Trust over pride, God hides
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
देव त्यां फावला गोपाळां । नाहीं तेथें कळा अभिमान॥1॥
नाडलीं आपल्या आपण चि एकें । संदेहदायकें बहुफारें ॥2॥
फारें चाळविलीं नेदी कळों माव । देवाआदिदेव विश्वंभर ॥3॥
विश्वासावांचुनि कळों नये खरा । अभक्तां अधीरा जैसा तैसा ॥4॥
जैसा भाव तैसा जविळ त्या दुरि । तुका ह्मणे हरि देतो घेतो ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
God was won by the cowherds because there was no pride in them. Those who deceived themselves through doubt and conjecture were many. Many were deluded and could not perceive the truth. The God of gods, the Sustainer of the universe, concealed His identity. Without trust, the real God cannot be known. To the faithless and the impatient, He appears as they expect. Says Tuka, as is the devotion, so is the nearness or distance. Hari gives and takes accordingly.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
God let himself be won by the cowherds, because there was no pride in them. Many others tricked themselves with their own doubts and guesses. They were led astray and could not see through the veil. He is the God of gods, the one who holds the world, and he keeps his real form hidden. Without trust you cannot know the true one. To the faithless and the impatient, he appears just as they expect. Tuka says: as your love is, so he is near or far. Hari gives and takes to match it.
What it means
The poem reads the Govardhan story as a lesson in how God is known. The cowherds had no learning and no pride, so God let himself be caught by them; the clever, full of doubt and conjecture, missed him entirely. Tukaram names the rule under it: the real God stays veiled, and trust, not cleverness, is the only door. The closing line makes it exact. Your nearness to him is the exact measure of your faith, and Hari simply gives back what you bring.
Krishna Leela
Poems celebrating Krishna's birth, childhood, and divine play.
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