Exhortation, a corpse in ornaments
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
हरीविण जिणें व्यर्थ चि संसारीं । प्रेत अळंकारीं मिरवत ॥1॥
देवाविण शब्द व्यर्थ चि कारण । भांड रंजवण सभेसि गा ॥ध्रु.॥
आचार करणें देवाविण जो गा । सर्पाचिया अंगा मृदुपण ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे काय बहु बोलों फार । भक्तीविण नर अभाग्य कीं ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Life without Hari is worthless in this world, like a corpse adorned with ornaments being paraded about. Words spoken without reference to God are futile, like a jester entertaining a crowd. Performing rituals without devotion to God is like the smoothness of a serpent's skin. Says Tuka, what more need I say? Without devotion, a human being is truly unfortunate.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Life without Hari is worthless in this world, a corpse paraded about in ornaments. A word that does not point to God is wasted breath, a jester amusing the crowd. Doing your rituals without God is like the smoothness of a snake's skin. Tuka says: what more should I say? Without devotion a person is wretched.
What it means
Tukaram strips the shine off a religious life that has no real love of God in it. A lifetime without Hari, however decorated, is a dead body dressed up and carried in procession; words that never point to God are empty noise, like a clown working a crowd for a laugh. Even careful ritual, done without devotion, he likens to the smooth skin of a snake, sleek on the surface and poison underneath. The warning is turned at the pattern, not at any one person: pile up observance all you like, but without bhakti the human being is left genuinely poor, and Tukaram says there is nothing more to add.
Appeals and Exhortations
Direct calls to action: wake up, seek God, do not waste this human birth.
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