पृथ्वीमधें लोक नाना । त्यास नाना उपासना । भावार्थें प्रवर्तले भजना । ठाईं ठाईं ॥ १ ॥

On this earth there are countless kinds of people, and they follow countless modes of worship; each, with heartfelt faith, has taken up devotion in his own way and place.

अपुल्या देवास भजती । नाना स्तुती स्तवनें करिती । जे जे निर्गुण म्हणिती । उपासनेसी ॥ २ ॥

Each person worships his own chosen deity, offering countless praises and hymns; and each calls his own form of worship "the formless, attributeless one."

याचा कैसा आहे भाव । मज सांगिजे अभिप्राव । अरे हा स्तुतीचा स्वभाव । ऐसा आहे ॥ ३ ॥

(The listener asks) What is the true meaning behind this? Please explain it to me. (The speaker replies) Well, this is simply the nature of praise itself.

निर्गुण म्हणिजे बहुगुण । बहुगुणी अंतरात्मा जाण । सकळ त्याचे अंश हें प्रमाण । प्रचित पाहा ॥ ४ ॥

"Nirguna" (attributeless) actually means one possessed of countless attributes; know that this is the many-gifted Antaratma itself; all deities are but his portions - verify this through your own direct experience.

सकळ जनासी मानावें तें । येका अंतरात्म्यास पावतें । अधिकारपरत्वें तें । मान्य कीजे ॥ ५ ॥

Whatever all people honor and worship ultimately reaches that one same inner Self; each form of worship should be accepted according to the worshiper's own spiritual capacity.

श्रोता म्हणे हा अनुमान । मुळीं घालावें जीवन । तें पावे पानोपान । हे सध्या प्रचिती ॥ ६ ॥

The listener says: this is merely a supposition; but when water is poured at the root of a tree, it visibly reaches every single leaf - that is direct, present experience.

वक्ता म्हणे तुळसीवरी । उदक घालावें पात्रभरी । परी न थिरे निमिषभरी । भूमीस भेदे ॥ ७ ॥

The speaker replies: even if you pour a whole vessel of water over a tulsi plant, it does not stay there even for an instant - it sinks straight into the ground.

थोरा वृक्षास कैसें करावें । सेंड्या पात्र कैसें न्यावें । याचा अभिप्राव देवें । मज निरोपावा ॥ ८ ॥

But what is to be done for a great, tall tree? How can one carry a vessel of water up to its very top? Let the Lord explain to me the true meaning of this.

प्रजन्याचें उदक पडतें । तें तों मुळाकडे येतें । हात चि पावेना तेथें । काये करिती ॥ ९ ॥

Rainwater falls from above, and that same water eventually reaches down to the roots below; there, our own hand cannot even reach - so what is one to do?

सकळास मूळ सांपडे । ऐसें पुण्य कैचें घडे । साधुजनाचें पवाडे । विवेकीं मन ॥ १० ॥

Where does such great merit come from, that everyone should find the very root? The true greatness of saintly people is understood only by a discerning mind.

तथापी वृक्षांचेनि पडिपाडें । जीवन घालितां कोठें पडे । ये गोष्टीचें सांकडें । कांहींच नाहीं ॥ ११ ॥

Nevertheless, given the very structure of a tree, wherever the water is poured, it ultimately reaches the tree itself; there is truly no difficulty in this matter at all.

मागील आशंकेचें निर्शन । होतां जालें समाधान । आतां गुणास निर्गुण । कैसें म्हणती ॥ १२ ॥

With the previous doubt thus resolved, satisfaction was reached; now let us see why what has qualities (guna) is nonetheless called nirguna, without qualities.

चंचळपणें विकारलें । सगुण ऐसें बोलिलें । येर तें निर्गुण उरलें । गुणातीत ॥ १३ ॥

That which becomes restless and takes on modification is called "saguna," as possessing attributes; and that which remains untouched by such change is what is called "nirguna," beyond all qualities.

वक्ता म्हणे हा विचार । शोधून पाहावें सारासार । अंतरीं राहातां निर्धार । नांव नाहीं ॥ १४ ॥

The speaker says: examine this matter carefully, weighing what is essential against what is not; once it settles firmly within the heart, no name remains applicable to it at all.

