Nature of God, measured by love alone
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
तुझे वणूप गुण ऐसी नाहीं मती । राहिल्या त्या श्रुती मौन्यपणें ॥1॥
रूप तुझें ऐसें डोळां न देखवे । जेथें हें झकवे ब्रह्मादिक ॥2॥
ब्रह्मादिक देवा कर्माची कचाटी । ह्मणोनि आटाटी फार त्यांसी ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे तुझें गुण नाम रूप । आहेसी अमुप वाणूं काई ॥4॥
भक्तीचिया मापें मोजितों अनंता । इतरानें तत्वता न मोजवे ॥ध्रु.॥
योग याग तपें देहाचिया योगें । ज्ञानाचिया लागें न सांपडेसी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आह्मी भोळ्या भावें सेवा । घ्यावी जी केशवा करितों ऐसी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I lack the intellect to describe Your virtues; even the Vedic hymns have fallen silent before them. Your form is such that even the eyes cannot fully see it; Brahma and other gods are baffled. Brahma and the gods are caught in the trap of karma; therefore they too suffer greatly. Says Tuka, Your virtues, Name, and form are immeasurable. How can I describe them? I measure You, O Infinite One, with the cup of devotion. By any other means, You cannot truly be measured. Through yoga, rituals, and austerity, through the efforts of the body, through the path of knowledge, You cannot be captured. Says Tuka, we are simple devotees; accept the service we offer with love, O Keshava.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I have not the wit to tell Your qualities; the Vedas themselves fell silent before them. Your form cannot be fully seen by the eye, the form that baffles Brahma and the other gods. Brahma and the gods are caught in the trap of karma, and so they too suffer much. Tuka says: Your qualities, Your Name, Your form are beyond measure; how can I describe them? I measure You, Infinite One, with the cup of devotion; by no other means can You truly be measured. Not by yoga, sacrifice, austerity, not by the body's effort, not by the path of knowledge, are You caught. Tuka says: we are simple devotees; accept the service we offer with love, Keshava.
What it means
Tukaram confesses that God is beyond all description and then names the one thing that can reach Him. He places himself below the silenced Vedas and the baffled gods: even Brahma cannot fully see this form, and the high gods are themselves still bound in karma and suffering. So learning, ritual, yoga, austerity, and the body's effort all fail to grasp the Infinite. The one measure that works is devotion, the cup of love, and on that ground he simply asks Keshava to accept the humble service of plain devotees.
The Nature of God
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