Worldly snares, hold patience for the soul
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
पायरवे अन्न । मग करी क्षीदक्षीण ॥1॥
ऐसे होती घातपात । लाभे विण संगें थीत ॥ध्रु.॥
जन्माची जोडी । वाताहात एके घडी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे शंका । हित आड या लौकिका ॥3॥
धीर धरूं जिवासाटीं । येऊं नेदूं लाभा तुटी ॥ध्रु.॥
उचित समय । लाजनिवारावें भय ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे कळा । जाणों नेम नाहीं बाळा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Rich food at first, then it brings on weakness. Such are the treacheries that come from profitless company. A lifetime's earnings can be wasted in a single moment. Says Tuka, worldly honor and reputation stand in the way of true benefit. Hold patience for the sake of the soul; do not let loss come to the gain. At the right moment, overcome both shame and fear. Says Tuka, know the art; there is no fixed rule for the innocent.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Rich food at first; then it leaves you weak. So go the treacheries that come from useless company: you gain nothing. A whole lifetime's earnings can be wasted in a single moment. Tuka says: worldly honor and good name stand in the way of your true good. Hold your patience for the sake of the soul. Do not let loss eat into the gain. At the right moment, throw off both shame and fear. Tuka says: learn the art. There is no fixed rule for the innocent.
What it means
Tukaram warns that the company you keep can ruin you the way a rich dish gives quick pleasure and then sickness: the loss comes slowly and you mistake it for a treat. A lifetime of spiritual earning can be squandered in one careless moment, and what trips people most is their concern for reputation and respectability, which they let outweigh their real good. So he counsels patience held for the soul's sake, and a willingness, when the moment calls for it, to set aside both shame and fear rather than playing it safe. The closing line says there is no rigid rule to memorize; the path asks for discernment, the art of knowing when to act.
Worldly Life
The perplexities of action, karma, and navigating life in the world.
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