Test the support first, die before you live
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
हालवूनि खुंट । आधीं करावा बळकट ॥1॥
मग तयाच्या आधारें । करणें अवघें चि बरें ॥ध्रु.॥
सुख दुःख साहे । हर्षामषाअ भंगा नये ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे जीवें । आधीं मरोनि राहावें॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Shake the post first to test it and make it firm. Then, relying on that support, everything else will go well. It must bear both joy and sorrow without breaking under elation or anger. Says Tuka, one must first die to oneself, and only then live.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Shake the post first. Make it firm before you lean on it. Then, resting on that support, everything you do will go well. It must bear joy and sorrow without breaking under delight or anger. Tuka says: first die to yourself, and only then live.
What it means
Tukaram gives a builder's lesson for the inner life: before you trust your weight to anything, test it. Shake the post, make sure the support holds, and only then rely on it; a firm foundation makes the rest go well. The foundation he means is a steadiness that can carry both joy and sorrow without snapping in elation or anger. Then comes the sharp turn: the real firmness is to die to yourself first. Only after that death to the ego can a person truly stand and live.
Worldly Metaphors
Poems using images from games, occupations, and daily life as spiritual teaching.
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