Social criticism, the greedy preacher
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
आशाबद्ध वक्ता । धाक श्रोतयाच्या चित्ता ॥1॥
वांयां गेलें तें भजन । उभयतां लोभी मन ॥ध्रु.॥
बहिर्मुख एके ठायीं । तैसें जालें तया दोहीं ॥2॥
माप तैसी गोणी । तुका ह्मणे रितीं दोन्ही ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
A speaker bound by worldly expectations instills only fear in the hearts of listeners. Such devotion goes to waste, for the minds of both are driven by greed. Both are turned outward, facing the same direction. Says Tuka, the measure and the sack are alike: both empty.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
A speaker bound by his own wants puts only fear in the listeners' hearts. That devotion is wasted, for both minds are ruled by greed. Both face outward, the same direction. Tuka says: the measure and the sack are alike; both are empty.
What it means
Tukaram looks at a religious gathering and finds it hollow on both sides. The speaker preaches to get something, not to give, so what reaches the listeners is fear, not love, and the worship is wasted. The trouble is that speaker and hearer are bent the same way, both turned outward toward gain rather than inward toward God. He ends with a homely image from the grain market: the measuring cup and the sack into which it pours are no different here, because both are empty. The warning is to examine which way one's own devotion faces, and whether anything real is being passed at all.
Social Criticism
Rebuke of hypocrisy, caste pride, false teachers, greed, and religious pretence.
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