Bāla Kāṇḍa·Chaupāī·21.2·153 of 166
को बड़ छोट कहत अपराधू। सुनि गुन भेद समुझिहहिं साधू॥
देखिअहिं रूप नाम आधीना। रूप ग्यान नहिं नाम बिहीना॥
ko baṛa choṭa kahata aparādhū, suni guna bheda samujhihahĩ sādhū |
dekhiahĩ rūpa nāma ādhīnā, rūpa gyāna nahĩ nāma bihīnā ||
English Rendering
To call one greater and the other lesser would itself be an offence; the good will understand by hearing the distinction of their qualities. Even outward forms are seen only as the Name allows — without the Name, there is no knowledge of form at all.
हिन्दी अनुवाद
कौन बड़ा और कौन छोटा — ऐसा कहना अपराध ही होगा; उनके गुण-भेद सुनकर साधु स्वयं समझ लेंगे। देखे जाते हैं रूप भी नाम के अधीन ही — नाम के बिना रूप का ज्ञान सम्भव नहीं।
Context — Editorial
The daring claim arrives early. The visible world comes to us through its names. A tree is not a "tree" until the word "tree" sits between the eye and the object. Form, Tulsīdās says quietly, is downstream of naming.