Moral counsel, true giving and a pure heart
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आर्तभूतां द्यावें दान । खरें पुण्य त्या नांवें ॥1॥
होणार तें सुखें घडो । लाभ जोडो महाबुिद्ध ॥ध्रु.॥
सत्य संकल्प च साटीं । उजळा पोटीं रविबिंब ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे मनीं वाव । शुद्ध भाव राखावा ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Give to those who are in distress; that alone is true merit. Let whatever is destined come to pass gladly; may the gain of great wisdom be won. A true resolve shines within like the orb of the sun. Says Tuka, keep the mind free of emptiness, and guard pure devotion within.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Give to those in distress; that, by its right name, is true merit. Let whatever is to come happen gladly; may great wisdom be the gain. A true resolve shines within like the disc of the sun. Tuka says: keep emptiness out of the mind, and guard a pure heart inside.
What it means
Tukaram states plainly what real merit is: giving to people who are suffering, not piling up showy acts of piety. He counsels acceptance of whatever fate brings, treating the true profit as wisdom rather than gain. The center of the poem is the inner condition: a sincere resolve that glows in the heart like the sun's bright disc. The instruction at the end is to keep the mind free of hollowness and to guard purity of intention within. The whole piece points the listener toward the heart behind the deed, not the deed's appearance.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
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