The vow that costs your life
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
सतीचें तें घेतां वाण । बहु कठीण परिणामीं ॥1॥
जिवासाटीं गौरव वाढे । आहाच जोडे तें नव्हे ॥ध्रु.॥
जरि होय उघडी दृिष्ट । तरि गोष्टी युद्धाच्या ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे अंगा येतां । तरी सत्ता धैर्याची ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
To take up the vow of a sati is exceedingly hard in the end. True glory grows only through the sacrifice of one's life; it is not cheaply won. If one's gaze is open and clear, then the real battles begin. Says Tuka, when the moment arrives, the power of courage shows itself.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
To take up the sati's vow is very hard in the end. Glory grows only by laying down your life; it is not won cheaply. If the eyes are open and clear, then the real battles begin. Tuka says: when the moment comes to the body, then the power of courage shows itself.
What it means
Tukaram measures the cost of the spiritual path against the most extreme vow he can name, the sati who gives her whole life. Real glory, he says, is not won cheaply; it grows only where life itself is offered. To see clearly is not the end of the struggle but its beginning, because clear sight opens onto the real battles. The closing line is sober rather than boastful: courage is not proven in talk but only when the moment actually reaches the body, when the demand becomes real and a person either has the power to stand or does not.
Faith and Trust
The boldness of faith, steadfastness, and the security of trusting in God.
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