Grindstone, grind with care
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
शुद्धीचें सारोनि भरियेली पाळी । भरडोनि वोंगळी नाम केलें ॥१॥
आडसोनि शुद्ध करीं वो साजणी । सद्धि कां पापिणी नासियेलें ॥ध्रु.॥
सुपीं तों चि पाहें धड उगटिलें । नव्हतां नासिलें जगझोडी ॥२॥
सुपीं तों चि आहे तुज तें आधीन । दळिल्या जेवण जैसें तैसें ॥३॥
सुपीं तों चि संग घेई धडफुडी । एकसा गधडी नास केला ॥४॥
दळितां आदळे तुज कां न कळे । काय गेले डोळे कान तुझे ॥५॥
सुपीं तों चि वोज न करितां सायास । पडसी सांदीस तुका म्हणे ॥६॥
दळण - अभंग १
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Having sifted the pure portion, you filled the tray. But then you ground everything coarsely and ruined the Name. Sift it clean, O my friend; why, O sinful one, have you spoiled the preparation? Look carefully into the winnowing tray at what has been opened; what was whole has been destroyed by the storm of worldliness. All is still there in the tray, and it is in your hands alone. Whether the flour is fine or coarse depends on how you grind. Look into the tray and pick out the firm, whole grains. By mixing everything together like a she-donkey, you have ruined it all. While grinding, the stones clash; can you not see or hear what is happening? Says Tuka, just look carefully into the tray; without effort, the result is there, or else you will slip into the crack and be lost.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
You had sifted out the pure portion and filled the tray, and then you ground it all coarsely and ruined the Name. Sift it clean, my friend; why, you foolish one, have you spoiled the whole preparation? Look hard into the winnowing tray at what has been opened up: what was whole has been wrecked by the storm of worldliness. It is all still there in the tray, and it is entirely in your own hands; whether the flour comes out fine or coarse depends only on how you grind. Look into the tray and pick out the firm, whole grains; by mixing everything together like a fool you have ruined the lot. It strikes against you as you grind, so why can you not see it? Have your eyes and ears gone? Tuka says: handle the tray with care, take the trouble, or you will fall straight into the crack.
What it means
A scolding grindstone-allegory about the work of discernment. The pure grain carefully sifted is the truth, or the Name, already grasped; grinding it carelessly, mixing whole and broken together, ruins it, and the storm of worldliness is what wrecks what was once whole. Tukaram's insistence is that the outcome is entirely in your own hands: fine flour or coarse, a saved life or a spoiled one, depends only on how attentively you do the work. Pick out the sound grains; do not lump everything together in a hurry. The error keeps knocking against you as you go, so the only excuse for missing it is willful blindness. Do the work of discrimination with care, or fall through the gap.
Worldly Metaphors
Poems using images from games, occupations, and daily life as spiritual teaching.
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