Moral ideal, justice must not be corrupted
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
दंड अन्यायाच्या माथां । देखोनि करावा सर्वथा॥1॥
नये उगे बहुतां घाटूं । सिसें सोनियांत आटूं ॥ध्रु.॥
पापुण्यासाठीं । नीत केली सत्ता खोटी ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे देवा । दोष कोणाचा तो दावा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Punishment should be dealt upon the head of the unjust, seeing their wrong deeds, without fail. One must not allow many wrongs to pass unchecked, nor let lead be mixed into gold. For the sake of distinguishing sin from merit, justice was established; when authority is corrupted, it is an outrage. Says Tuka, O God, whose fault is this? Let that be demonstrated.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Punishment must fall on the head of the one who does wrong. See the wrong, and deal it without fail. Do not let many wrongs pass unchecked. Do not melt lead into the gold. Justice was set up to tell sin from merit. When power is twisted, that is an outrage. Tuka says: God, whose fault is this? Let it be shown.
What it means
Tukaram defends real justice: wrongdoing must be answered, the guilty named, and offenses not waved through. His image is exact, do not let lead be melted into the gold, meaning do not let corruption be passed off as sound. He says the whole point of authority was to separate sin from merit, so when that authority is bent, it becomes a scandal against its own purpose. He ends by laying the question before God, asking whose fault the corruption is, which presses each holder of power to examine his own hands.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
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