Exhortation, give before the round ends
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
जागे होउनि करा कांहीं दान । नका ऐकोनि झाकों लोचन गा ॥१॥
हरी राम कृष्ण वासुदेवा । जाणवितसें जना ।
चिपळ्या टाळ हातीं मुखीं घोष । नारायणा गा ॥ध्रु.॥
जें टाकेल कोणा कांहीं । फळ पुष्प अथवा तोय ।
द्या परी मीस घेऊं नका भाई । पुढें विन्मुख होतां बरें नाहीं गा ॥२॥
देवाकारणें भाव तस्मात । द्यावें न लगे फारसें वित्त।
जालें एक चित्त तरी बहुत । तेवढ्यासाठीं नका करूं वाताहात गा ॥३॥
आलों येथवरी बहु सायासें । करितां दान हें चि मागावयास ।
नका भार घेऊं करूं निरास । धर्म सारफळ संसारास गा ॥४॥
आतां मागुता येईल फेरा । हें तों घडे या नगरा ।
म्हणे तुकयाबंधु धरा । ओळखी नाहीं तरी जाल अघोरा गा ॥५॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Wake up and give something; do not close your eyes after hearing this. I proclaim Hari, Rama, Krishna, Vasudeva to all people, with cymbals and bells in hand and the chant of Narayana on my lips. Whatever you can spare, a flower, a fruit, or even water, give it; but do not merely pretend, for turning away once you have heard will not serve you well. God asks only for sincere feeling, not great wealth; if the heart becomes one-pointed, that is enough, so do not ruin everything for the sake of withholding. I have come this far with great effort, only to ask for this one gift. Do not take on the burden of refusal; righteousness is the true profit of worldly life. Says Tuka's brother, take hold of this recognition, for another chance to visit this town may or may not come; without it you will fall into a terrible darkness.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Wake up and give something. Do not hear this and shut your eyes. Hari, Rama, Krishna, Vasudeva: I am making it known to people, cymbals and bells in hand, the chant of Narayana on my lips. Whatever anyone can spare, a fruit, a flower, or even water, give it. But do not just pretend, brother; turning away once you have heard will go badly for you later. For God's sake, it is the feeling that matters; you need not give much wealth. If the heart becomes one, that is plenty. Do not ruin everything for the sake of holding back. I have come this far with great effort, only to ask for this one thing. Do not take on the weight of refusal. Dharma is the real fruit of worldly life. Whether the round comes again to this town may or may not happen. Tuka's brother says: take hold of this recognition; without it you fall into a terrible darkness.
What it means
The Vasudeva-singer goes door to door and turns the act of giving alms into a teaching about the heart. The point is not the size of the gift, a fruit, a flower, even water will do, but the sincerity behind it; what God asks for is one-pointed feeling, not wealth. The warning is against the worst response, hearing the call and then pretending you did not, which Tukaram says will go badly for you. He frames giving as 'the real fruit of worldly life,' so generosity becomes the thing the whole of ordinary life is finally for. The closing presses urgency: the singer's round may not pass this way again, and to miss the recognition now is to fall into darkness, so the small chance in front of you is the whole opportunity.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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