Social criticism, spectacle over service
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मोल देऊनियां सांटवावे दोष । नटाचे ते वेश पाहोनियां ॥1॥
हरिदासां मुखें हरिकथाकीर्तन । तेथें पुण्यें पुण्य विशेषता ॥ध्रु.॥
हरितील वस्त्रें गोपिकांच्या वेशें । पाप त्यासरिसें मात्रागमन ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे पाहा ऐसें जालें जन । सेवाभक्तिहीन रसीं गोडी ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
People pay to see the actor's costumes and store up his vices along with the viewing. But when devotees sing Hari's name and katha-kirtan, there merit piles upon merit, in full measure. They steal garments and dress in the gopis' guise; with that disguise comes the sin of forbidden transgression. Says Tuka, see what people have become: devoid of seva, they seek only the sweetness of rasa in mere spectacle.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
People pay money to watch the actor's costumes, and they store up his vices as they watch. But where Hari's devotees sing his name and his story, merit piles on merit, in full measure. Men steal the women's clothes and dress in the gopis' guise; with that disguise comes the sin of forbidden union. Tuka says: look what people have become. Empty of service, they crave only the sweetness of the show.
What it means
Tukaram sets two ways of looking at devotion side by side and names the difference. Paying to watch a performer play the divine drama only loads you with the watcher's appetites; true merit comes when devotees actually sing Hari's name and tell his story. He turns sharp on men who dress up as the gopis, costume that carries the sin it imitates rather than the love. The pattern he attacks is craving the sweetness of the spectacle while skipping the service that alone makes it holy, and the examination is meant for our own hunger for show over substance.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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