Self-effort exhausted, surrender
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
जों जों घ्यावा सोस । माझे वारीं गर्भवास । लटिक्याचा दोष । अधिक जडे अंगेसीं ॥1॥
आतां आहे तैसें असो । अनुताप अंगीं वसो । येवढें चि नसो । माझें आणि परावें ॥ध्रु.॥
जागाजालेपणें। काय नासावें स्वप्न । शब्दाचिया शिणें । कष्ट मिथ्या मानावे ॥2॥
छाये माकड विटे । धांवे कुपीं काय भेटे । तुका ह्मणे फुटे । डोई गुडघे कोंपर ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The more one tries to take up this struggle, the more the faults of falsehood cling to the body and entangle one in the cycle of birth. Let things be as they are now. Let repentance dwell within. Let there be no distinction of mine and another's. Once one is awake, why destroy what was merely a dream? The toil of words should be recognized as futile suffering. Says Tuka, a monkey is vexed by its own shadow, and when it dives into a well to catch it, only its head, knees, and elbows are broken.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The harder I push at this struggle, the more the cycle of birth holds me. The faults of falsehood cling to my body and bind me tighter. Let things stay as they are now. Let only repentance live in me. Let there be no more of this: mine and another's. Once you are awake, why kill what was only a dream? The toil of words is futile suffering; know it as false. Tuka says: a monkey is vexed by its own shadow. It dives into a well to catch it, and only breaks its head, its knees, its elbows.
What it means
Tukaram is confessing that effort itself can deepen the trap. The more he strives at the spiritual struggle by his own force, the more the lie of separateness clings to him and the more the round of birth tightens. So he asks to stop straining and to let only repentance and the end of mine-and-yours remain. The dream image carries the point: once you wake, you do not labor to destroy what was never real, so the toil of clever words is wasted suffering. The closing picture lands it: chasing the self you imagine is like a monkey diving into a well after its own reflection and breaking its bones on nothing.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
More in this theme →