Social criticism, the false giver of powers
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
मानामान किती । तुझ्या क्षुल्लका संपत्ती ॥1॥
जा रे चाळवीं बापुडीं । कोणी धरिती तीं गोडी ॥ध्रु.॥
रििद्धसिद्धी देसी। आह्मीं चुंभळें नव्हों तैसीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे ठका । ऐसें नागविलें लोकां ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
How much honor do you claim from your petty wealth? Go and impress the gullible; let those who like such things be charmed by them. Even if you offer riddhis and siddhis, we are not like innocents to be won over. Says Tuka, O deceiver, this is how you have cheated the world.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
How much honor do you claim from your petty wealth? Go, charm the helpless; let whoever likes such things be sweetened by them. Even if you hand out riddhis and siddhis, we are not simpletons to be won that way. Tuka says: O cheat, this is how you have robbed the world.
What it means
Tukaram refuses a tempter who offers worldly status and occult powers. He mocks the small wealth and honor being dangled, telling the man to go beguile the gullible who still find such things sweet. Even the famous powers, riddhis and siddhis, do not move him; he is not naive enough to be bought by them. He names the dealer a cheat, saying this very bait of powers and prestige is how he has stripped and fooled the world. The warning is against trading the goal of God for spiritual or material trinkets.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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