Worldly life, few fruits ripen, few cross over
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
महुरा ऐसीं फळें नाहीं । आलीं कांहीं गळती ॥1॥
पक्वदशे येती थोडीं । नास आढी वेचे तो ॥ध्रु.॥
विरुळा पावे विरुळा पावे । अवघड गोवे सेवटाचे ॥2॥
उंच निंच परिवार देवी। धन्या ठावी चाकरी ॥3॥
झळके तेथें पावे आणी । ऐसे क्षणी बहु थोडे ॥4॥
पावेल तो पैल थडी । ह्मणों गडी आपुला ॥5॥
तुका ह्मणे उभायानें । कोण खरें मानितसे ॥6॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Fruits like the mahua are rare to find; some fall before they ripen. Few reach full maturity, and most are lost along the way. Only the rare one attains the goal; the final obstacles are the hardest. High and low servants serve their master, and the master knows their service well. Only a few reach the flash of grace in that instant. Whoever crosses to the far shore, we may call our true companion. Says Tuka, who among them truly believes in both sides of the journey?
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Fruits like the mahua are hard to find; some fall before they ripen. Few reach full ripeness, and most are lost on the way. Only the rare one reaches the goal; the last obstacles are the hardest. High and low servants serve the master, and the master knows each one's service. Only a few catch the flash of grace in that instant. Whoever crosses to the far shore, him we may call our true companion. Tuka says: of both kinds, who truly believes?
What it means
Tukaram uses the orchard to speak about the spiritual journey. Like fruit that mostly drops before ripening, few seekers reach maturity; most are lost along the road, and the final stretch is the hardest of all. Servants high and low all serve, and the master sees each one's work, but only a rare few catch the flash of grace at the right moment. The one who actually crosses to the far shore, that is the companion worth keeping. The closing question turns it on the listener: among all who set out, who really has faith that carries them through to the end?
Worldly Life
The perplexities of action, karma, and navigating life in the world.
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