Moral teaching, never break a vow
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
करवितां व्रत अर्धे पुण्य लाभे । मोडवितां दोघे नरका जाती ॥१॥
शुद्धबुद्धि होय दोघां एक मान । चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे ॥ध्रु.॥
आपुलें देऊनी आपुला चि घात । न करावा थीत जाणोनियां ॥२॥
देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी । नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे तप तीर्थ व्रत याग । भक्ति हे मारग मोडूं नये ॥४॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
By encouraging another's vow, you earn half the merit; by causing someone to break it, both go to hell. When the intention is pure, both share equal honor, but who would protect a thief? Do not knowingly bring about your own ruin by giving away your merit. Send someone to Kashi at your expense, but do not lend strength to a thief. Says Tuka, the paths of austerity, pilgrimage, vows, sacrifice, and devotion must never be obstructed.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Help another keep a vow and you gain half its merit. Cause someone to break it and both of you go to hell. When the intention is pure, both share one honor; but who would keep a thief alive? Do not knowingly ruin yourself by giving your own merit away. Spend your money to send a man to Varanasi; do not lend your strength to a thief. Tuka says: the paths of austerity, pilgrimage, vows, sacrifice, and devotion must never be broken.
What it means
Tukaram lays down a plain rule about other people's spiritual practice: support it and you share its fruit, obstruct it and you share the punishment. To help someone hold a vow earns half its merit; to make them break it sends both to hell, because the helper of wrongdoing is no better than a thief. He sharpens it with a contrast: gladly spend your wealth to send someone on pilgrimage to Kashi, but never lend your strength to one who would rob another of merit. The closing line widens the rule to every sacred path, austerity, pilgrimage, vows, sacrifice, devotion, none of which a person should ever stand in the way of.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
More in this theme →