Metaphor, grand kin and an empty bowl
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
समुद्र हा पिता बंधु हा चंद्रमा । भगिनी ते रमा शंखाची या ॥1॥
मेहुणा जयाचा द्वारकेचा हरि । शंख दारोदारीं भीक मागे ॥2॥
दुष्ट हें जाणावें आपुलें स्वहित । तुका ह्मणे मात ऐसी आहे ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
The ocean is the conch's father, the moon is its brother, Lakshmi born of the ocean is its sister. Its brother-in-law is Hari of Dwaraka. Yet the conch goes begging from door to door. Says Tuka, know this about wicked fate. Despite great connections, one may still beg. Such is the way of the world.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
The ocean is the conch's father. The moon is its brother. Lakshmi, born of the ocean, is its sister. Its brother-in-law is Hari of Dwaraka. Yet the conch goes from door to door, begging. Tuka says: know what is truly good for you. Such is the way of things.
What it means
Tukaram uses the conch to mock the false security of connections. By birth the conch has the grandest family imaginable: the ocean for a father, the moon for a brother, Lakshmi for a sister, and Krishna of Dwaraka, who blows the conch, for a brother-in-law. And still it ends up begging at every door, because lineage and high relations do not feed you. The lesson is turned back on the listener: stop leaning on impressive associations and attend to your own real good, since this is simply how the world goes.
Worldly Metaphors
Poems using images from games, occupations, and daily life as spiritual teaching.
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