Social criticism, the dull pretender
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
बुिद्धमंद शिरीं । भार फजिती पदरीं ॥1॥
जाय तेथें अपमान । पावे हाणी थुंकी जन ॥ध्रु.॥
खरियाचा पाड । मागें लावावें लिगाड ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे करी । वर्म नेणें भरोवरी ॥3॥ ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The dull-witted carry a load on their head and disgrace in their lap. Wherever they go, they face insult; people strike them and spit on them. The value of what is genuine is shown by the worthless thing trailing behind. Says Tuka, the one who does not know the secret keeps trying and failing.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The dull-witted carry a load on the head and disgrace in the lap. Wherever such a one goes there is insult; he is struck, and people spit on him. The worth of the genuine is shown by the worthless thing trailing behind it. Tuka says: the one who does not know the secret keeps trying, and keeps failing.
What it means
Tukaram describes the person who labors hard yet stays foolish, weighed down by burdens and bringing shame on himself. Everywhere he goes he meets insult and contempt, because effort without understanding goes nowhere. Genuine worth shows itself plainly, just as a worthless thing dragging behind exposes what it is attached to. The point is turned inward: without knowing the secret, the inner heart of the matter, all the striving in the world only repeats the same failure. Look to whether you actually understand, not just how hard you push.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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