Satire, the worldly heart and the stung conscience
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भाग्यालागी लांचावले । देवधर्म ते राहिले ॥1॥
कथे जातां अळसे मन । प्रपंचाचें मोटें ज्ञान ॥ध्रु.॥
अखंडप्रीति जाया । नेणे भजनाच्या ठाया ॥2॥
कथाकीर्त्तन धनाचें । सर्वकाळ विषयीं नाचे ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे पंढरिराया । ऐसे जन्मविले वांयां॥4॥
पतिव्रतेची कीर्ती वाखाणितां । सिंदळईच्या माथां तिडिक उठे ॥2॥
आमुचें तें आहे सहज बोलणें । नाहीं विचारून केलें कोणीं ॥ध्रु.॥
अंगें उणें त्याच्या बैसे टाळक्यांत । तेणें ठिणग्या बहुत गाळीतसे ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे आह्मी काय करणें त्यासी । ढका खवंदासी लागतसे ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Lured by fortune, they have abandoned worship and dharma. The mind grows lazy at the thought of a sacred discourse, yet it possesses great expertise in worldly affairs. One's constant love is for wife and children; one knows not the place of devotion. The kirtan they perform is for the sake of wealth; they dance to the tune of sense-objects at all times. Says Tuka, O King of Pandhari, such people were born in vain. When the virtue of a faithful wife is praised, a wrinkle of irritation rises on the forehead of the unchaste. Our speech is simply natural and straightforward; no one has stopped to consider it. The one who is deficient within gets a burning in his skull, and so he throws off sparks. Says Tuka, what can we do about such people? The kicks land back on the one who kicks.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Bribed by fortune, they have left worship and dharma behind. The mind grows lazy at the thought of a sacred discourse, but it has great skill in worldly affairs. Their constant love is for wife and children; they do not know the place of devotion. The kirtan they perform is for the sake of money; they dance always to the tune of the senses. Tuka says: O King of Pandhari, such people were born in vain. When the virtue of a faithful wife is praised, a sharp pang rises in the head of the unchaste woman. Our speech is just plain and straight; no one stops to weigh it. The one who is lacking inside takes it into his own skull, and throws off many sparks. Tuka says: what can we do about such a one? The kick lands back on the one who kicked.
What it means
Tuka describes hearts owned by the world and then explains why honest words enrage them. Such people skip worship and dharma, find sacred discourse tiresome but worldly business effortless, love only family, and even turn kirtan into a way to earn money, dancing all day to the senses. He says they were born in vain, then gives the telling image: praise a faithful wife and the unchaste woman feels the sting on her own forehead. His own speech, he insists, is simply plain and straight, aimed at no one in particular; if it burns someone, it is because that person recognizes the lack in himself and reacts with sparks of anger. The closing proverb turns it inward: the kick returns to the kicker, so the offence a listener takes is a measure of his own conscience, not of any malice in the words.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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