Moral ideal, the diamond and the sandalwood
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
न पालटे जाती जीवाचिये साटीं । बाहे तें चि पोटीं दावी वरी ॥1॥
अंतरीं सबाहीं सारिखा चि रंग । वीट आणि भंग नाहीं रसा ॥ध्रु.॥
घणाचिया घायें पोटीं शिरे हिरा । सांडूं नेणे धीरा आपुलिया ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे कढे करावी शीतळ । ऐसें जातिबळ चंदनाचें ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
True nature does not change to save its life; what is within is the same as what appears without. Inside and out, the hue remains the same; there is no weariness or ruin in its essence. The diamond, struck by the hammer's blow, enters deeper into the earth, yet never abandons its own steadfastness. Says Tuka, sandalwood cools even the axe that cuts it; such is the power of one's inborn nature.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
True nature does not change to save its life; what is inside is the same as what shows outside. Within and without, the color is one; there is no weariness, no breaking in its essence. The diamond, struck by the hammer, drives deeper into the ground, but never lets go of its own firmness. Tuka says: sandalwood cools even the axe that cuts it; such is the strength of one's inborn nature.
What it means
Tukaram defines integrity through what does not change under pressure. A true nature will not bend itself even to save its own life, so its inside and its outside match exactly, one unbroken color with no fatigue or fracture at the core. The diamond shows the same thing under the hammer: it sinks deeper rather than shatter, never surrendering its hardness. The sandalwood completes the picture by adding sweetness to strength: it gives its cooling fragrance even to the axe that cuts it down. Such, he says, is the power of an inborn nature that stays itself no matter how it is struck.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
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