Moral ideal, guard the truth
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
जग ऐसें बहुनांवें । बहुनावें भावना ॥1॥
पाहों बोलों बहु नये । सत्य काय सांभाळा ॥ध्रु.॥
कारियासी जें कारण। तें जतन करावें ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे संतजनीं । हें चि मनीं धरावें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The world goes by many names, and feelings take many forms. One should not look or speak too much; guard what is true. Whatever serves the purpose is what should be preserved. Says Tuka, let the saintly hold this in their minds.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The world goes by many names; feelings take many forms. Do not look too much, do not speak too much; guard what is true. Whatever serves the real purpose is what you should keep. Tuka says: let the saintly hold just this in mind.
What it means
Tukaram counsels a disciplined economy of attention and speech. The world wears endless names and the mind dresses things up in endless moods, so looking and talking too much only multiplies confusion. The discipline is to keep watch over what is actually true and to preserve only what serves the real purpose, letting the rest fall away. He hands this as a single instruction for the saintly to hold in mind, a way of staying anchored amid the world's many appearances.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
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