Exhortation, teach for the other's good
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
शिकवूनि हित । सोयी लावावे हे नीत ॥1॥
त्याग करूं नये खरें । ऐसें विचारावें बरें ॥ध्रु.॥
तुमचिया तोंडें । धर्माधर्म चि खंडे ॥2॥
मजसाटीं देवा । कां हो लपविला हेवा ॥3॥
जाला सावधान । त्यासी घालावें भोजन ॥4॥
तुका ह्मणे पिता । वरी बाळाच्या तो हिता ॥5॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
One should teach what is beneficial and set others on the right path. One should not abandon what is truly good; this should be carefully considered. It is through your own words that right and wrong are determined. Why, O God, have You hidden this treasure away from me? Once one has become alert, one should be given nourishment. Says Tuka, a father always looks after the welfare of his child.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Teach what helps. Set people on the right path; that is the rule. Do not throw away what is truly good; think this over carefully. By your own mouth, right and wrong are decided. For my sake, O God, why have you hidden away this treasure? When someone has grown alert, feed them. Tuka says: a father always looks after his child's good.
What it means
Tukaram lays down a rule for anyone who guides others: teach only what is beneficial and steer people toward the right way, never abandoning what is genuinely good. He reminds the teacher of the weight of speech, because by their own mouth right and wrong get settled for those who listen. Then he turns to God with a near complaint, asking why the treasure of grace has been kept hidden from him. The instruction closes with a measured care: when a person has truly woken up, that is the moment to nourish them, not before. The whole is held by the final image, the father who watches over his child's welfare without ceasing, which is how God, and a true guide, must act.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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