Moral ideal, knowledge without compassion
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
ब्रम्हनिष्ठ काडी । जरी जीवानांवें मोडी ॥१॥
तया घडली गुरुहत्या । गेला उपदेश तो मिथ्या ॥ध्रु.॥
सांगितलें कानीं । रूप आपुलें वाखाणी ॥२॥
भूतांच्या मत्सरें । ब्रम्हज्ञान नेलें चोरें ॥३॥
शिकल्या सांगे गोष्टी । भेद क्रोध वाहे पोटीं ॥४॥
निंदा स्तुति स्तवनीं । तुका म्हणे वेंची वाणी ॥५॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
If one established in Brahman breaks even a twig of a living being's life, he has committed the sin of killing his own guru, and all the teachings he received are rendered false. He was told in initiation to behold his own true Self, yet he spends his time praising his own image. Through envy toward other beings, his knowledge of Brahman has been stolen by a thief. He tells others the lessons he has memorized while harboring division and anger in his belly. Says Tuka, he wastes his speech in both slander and flattery.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
If one settled in Brahman snaps even a twig of a living thing's life, he has done the sin of killing his own guru, and the teaching he received is made false. He was told at initiation to behold his own Self; instead he spends his time praising his own image. Through envy of other creatures, his knowledge of Brahman is stolen away by a thief. He recites the lessons he memorized while carrying division and anger in his belly. Tuka says: he wastes his speech on slander and on flattery alike.
What it means
Tukaram measures so-called spiritual knowledge against the way it treats living beings. To call oneself established in Brahman and yet harm even a twig of life betrays the teaching so deeply that he equates it with killing the guru and voiding the whole instruction. The man was told to see the one Self in all; instead he worships his own image, and his envy of other creatures lets the real knowledge be quietly robbed from him. He repeats memorized doctrine while harboring division and anger, and spends his tongue on slander and flattery by turns. The poem points at the gap between recited Vedanta and an unchanged, divided heart, asking you to test knowledge by its conduct.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
More in this theme →