Social criticism, the costume of renunciation
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
टिळा टोपी उंच दावी । जगीं मी एक गोसावी ॥1॥
अवघा वरपंग सारा । पोटीं विषयांचा थारा ॥ध्रु.॥
मुद्रा लावितां कोरोनि । मान व्हावयासी जनीं ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे ऐसे किती । नरका गेले पुढें जाती ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
With tall marks on the forehead and an imposing cap he proclaims, 'In all the world, I alone am a true renunciant.' It is all surface decoration, while desire for sense-pleasures has made its home within. He brands himself with ritual seals only to gain respect among people. Says Tuka, countless such people have gone to hell, and more shall follow.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
He shows a tall forehead mark and a high cap: in all the world, he says, I alone am a true renunciant. It is all surface decoration. Inside, desire for the senses has made its home. He brands himself with ritual marks only to win respect from people. Tuka says: countless such people have gone to hell, and more are going.
What it means
Tukaram strips the badges of renunciation down to what they are doing: buying status. The big forehead mark, the imposing cap, the branded seals all advertise a holiness that the inner man does not have, since sense-craving is still settled in the heart. The marks exist for the audience, to be honored by people, not to please God. The closing line is deliberately heavy: this road of religious display leads not upward but to hell, and the crowd taking it is endless. The poem asks whether our own observances are aimed at being seen or at being changed.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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