विवेकेंचि तो मुख्य राजा । आणि सेवकाचें नांव राजा । याचा विचार समजा । वेवाद खोटा ॥ १५ ॥

Only through discernment does one know who the true, principal king really is; otherwise even a servant might be given the title "king." Understand this reasoning well - idle argument over it is pointless.

कल्पांतप्रळईं जें उरलें । तें निर्गुण ऐसें बोलिलें । येर तें अवघेंचि जालें । मायेमधें ॥ १६ ॥

That which remains even at the time of the great cosmic dissolution - that alone is called nirguna; everything else falls entirely within the realm of Maya.

सेना शाहार बाजार । नाना यात्रा लाहानथोर । शब्द उठती अपार । कैसे निवडावे ॥ १७ ॥

A military camp, a city, a marketplace, countless great and small pilgrimages - in all these places countless sounds arise; how is one to sort out and identify each one precisely?

काळामधें प्रज्यन्यकाळ । मध्यरात्रीं होतां निवळ । नाना जीव बोलती सकळ । कैसे निवडावे ॥ १८ ॥

During the rainy season, when midnight brings a lull, countless creatures all begin to call out at once; how is one to distinguish each separate sound?

नाना देश भाषा मतें । भूमंडळीं असंख्यातें । बहु ऋषी बहु मतें । कैसीं निवडावीं ॥ १९ ॥

On this earth there are countless lands, languages and doctrines beyond number; many sages hold many differing views - how is one to determine which among them is true?

वृष्टी होतां च अंकुर । सृष्टीवरी निघती अपार । नाना तरु लाहानथोर । कैसे निवडावे ॥ २० ॥

The moment rain falls, countless sprouts spring up across the earth, and every kind of tree, great and small, grows forth; how is one to distinguish and describe each one individually?

खेचरें भूचरें जळचरें । नाना प्रकारींचीं शरीरें । नान रंग चित्रविचित्रें । कैसी निवडावीं ॥ २१ ॥

Creatures of the sky, of the land, and of the water - bodies of every conceivable kind, colors of every strange and wondrous hue - how could one possibly pick out and distinguish each one?

कैसें दृश्य आकारलें । नानापरीं विकारलें । उदंडचि पैसावलें । कैसें निवडावें ॥ २२ ॥

How did this visible world come to take form, how did it undergo such countless transformations, and how did it spread out to such immense proportions - how could one possibly sort all this out?

पोकळीमधें गंधर्वनगरें । नाना रंग लाहनथोरें । बहु वेक्ति बहु प्रकारें । कैसीं निवडावीं ॥ २३ ॥

In the empty sky, mirage-like phantom cities of the Gandharvas appear, with countless colors, great and small, in myriad forms - how could one possibly distinguish them all?

दिवसरजनीचे प्रकार । चांदिणें आणी अंधकार । विचार आणी अविचार । कैसा निवडावा ॥ २४ ॥

The alternation of day and night, moonlight and darkness, sound reasoning and rash folly - how is one to properly sort out and distinguish all of these?

विसर आणी आठवण । नेमस्त आणी बाष्कळपण । प्रचित आणी अनुमान । येणें रितीं ॥ २५ ॥

Forgetting and remembering, discipline and idle chatter, direct experience and mere inference - all of these too must be sorted out and distinguished in just this same way.

न्याय आणी अन्याय । होय आणी न होये । विवेकेंविण काये । उमजों जाणे ॥ २६ ॥

Justice and injustice, what comes to pass and what does not - without discernment, who could possibly understand any of this?

कार्यकर्ता आणी निकामी । शूर आणी कुकर्मी । धर्मी आणी अधर्मी । कळला पाहिजे ॥ २७ ॥

The capable and the useless, the brave and the wicked, the righteous and the unrighteous - all of these must be clearly recognized.

धनाढ्य आणि दिवाळखोर । साव आणि तश्कर । खरें खोटें हा विचार । कळला पाहिजे ॥ २८ ॥

The wealthy and the bankrupt, the honest and the thief, the true and the false - this distinction must be clearly understood.

वरिष्ठ आणि कनिष्ठ । भ्रष्ट आणी अंतरनिष्ठ । सारासार विचार पष्ट । कळला पाहिजे ॥ २९ ॥

The superior and the inferior, the corrupt and the truly devout at heart - this discernment between the essential and the non-essential must be clearly grasped.