https://www.scribd.com/doc/62976585/Marathi-Abhangs-of-Tukaram-Maharaj-Excerpts-from-Tukaram-Gatha-with-English-Translation
I could not lie anymore,
so I started to call my dog "God".
First he looked confused,
then he started smiling, then he even danced.
I kept at it, now he doesn't even bite,
I am wondering if this might work on people.
—
Sant Tukaram, Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
Saintliness is not to be purchased in shops,
nor is it to be had for wandering, nor in cupboards, nor in deserts, nor in forests.
It is not obtainable for a heap of riches. It is not in the heavens above, nor in the entrails of the earth below.
Tuka says: It is a life's bargain, and if you will not give your life to possess it, better be silent.
The essence of the endless Vedas is this: Seek the shelter of God and repeat His name with all thy heart.
The result of the cogitations of all the Shastras is also the same.
Tuka says: The burden of the eighteen Puranas is also identical.
Merit consists in doing good to others, sin in doing harm to others. There is no other pair comparable to this.
Truth is the only freedom; untruth is bondage, there is no secret like this.
God's name on one's lips is itself salvation, disregarding the name is perdition.
Companionship of the good is the only heaven, indifference is hell.
Tuka says: It is thus clear what is good and what is injurious, let people choose what they will.
— Sant Tukaram, Translated by Mahatma Gandhi
When salt is dissolved in water, what is it that remains distinct?
I have thus become one in joy with thee [Vithoba, God] and have lost myself in thee.
When fire and camphor are brought together, is there any black remnant left?
Tuka says, thou and I are one light.
— Tukaram Gatha, 2482
He, who performs the sacrifice in the fire, offers grains to the flames of the fire. Hedoesn't burn the aversions and cravings of his mind that he ought to have burnt. He is becoming tired unnecessarily instead of mediating on Panduranga. He who writes a lot of religious books for the sake of recognition in the society, forgets to meditate on the God. He who goes on the pilgrimage or undertakes penance raises his ego. He who donates money, gives away the wealth but adds to his ego. Tukaram Maharaj is of the opinion that all these persons have missed the essence of worship and are doing something not conducive for the dharma.He who acts renouncing his ego, actually does a sacrifice. He who renounces his actions and keeps his ego is not doing a sacrifice in fact. The position of the dharma is somewhat paradoxical. A wish that distances from the truth is a sin. The flaming of desires is absurd. One could benefit only from actions based on intelligent thinking.A mind shattered to pieces is very difficult to become good and healthy again. Tukaram Maharaj exhorts to keep patience. Those who do not have patience have to run back from the battlefield.There is no need to renounce day-to-day affairs. There is no need to go to woods or to weld a stick in the hand. Tukaram Maharaj says there is no way other than meditating on the truth to realise God.
He, who performs the sacrifice in the fire, offers grains to the flames of the fire.
He doesn't burn the aversions and cravings of his mind that he ought to have burnt.
He is becoming tired unnecessarily instead of mediating on Panduranga.
He who writes a lot of religious books for the sake of recognition in the society, forgets to meditate on the God.
He who goes on the pilgrimage or undertakes penance raises his ego.
He who donates money, gives away the wealth but adds to his ego.
Tukaram Maharaj is of the opinion that all these persons have missed the essence of worship and are doing something not conducive for the dharma
68.
He who acts renouncing his ego, actually does a sacrifice. He who renounces his actions and keeps his ego is not doing a sacrifice in fact. The position of the dharma is somewhat paradoxical. A wish that distances from the truth is a sin. The flaming of desires is absurd. One could benefit only from actions based on intelligent thinking.
70.
A mind shattered to pieces is very difficult to become good and healthy again. Tukaram Maharaj exhorts to keep patience. Those who do not have patience have to run back from the battlefield
A monkey puts its hand in a vessel containing peanuts. After taking peanuts in its hand itcannot take out its hand as the mouth of the vessel is not big enough. The monkey for thesake of handful of peanuts does not go away and is caught. A parrot sits on a string laid by the hunter. The string inverts its position and so is the parrot. Due to high voltage fear the parrot firmly grasps the string and forgets that it has two feathers to fly away. The parrot is caught ultimately. Tukaram Maharaj says that it is not surprising if creatureswithout brains behave like this. It is surprising to see human beings forgoing their greatest interest for a pittance.If someone, who is not from a good family or caste, makes a good point then we shouldlisten to him. One should not abstain from enjoying inner stuff of the coconut on seeingits hard outer wrapping.He who renounces actions without seeing the truth is a lazy person.He, who speaks a lot without having courage to act on his words, is a useless fellow. Alot of talking leads to false concepts.Who would like to be crucified on a cross of sandalwood? Similarly none would like toremain tied in the chain of gold. Similarly whatever knowledge one gains is a burden if that raises one's ego.
God has a thirst for love. He eats with great delight the fruits earlier tasted by Shabri andoffered to Him with love. Similarly he eats with great love food offered by Sudama anddoesn't say that the food is dry or meager.There are many who proclaim themselves as saints. How can we accept unless we seetheir behaviour. There appears a stream of water only for a while after it rains. Later not adrop of water is seen. A particle of snow appears like a diamond as long as it does notmeet a hammer.There is no happiness greater than the peace of mind. Everything else causes sorrow.Therefore make your mind peaceful to see the inner light. One with a mind agitated byanger and lust has to suffer ensuing restlessness. A peaceful mind is free from suchsufferings.The social respect does not have any relevance. The work can be effective if is based onthe truth. It is more difficult to retain what has been acquired. A person who vomits hasto take pains of vomiting and his pains of eating also become futile. A person was chased by thief. He ran with his belongings up to the limit of his village but lost his life due tothe strain. Of what use are his efforts of making to the limit of his village. It is very easyto talk big but it is very difficult to show courage in the battlefield.
