Warning, the petted snake
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
उद्धत त्या जाती । द्रवें रंगल्या उद्धती ॥1॥
ह्मणऊनि बहु फार । त्यांसी असावें अंतर ॥ध्रु.॥
कैंचें पाठी पोट । गोडविषासी सेवट ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे सापा । न कळे कुरवािळलें बापा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The arrogant grow worse with intoxication. Therefore one should keep a great distance from them. There is no loyalty in them; sweet poison always ends badly. Says Tuka, one does not know whether a snake has been petted or provoked.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The arrogant only grow worse when their pride is fed. So you should keep a wide distance from them. There is no loyalty in them; sweet poison always ends badly. Tuka says: with a snake, you never know whether it has been stroked or struck.
What it means
Tukaram warns about the danger of the arrogant and the trap of indulging them. Praise or kindness does not soften such people; it swells their pride, so the wise keep their distance. They give back no faithfulness, and whatever sweetness they offer is poison that ends in harm. The closing image is exact: a snake cannot tell tenderness from a blow and will bite either way, so no amount of care makes it safe. The point is aimed at the pattern of arrogance and the false hope that one can tame it, calling for prudence rather than scorn.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
More in this theme →