Nature of God, the Lord who serves his servants
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
दास्य करी दासांचें । उणें न साहे तयांचें । वाढिलें ठायींचें । भानें टाकोनियां धांवे ॥1॥
ऐसा कृपेचा सागर । विटे उभा कटीं कर । सर्वस्वें उदार । भक्तांलागीं प्रगटे ॥ध्रु.॥
हृदयीं श्रीवत्सलांछन । मिरवी भक्तांचें भूषण । नाहीं तयाचा सीण । सुख धरिलें लातेचें ॥2॥
सत्यभामा दान करी । उजुर नाहीं अंगीकारी । सेवकाच्या शिरीं । धरूनि चाले पादुका ॥3॥
राखे दारवंटा बळीचा। रथी जाला अर्जुनाचा । दास सेवकांचा । होय साचा अंकित ॥4॥
भिडा नो बोलवें पुंडलिकाशीं । उभा मर्यादा पाठीशीं । तुका ह्मणे ऐसी । कां रे न भजा माउली ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
He serves His own servants and cannot bear any lack in them. He leaves His own seat and runs to provide for them. Such is that ocean of mercy, standing on the brick with hands on His waist. He is generous with everything He has and manifests for the sake of His devotees. He wears the Shrivatsa mark upon His chest, displaying the ornament of His devotees' love. He knows no weariness and has embraced the joy of being kicked by the feet of His beloved. When Satyabhama made a gift of Him, He accepted without objection. He carries the sandals of His servant upon His own head. He guards the doorway of Bali's realm. He became the charioteer of Arjuna. He truly becomes the servant of His servants, marked as their own. He will not interrupt Pundalika; He stands patiently behind, honoring his devotion. Says Tuka, why do you not worship such a Mother?.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He serves his own servants. He cannot bear to see them lack anything. He leaves his own seat and runs, scattering the dishes, to feed them. Such is that ocean of mercy, standing on the brick with his hands on his hips. He is generous with all he has, and he shows himself for his devotees' sake. He wears the Shrivatsa mark on his chest, the ornament his devotees' love has placed there. He knows no weariness; he took as joy even being kicked by his beloved's foot. When Satyabhama gave him away as a gift, he accepted with no objection. He carries his servant's sandals on his own head. He guards Bali's doorway. He became Arjuna's charioteer. He truly becomes the servant of his servants, marked as theirs. He will not break in on Pundalika; he stands patiently behind him, honoring his devotion. Tuka says: such a Mother, why will you not worship her?
What it means
Tukaram turns the usual order upside down: God is not the master to be served but the servant who serves his devotees, running with the food and leaving his own throne behind. He gathers the well-known stories as proof, the Shrivatsa mark, the sage's kick taken as joy, Satyabhama's gift, the sandals carried on his head, Bali's doorway, Arjuna's chariot, and Pundalika kept waiting while God stands patiently behind on the brick at Pandhari. The stakes are a picture of what divine love actually looks like: not lofty distance but eager, self-forgetting attendance. By calling this God a Mother at the end, he closes the gap entirely, and asks the only question that then makes sense: with a Lord like this, why hold back your worship?
The Nature of God
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