Social criticism, the false saint
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
म्हणविती ऐसे आइकतों संत । न देखीजे होत डोळां कोणीं ॥१॥
ऐसियांचा कोण मानितें विश्वास । निवडे तो रस घाईडाई ॥ध्रु.॥
पर्जन्याचे काळीं वाहाळाचे नद । ओसरतां बुंद न थारे चि ॥२॥
हिर्याय ऐशा गारा दिसती दूरोन । तुका म्हणे घन न भेटे तों ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
I hear people call themselves saints, yet none can be seen with one's own eyes. Who would place trust in such people? True substance reveals itself only under scrutiny. In the rainy season every ditch becomes a river, but when the rains stop, not a drop remains. Hailstones look like diamonds from afar. Says Tuka, the deception lasts only until you hold them close.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
I hear people call themselves saints. But I see none with my own eyes. Who would trust such people? The real substance shows itself only when you test it. In the rainy season every ditch swells into a river; when the rain stops, not a drop is left. Hailstones look like diamonds from far away. Tuka says: the trick lasts only until you hold them close.
What it means
Tukaram is warning against trusting a holy reputation that has not been tested. Anyone can claim the title of saint; the claim proves nothing, because the real worth of a person only shows under scrutiny. He gives two pictures: the monsoon ditch that roars like a river while the rains last and runs dry the moment they stop, and the hailstone that glitters like a diamond from a distance and melts in your hand. The point lands on the reader as much as on the boaster: do not be dazzled from afar, and do not be the swollen ditch yourself. Look closely, and what is hollow falls apart.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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