Saints, the open feast
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
देवाच्या प्रसादें करा रे भोजन । व्हाल कोण कोण अधिकारी ते ॥१॥
ब्रम्हादिकांसि हें दुर्लभ उच्छिष्ट । नका मानूं वीट ब्रम्हरसीं ॥ध्रु.॥
अवघियां पुरतें वोसंडलें पात्र । अधिकार सर्वत्र आहे येथें ॥२॥
इच्छादानी येथें वळला समर्थ । अवघें चि आर्त पुरवितो ॥३॥
सरे येथें ऐसें नाहीं कदाकाळीं । पुढती वाटे कवळीं घ्यावें ऐसें ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे पाक लक्षुमीच्या हातें । कामारीसांगातें निरुपम ॥५॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Partake of this feast by the grace of God; see who among you has the fitness for it. Even Brahma and the gods find these leavings hard to obtain; do not feel aversion to the savor of Brahman. The vessel overflows and is enough for all; everyone here has the right. The wish-fulfilling Lord has turned toward us; he fulfills every longing. This feast never runs short; each morsel makes you want another. Says Tuka, the cooking is by Lakshmi's own hand, with Kamari alongside, beyond compare.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Sit and eat this feast by the grace of God, and see who among you is fit for it. Even Brahma and the gods can scarcely get these leavings; so do not turn up your nose at the taste of Brahman. The dish overflows, enough for everyone; here every single person has the right to eat. The wish-granting Lord has turned toward us, and he satisfies every longing. This feast never runs out; each mouthful only makes you want the next. Tuka says: it is cooked by Lakshmi's own hand, and it is beyond compare.
What it means
The feast is Tukaram's image for the joy of God's name, and the point is who is invited: everyone. He inverts the ordinary purity rules. What looks like mere leftovers is something even the gods can barely obtain, so no one should feel it beneath them, and no one is too low to be served. The dish overflows, the right to eat belongs to all, and the supply never fails. By saying it is cooked in Lakshmi's own kitchen he marks it as the richest fare there is, set freely before the lowly. This is his open table, the opposite of a guarded one.
The Saints
The character and service of true saints: softer than butter, harder than diamond.
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