Counsel, measure your strength first
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
नाहीं पाइतन भूपतीशीं दावा । धिग त्या कर्तव्या आगी लागो ॥1॥
मुंगियांच्या मुखा गजाचा आहार । न साहावे भार जाय जीवें ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आधीं करावा विचार । शूरपणें तीर मोकलावा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
One should not challenge a king without having earned that right; may fire consume such reckless ambition. An ant cannot take the food of an elephant; the weight of it would cost its life. Says Tuka, first deliberate carefully, and only then release the arrow with true aim.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Do not pick a fight with a king before you have earned the right. Curse that kind of reckless deed; let fire take it. An ant cannot eat the food of an elephant. The weight of it would cost the ant its life. Tuka says: think first, and only then, with courage, let the arrow fly.
What it means
Tukaram is warning against action that outruns one's strength. He uses two pictures: an ant cannot swallow an elephant's portion, and a small person should not challenge a king without first earning the standing for it; to try is to invite ruin. The point is not cowardice but order: deliberate, weigh what you can actually carry, and then act. When you do act, act with full courage, like an archer who has taken aim before releasing the arrow. Recklessness and timidity are both refused; what he praises is thought before the shot.
Worldly Metaphors
Poems using images from games, occupations, and daily life as spiritual teaching.
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