True worship, the inner offering
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मनोमय पूजा । हे चि पढीयें केशीराजा ॥1॥
घेतो कल्पनेचा भोग । न मानेती बाहए रंग ॥ध्रु.॥
अंतरींचें जाणे । आदिवर्तमान खुणे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे कुडें । कोठें सरे त्याच्या पुढें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The worship of the mind alone is what pleases Keshiraja. He accepts the offerings of imagination; outward show does not satisfy Him. He knows the inner truth, recognizing every sign from the very beginning. Says Tuka, where can falsehood stand before Him?.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Worship made of the mind, that alone is what Keshiraja loves. He takes the offering of your inmost thought. Outward show does not please Him. He knows what is inside. He reads every sign from the very beginning. Tuka says: where can falseness get through, standing before Him?
What it means
Tukaram says God prizes the worship that happens within and is unmoved by display. What pleases Keshiraja is mental worship, the offering shaped by genuine thought and feeling, while outward color and spectacle leave Him cold. The reason is that He sees straight into the heart and has read its signs from the start, so nothing inside can be hidden from Him. The closing question lands the claim: counterfeit devotion has nowhere to stand in front of one who already knows the inner truth. Worship is judged by what is actually in the mind, not by what is performed.
True Worship
What genuine worship looks like, beyond outward observances and images.
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