Worldly life, vows for greed
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
गोहो यावा गांवा । ऐसे नवस करी आवा ॥1॥
कैचें पुण्य तया गांठी । व्रतें वेची लोभासाटीं ॥ध्रु.॥
वाढावें संतान। गृहीं व्हावें धनधान्य ॥2॥
मागे गारगोटी । परिसाचीये साटोवाटी ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे मोल । देउन घेतला सोमवल ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The mother makes vows that her son should return home safely to the village. But what merit can she gather when she spends her vows only for worldly greed? She prays for more offspring, for wealth and grain in the house. She barters away a touchstone in exchange for mere pebbles. Says Tuka, she pays a price and receives only worthless goods in return.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Let my husband come home to the village: so the wife makes her vows. What merit can she gather, when she spends her vows for greed? More children, she asks, and wealth and grain in the house. She begs for a pebble in exchange for the touchstone. Tuka says: she pays the price and takes home worthless goods.
What it means
Tukaram looks at how people spend their devotion on the wrong things. The wife makes vows, but for worldly aims: the husband home safe, more children, wealth and grain in the house. He says no real merit can come of vows poured out for greed. His sharp image carries the whole point: the touchstone turns iron to gold, yet she trades it away for a common pebble, mistaking the lesser thing for the prize. The same bargain is offered to anyone who turns the practice of devotion toward worldly gain and walks away thinking they got something.
Worldly Life
The perplexities of action, karma, and navigating life in the world.
More in this theme →