Warning, do not put off
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
बहु टाळाटाळी । होतां भोवताहे कळी ॥1॥
बरें नव्हेल सेवटीं । भय असों द्यावें पोटीं ॥ध्रु.॥
मुरगाळी कान । घुसमाडील सावधान ॥2॥
अबोलणा तुका । ऐसें कोणी लेखूं नका ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
When there is too much evasion and delay, a quarrel brews all around. It will not end well; let fear remain in your chitta. He will twist your ears and throttle you, so be alert. Says Tuka, do not dismiss my silence as mere wordlessness.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
When there is much putting off and delay, a quarrel brews all around. It will not end well; keep fear inside you. He will twist your ear and throttle you, so stay alert. Tuka says: do not take my silence to mean I have nothing to say.
What it means
Tukaram is warning against endless evasion and delay. Where a person keeps stalling and dodging, trouble gathers and a reckoning builds that will not turn out well, so a healthy fear should be kept alive inside. The harsh image of an ear twisted and a throat throttled names the grip that consequences finally take on the one who keeps putting things off. His last line is pointed at himself: his quietness is not emptiness or consent, and no one should mistake his silence for having nothing to say.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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