Quote by Tukaram: “This world is an illusion. Only the Lord is real.”

This quote encapsulates a core tenet of Advaita Vedanta, asserting the transient and illusory nature of the material world. It guides one to focus on the unchanging, ultimate reality of the divine, encouraging detachment from worldly attachments and seeking enduring truth.

Tukaram lived in a period of significant religious and social flux in India. His teachings, deeply influenced by earlier saints like Jnaneshwar, often contrasted the fleeting pleasures of worldly life with the eternal bliss found in devotion to the divine, resonating with common people.

Seventeenth-century Marathi poet-saint and one of the most beloved figures in the Varkari devotional tradition of Maharashtra. Born in Dehu village near Pune into a lower-caste family, his devotional songs known as abhangas challenged caste hierarchy and priestly mediation of the divine. His works were threatened with destruction by Brahmin authorities, but his legacy endures as foundational to Marathi culture and literature.