have no patience.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A great lord is bound by the honor of his own name. He has to care about those who come for shelter. He does not look at their merits, faults, or wrongs. He gives them happiness and bears their sorrow himself. Honor and goodness do not come free. The one who ties the knot bears the cost. Tuka says: you know all this. I am anxious; I have no patience.
What it means
Tukaram reasons from how a powerful, honorable lord behaves to how God must behave. A great one is bound by his own reputation, so once you take his shelter he cannot weigh your sins against you; he simply gives joy and absorbs your sorrow. The cost is real, and it falls on the protector, not the protected, for the one who ties the knot of refuge is the one who pays. Having argued the case, Tukaram drops the argument and confesses the truth underneath: he is restless and out of patience, and is really just pressing God to act on what God already knows.
The Nature of God
Explorations of God's character, power, grace, and relationship to the world.
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