Social criticism, religion for gain
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
वृत्ति भूमि राज्य द्रव्य उपार्जिती । जाणा त्या निश्चितीं देव नाहीं ॥१॥
भाडेकरी वाहे पाठीवरी भार । अंतरींचें सार लाभ नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥
देवपूजेवरी ठेवूनियां मन । पाषाणा पाषाण पूजी लोभें ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे फळ चिंतिती आदरें । लाघव हे चार शिंदळीचे ॥३॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
Those who earn livelihood, land, kingdom, and wealth through religion, know for certain that God is not with them. A hired tenant carries the load on his back, but the inner essence yields him no gain. Setting their minds on worship of God, out of greed they worship stone with stone. Says Tuka, they fixate on material fruit with eagerness; these are the four deft arts of a temptress.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
Those who use religion to earn a living, land, power, and wealth, know for certain that God is not with them. They are like a hired porter carrying a load on his back: the weight is borne, but none of the inner treasure becomes his. They fix their minds on worship, but out of greed it is only stone worshipping stone. Tuka says: they hunger eagerly for material rewards. These are the four practiced tricks of a temptress.
What it means
A sharp attack on religion practiced for gain. The person who turns worship into a way to get money, land, or power, Tukaram says, has lost the very thing religion is for; God is simply not present in it. He is a paid porter who carries the sacred load but keeps none of its wealth. Worse, when the heart is greedy, the worshipper is just stone bowing to stone, lifeless before the lifeless. Chasing material fruit through devotion, he says, is no better than a temptress's calculated charm: an act put on to extract something, with nothing real behind it.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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