The poet's gift, forced upon God
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नव्हे हें कवित्व टांकसाळी नाणें । घेती भले जन भले लोक ॥1॥
लागलासे झरा पूर्ण नवनीतें । सेविलियां हित फार होय ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे देवा केला बलात्कार । अंगा आलें फार महंतपण ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
This is not mere poetry; it is coin minted in the royal mint. Good and worthy people accept it gladly. A spring of pure butter has begun to flow; consuming it brings great benefit. Says Tuka, I forced myself upon God, and the mantle of a great saint descended on me of its own accord.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
This is not poetry; it is coin struck in the royal mint. Good and worthy people take it gladly. A spring of pure butter has begun to flow. Whoever takes it gains great good. Tuka says: I forced myself upon God, and great sainthood came upon me of itself.
What it means
Tukaram speaks plainly about the worth of his own verse and where it came from. He insists his words are not mere literature but true coin from the king's mint, currency that good people accept at full value, and he likens them to a flowing spring of fresh butter that nourishes whoever takes it. The striking admission is in the last line: he did not earn this by qualification but seized God by force, pressing his demand until it was granted. The sainthood that resulted, he says, descended on its own, a gift answering insistence rather than a reward for merit.
Autobiography
Tukaram's own account of his life, struggles, awakening, and mission.
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