Tukaram, Poem 254

O brother, the Ganges is no common water, the banyan and peepul are not mere trees, tulsi and rudraksha rosaries are not necklaces, they are manifestations of God. The sea is not a stream, you must not call the linga a stone. The saints are not like worldly men; you must not call the ascetic’s staff a cane, nor holy food by the name of wheat; Rama-Rama you must not call words of common conversation. The sun and the moon are not mere stars; Meru is not a hill. The serpent of Siva and Vasuka are not poisonous snakes. Garuda is not a bird. The bull of Siva is not a head of cattle. The wishing-tree is not a mere tree, nor the wishing-cow a cow. The tortoise of the world is more than a tank tortoise. Varaha is not a wild boar. Brahma is more than the soul of man. Lakshmi is not a mere woman. A holy sprinkling horn is not a bone; the silk robe of a goddess is not a piece of cloth. The magic stone Pariksha is not a stone; it is a manifestation of the goddess. Gold is not a common metal, nor salt a kind of sand; the ascetic’s deer-skin and tiger-skin are not hides. Pearls are not flints, nor diamonds pebbles; the soul is not a guest to be dismissed when you desire. Dvaraka is not a mere village; nor Krishna’s image a mere figure. The Gomati is not a mere place of pilgrimage; the very sight of them brings liberation; Krishna is not a mere pleasure-seeker, nor Siva an ascetic. Tuka says, He has obtained in Panduranga alone all the bliss that these things can give.