Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha
मराठी मूळ
कमोदिनी काय जाणे तो परिमळ । भ्रमर सकळ भोगीतसे ॥१॥
तैसें तुज ठावें नाहीं तुझें नाम । आम्ही च तें प्रेमसुख जाणों ॥ध्रु.॥
माते तृण बाळा दुधाची ते गोडी । ज्याची नये जोडी त्यासी कामा ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे मुक्ताफळ शिंपीपोटीं । नाहीं त्याची भेटी भोग तिये ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Does the lotus know its own fragrance? It is the bee who enjoys it fully. In the same way, you do not know the sweetness of your own name; it is we who taste that bliss of love. The mother eats grass, while the child savors the sweetness of her milk; what one cannot use serves another. Says Tuka, the pearl is born in the oyster's belly, yet the oyster never knows its splendor.
This translation is auto-generated and may contain errors. We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram’s original Marathi.
The Power of the Name
The supremacy of nama-smarana: God's name as the highest practice.
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