Exhortation, harden against worldly loss
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भले लोक तुज बहु मानवती । वाढेल या कीतिन जगामाजी ॥1॥
ह्मणे मेलीं गुरें भांडीं नेलीं चोरें । नाहींत लेंकुरें जालीं मज ॥ध्रु.॥
आस निरसूनि कठिण हें मन । करीं वो समान वज्र तैसें ॥2॥
किंचित हें सुख टाकीं वो थुंकोनि । पावसील धनी परमानंद ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे थोर चुकती सायास । भवबंद पाश तुटोनियां ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Good people will honor you greatly; your fame will grow in the world. You will say: the cattle are gone, the vessels were stolen by thieves, and I have no children to show for it. Cast away desire and harden your resolve like a thunderbolt. Spit out this petty happiness, and you will gain the supreme joy. Says Tuka, you will be freed from great toil, for the bonds of worldly existence will be cut.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Good people will honor you greatly; your fame will grow in the world. You will say: the cattle died, thieves took the vessels, and I am left without children to show for it. Cast off desire and harden this mind; make it firm like a thunderbolt. Spit out this petty happiness, and you will gain the supreme joy. Tuka says: you will be spared great toil, for the bonds of worldly life will be cut.
What it means
Tukaram pushes the soul to count worldly loss as gain. He lists the things people grieve over, dead cattle, stolen pots, no children, and treats them as no real loss at all. The counsel is to harden the mind like a thunderbolt and spit out the small, petty happiness the world offers. What replaces it is the supreme joy, which is worth more than everything given up. The promise is release: when the bonds of worldly existence are cut, the soul is spared the endless toil of holding on.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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