Social criticism, the misplaced devotion
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
दगडाच्या देवा बगाड नवस । बाईल कथेस जाऊं नेदी ॥1॥
वेची धनरासी बांधलें स्मशान । दारीं वृंदावन द्वाड मानी॥ध्रु.॥
चोरें नागविला न करी त्याची खंती । परी द्विजा हातीं नेदी रुका ॥2॥
करी पाहुणेर विव्हाया जावयासी । आल्या अतीतासी पाठमोरा ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे जळो धिग त्याचें जिणें । भार वाही सीण वर्म नेणे ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
For a god of stone, one offers a yoke of oxen in vow, yet prevents a wife from attending sacred discourse. One spends a fortune on building a cemetery, yet considers a tulasi shrine at the door to be bad luck. When robbed by a thief, one feels no remorse, but will not give a single coin to a Brahmin. One feasts the son-in-law with great hospitality but turns away from the wandering pilgrim who arrives at the door. Says Tuka, let such a life be cursed and condemned. He carries the burden and bears the pain, yet knows nothing of the truth.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
For a god of stone he offers a vow of oxen, yet he will not let his wife go to hear the sacred story. He spends a fortune building a tomb, but treats a tulasi shrine at his door as bad luck. When a thief robs him he feels no grief, yet he will not give a single coin into a Brahmin's hand. He lays out a feast for his son-in-law, but turns his back on the wandering pilgrim who comes to his door. Tuka says: let such a life be cursed. He carries the load and bears the strain, yet knows nothing of the heart of it.
What it means
Tukaram lines up a man's choices to show devotion pointed in every wrong direction. He pours wealth and vows into stone idols and tombs while blocking his wife from the living teaching and shunning the tulasi at his own door. He shrugs off being robbed but grudges a coin to a holy man, and feasts his son-in-law while turning away the pilgrim God sends to him. The pattern is the target: a religion of show and self-interest that spends on the dead and the flattering and starves the living truth. Tukaram calls such a life wasted because the man bears all the effort of piety and never touches its point.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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