Discernment, the mark of Hari shows the true
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
उजिळतां उजळे दीपकाची वाती । स्वयंभ ते ज्योति हिया अंगीं ॥1॥
एकीं महाकष्टें मेळविलें धन । एकासी जतन दैवयोगें ॥ध्रु.॥
परिमळें केलें चंदनाचे चिन्ह । निवडी ते भिन्न गाढव तो ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे जया अंगीं हरिठसा । तो तरे सहसा वंद्य होय ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Trimming a lamp's wick makes it burn brighter, for the flame is inherently in the wick. One man acquires wealth with great labor, while another has it preserved by destiny. Sandalwood is identified by its fragrance; the fool who cannot discern it is like a donkey. Says Tuka, one in whom the mark of Hari is stamped crosses over easily and becomes honored.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Trim the wick and the lamp burns brighter; the flame was already there, alive in the wick itself. One man gathers wealth with great toil; another keeps it by his good fortune. Sandalwood is known by its fragrance; only a donkey cannot tell it apart. Tuka says: the one who carries the mark of Hari on him crosses over easily and is honored everywhere.
What it means
Tukaram is teaching how the genuine reveals itself and why some recognize it and some do not. The lamp's flame is not added from outside; trimming the wick only lets what is already there shine, just as discipline uncovers the light already in a person. Sandalwood announces itself by its scent; anyone who cannot tell it from ordinary wood is a fool. The whole point rests on the last line: a person stamped with the mark of Hari, the living presence of God, crosses the ocean of birth easily and is honored on his own. The fragrance is real devotion, and it cannot be faked.
Worldly Metaphors
Poems using images from games, occupations, and daily life as spiritual teaching.
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