Faith, service as the eye-salve that sees truth
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सत्य तो आवडे । विकल्पानें भाव उडे ॥1॥
आह्मी तुमच्या कृपादानें । जाणों शुद्ध मंद सोनें ॥ध्रु.॥
आला भोग अंगा। न लवूं उसीर त्या त्यागा ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे देवा । अंजन ते तुझी सेवा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Truth is what we love; doubt makes devotion flee. By Your gift of grace, we can distinguish pure gold from base metal. When suffering comes to the body, we will not delay in renouncing it. Says Tuka, O God, Your service is the true collyrium for the eyes.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Truth is what I love; doubt makes faith fly away. By your gift of grace we can tell pure gold from base metal. When suffering comes to the body, we will not be slow to let it go. Tuka says: God, your service is the collyrium for my eyes.
What it means
Tukaram describes how a devotee learns to see clearly. He loves truth, and warns that doubt, the splitting mind, drives genuine feeling away. The power to discern, to tell real gold from the false, is not his own skill but a gift of God's grace. So when pain comes to the body he will not cling, but will let it go without delay, trusting that vision. He closes with the image of collyrium, the dark salve people line their eyes with to see better: God's service is that salve, the thing that clears his sight.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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