Social criticism, the empty word-scholar
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
वांझेनें दाविलें गहवार लक्षणें । चिरगुटें घालून वाथयाला ॥1॥
तेवीं शब्दज्ञानी करिती चावटी । ज्ञान पोटासाटीं विकूनियां ॥ध्रु.॥
बोलाचि च कढी बोलाचा चि भात । जेवुनियां तृप्त कोण जाला ॥2॥
कागदीं लिहितां नामाची साकर । चाटितां मधुर गोडी नेदी ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे जळो जळो ते महंती । नाहीं लाज चित्तीं आठवण ॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A barren woman puts on the show of a cradle ceremony, dressing up rags and rocking them. Just so, those who trade in mere word-knowledge make a show of spirituality and sell their learning for the sake of their belly. A broth made only of words, a meal made only of speech: who has ever been satisfied by eating such a thing? Writing the name of sugar on paper does not give sweetness when you lick it. Says Tuka, cursed be such false holiness. They have no shame and no remembrance of God.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A barren woman puts on the show of a cradle ceremony, dressing up rags and rocking them. Just so, those who deal in word-knowledge babble away, selling their learning to fill their bellies. Broth made of words alone, rice made of speech alone: who was ever filled by eating that? Sugar written as a word on paper gives no sweetness when you lick the paper. Tuka says: burn, burn such false greatness; they feel no shame, and they keep no remembrance of God.
What it means
Tukaram ridicules learning that is all talk and no living realization. The barren woman rocking bundled rags shows the emptiness exactly: every motion of motherhood, none of its substance. Scholars who trade words sell spirituality for a living, but a meal made only of speech feeds no one, and the word sugar on paper has no taste. His curse is aimed at the pattern, the showy holiness with nothing behind it, not at any single person. The sting for the reader is the last line: real fault is not lack of words but lack of shame and lack of remembrance of God.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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