Autobiography, beset but pressing on
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
लावूनि कोलित । माझा करितील घात ॥1॥
ऐसे बहुतांचे संधी । सांपडला खोळेमधीं ॥ध्रु.॥
पाहातील उणें । तेथें देती अनुमोदनें ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे रिघे । पुढें नाहीं जालें धींगे ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
They light a fuse to bring about my destruction. Many such conspirators have caught me in their net. They watch for any flaw and give their gleeful approval. Says Tuka, I press forward; there shall be no bullying ahead.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
They light a fuse to bring about my ruin. Many such schemers have caught me in their trap. They watch for any fault in me, and there they nod their approval. Tuka says: I press on ahead. There has been no bullying that broke me.
What it means
Tukaram speaks plainly of being hunted by enemies who want him destroyed and who lie in wait for any slip. He sees their malice clearly: they gather at his faults and cheer one another on. Yet the poem does not collapse into fear; it ends in steady defiance. He keeps moving forward, and the intimidation has not made him give way. The note to take is not contempt for the schemers but the resolve that refuses to be ruled by their hostility.
Autobiography
Tukaram's own account of his life, struggles, awakening, and mission.
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