The wishing tree, gain and loss within
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
कल्पतरूखालीं । फळें येती मागीतलीं ॥1॥
तेथें बैसल्याचा भाव । विचारूनि बोलें ठाव ॥ध्रु.॥
द्यावें तें उत्तर । येतो प्रतित्याचा फेर ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे मनीं । आपुल्या च लाभहानि॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Under the wish-fulfilling tree, the fruits that are asked for do appear. But the very desire with which one sits there matters; speak only after careful thought. Whatever reply is given, the consequence returns in kind. Says Tuka, the gain or loss lies within one's own mind.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Under the wish-fulfilling tree, the fruits you ask for do appear. But the desire you sit with there is what matters. Speak only after careful thought. Whatever answer you give, its consequence comes back to you in kind. Tuka says: the gain and the loss lie within your own mind.
What it means
Tukaram takes the wishing tree, the kalpataru that grants whatever is asked, and turns it into a warning about the mind. Since it gives exactly what you wish for, your wish itself decides your fate, so one should think carefully before asking. What you put out returns in kind, like an echo. The point lands inward: God or the wishing tree only mirrors you, and so the real gain or loss of a life is shaped by the desires you carry in your own mind.
Worldly Metaphors
Poems using images from games, occupations, and daily life as spiritual teaching.
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