Moral ideal, the fault-finder's spoiled mind
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
हागिल्याचे सिंके वोणवा चि राहे । अपशकुन पाहे वेडगळ ॥1॥
अत्यंत समय नेणतां अवकळा । येऊं नये बळा सिक धरा ॥ध्रु.॥
भोजनसमयीं ओकाचा आठव । ठकोनियां जीव कष्टी करी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे किती सांगों उगवून । अभाग्याचे गुण अनावर ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
One who recoils at the smell of dung sees ill omens everywhere; the foolish look for bad signs in everything. Those who do not know the proper time and occasion are overcome by disgrace; hold your composure and learn restraint. Thinking of vomiting at mealtime spoils the jiva and makes one miserable. Says Tuka, how much more can I explain? The ways of the unfortunate are beyond control.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
One who gags at the smell of dung sees omens everywhere; the fool hunts for bad signs. Not knowing the right time and place brings disgrace. Do not let it master you; learn restraint. Remembering vomit at mealtime fools the soul and makes it suffer. Tuka says: how much can I unravel and explain? The faults of the unlucky are past control.
What it means
Tukaram is describing a mind ruined by its own squeamishness and superstition. The person who recoils at every foul smell starts seeing ill omens everywhere; the foolish go looking for bad signs in all things. His point is about timing and self-restraint: not knowing the fit time and place leads to disgrace, so do not let the impulse run away with you. The image of dwelling on vomit at the dinner table shows how this works, the obsessing itself spoils what is good and torments the person. The closing line is weary rather than scornful: such self-defeating habits, once entrenched, are hard to undo.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
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