Renunciation, free of honor and esteem
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
माझिया देहाची मज नाहीं चाड । कोठें करूं कोड आणिकांचें ॥1॥
इिच्छतां ते मान मागा देवापासीं । आसा संचितासी गुंपले हो ॥ध्रु.॥
देह आह्मी केला भोगाचे सांभाळीं । राहिलों निराळीं मानामानां ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे कोणें वेचावें वचन । नसतां तो सीण वाढवावा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I have no care for my own body. How then can I attend to others' desires? If you crave honor, ask it of God; you are all entangled in the net of past karma. We have given this body over to the care of destiny and remain aloof from the game of worldly respect. Says Tuka, why should anyone waste words when it only increases pointless suffering?.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I have no care for my own body. So how can I tend to what others want? If you crave honor, ask it of God; you are all tangled in the net of your own past deeds. We have handed this body over to the keeping of destiny, and we stay apart from the game of respect and disrespect. Tuka says: why should anyone waste words, when it only adds to pointless suffering?
What it means
Tukaram declares his freedom from the whole economy of esteem. He has stopped caring even for his own body, so he has no stake in satisfying other people's wants. To those who hunger for honor he says: take that request to God, and recognize that you are bound up in the consequences of your own past actions. He has placed his body in destiny's hands and stepped outside the game of being respected or slighted. He closes by refusing to argue the point, since words spent defending one's standing only multiply needless suffering.
Renunciation
The case for letting go of worldly attachments and turning wholly to God.
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