Social criticism, the false ascetic
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
ऐसे कैसे जाले भोंदू । कर्म करोनि ह्मणति साधु॥1॥
अंगा लावूनियां राख । डोळे झांकुनी करिती पाप ॥ध्रु.॥
दावुनि वैराग्याची कळा । भोगी विषयाचा सोहळा ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे सांगों किती । जळो तयांची संगती ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
How have such imposters come to be, performing rituals and calling themselves saints? They smear ash on their bodies and close their eyes, yet commit sin. They display the art of renunciation while enjoying the pleasures of the senses. Says Tuka, how much more can I say? Cursed be their company.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
How did such frauds come to be, doing the rites and calling themselves saints? They smear ash on their bodies and shut their eyes, yet they go on sinning. They put on the show of renunciation while they feast on the pleasures of the senses. Tuka says: how much can I say? Let their company burn.
What it means
Tukaram is exposing the gap between the costume of holiness and the conduct underneath it. The ash, the closed eyes, the performed detachment are all on display, while the senses are still being indulged in private. He is not mocking renunciation itself; he is naming the pattern of using its signs as cover for the same old appetites. The warning lands on the listener too: examine whether your own practice is real or a presentation. He refuses such company outright, because nearness to a fraud quietly teaches the fraud.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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