He, who is a mine of vice, feels very angry if anyone points at his vice. But what will hedo when the destiny will settle his account.He, who is lazy, interprets teachings of his Guru in a way suitable to him. Now he doesnot have to abide by any code of conduct nor does he follow any ethics. TukaramMaharaj says that such a person is a donkey in fact.A donkey that is made to have bath in a sacred river does not become a horse. He, whodoes not have a pure mind, does not listen to any good advice. Even if a sweet juice is fedto a snake, there won't be any reduction in its poison.He, who is related to God, makes all creatures of this world his relatives.We can say that a person is ours if we could read his mind. He, who has an adamantmind, has to face a rough weather. If our mind does not ratify our action then that actionwon't be effective. To take an extreme position is foolish. The nature has made a rule thatanything gets recognition only at an appropriate time.
'An earthen pot full of nectar' and 'a gold vessel full of wine'. Think a while and decidewhat will you opt for.A mother serves her child but does not show any signs of fatigue or seeking returns for having done so. Tukaram Maharaj says, don't make the show of your greatness to theworld. Otherwise you will have to suffer badly.Tukaram Maharaj prays to the God to grant him a boon of being small. A small ant gets agrain of sugar to eat. A giant elephant is made to bear pricking of the weapon by itscontroller. Tukaram Maharaj says, he who has a great ego undergoes great troubles. Heasks us to understand the benefit of not having an ego.Tukaram Maharaj says, it is better to be low profile. When a river is flooded even themightiest of the trees falls by its force. But the humble grass on its shores remains intact.If we bow before the mighty wave of an ocean it passes over our head without any harm.If we grasp the feet of a very mighty enemy then his might cannot work.He who speaks the truth comes nearer to the God. People do not pay heed to even suchtechniques of realising God that are free of cost. Even a word of truth causes lot of welfare of others. Unless the mind is cleaned it cannot be calmed.
He, who becomes humble before all, becomes an abode of the infinite. This is an act of great courage that gives you a victory over the Almighty. Water gets at the bottom of anything due to its low density. Similarly a person with less ego gets to the bottom of thetruth.A cow that grazes in woods has her mind involved with her calf that stays back. OMother Vitthal, treat me like your calf. I am like a fish without water due to your neglect.A frog in a dirty pond curses an ocean. It knows the least about the ocean and has never seen the ocean. Still it is making lot of noise. A crow blows big and considers itself aswan. A donkey says that it is far better than an elephant. A gold plated bronze coin couldnot be a coin of gold.If it is a wish of the God then what anyone can do. King Harishchandra and his queenTara fetched water in the home of a man of low breed. Lord Krishna was a friend of Pandavas but they had to step down from the throne. Tukaram Maharaj says, show thecourage of going through the worst period of your life without losing your equanimity of mind.
What matters is the courage. The words are empty and easy. He, who is patient, issupported by the God. Tukaram Maharaj says that the God protects his disciples whofollow the path he had shown.He, who throws away a wish-yielding stone on getting a white stone, is a victim of hisown foolishness. The result depends not upon the happening of any event but on your ability to react to that event. Rainfall occurs everywhere in the Swati Nakshatra. A dropthat falls in a shell becomes a gem. A drop that falls on a cotton crop spoils the crop. Adrop that falls into the mouth of a snake becomes poison. What would you say about a person, who is served a wholesome food, vomits by putting his fingers deep inside intohis throat while eating. A child that has a habit of weeping without any reason is made toweep more by his mother who gives him a dosage of bitter medicine.Snakes reside on trees of sandalwood. The essence of sandalwood is enjoyed by thosewho live far away. Snakes do not derive any pleasure from sandalwood. A bloodsucker ant that sits on the nipple of a cow sucks blood of cow instead of her milk. TukaramMaharaj says, people like snakes and such ants are worse than dead rocks.Tukaram Maharaj says, having removed ego from my head, I feel relieved. Now I amalso free from the vice of lust and anger.A snake does not eat food and thus observes a fast. A heron stands in the state of contemplation. They do not have a pure mind. They act with malice. Rats hide out in verydifficult locations. A donkey too applies ash to its body. A crocodile lives in a sacred
river. A crow takes bath in a sacred river. An action performed without underlying purityof mind is useless.He, who has an intoxicated mind, dances in a naked state. He speaks everything rubbish.Who will correct him? He listens to none. He will understand when his actions bear fruits.Before grinding grains of wheat into flour, stones should be thrown out after scrutiny.Otherwise the flour will be spoiled. Similarly grass should be weeded out to get goodharvest of the crop. This policy should be applied while dealing with bad elements in thesociety. He, who forgets this policy, is put to a loss.We kick the stone in our path to keep it clean. He, who is an evil, should be made to losehis reputation without disturbing our peace of mind. We easily remove useless nails fromour fingers. He who puts others in trouble should be kept at a safe distance from us.Someone who has King as his name may be a petty worker barely meeting his both endsmeet. What's in name. Look at the performance.A stomach is of a small size. But it makes to dance like a monkey. He, who becomesdonkey of thirst by raising his ego, is doing everything to book his place in hell.
He, who eats an onion, acquires smell worse than that of an onion. Similarly he, whokeeps in the company of evil, faces more severe consequences.He, who drinks wine for pacifying his mind, immediately loses balance of his mind.Whatever may be the intentions, company of bad persons cannot bring anything good.He, who speaks the truth, becomes sad at the sight of other's sorrow, gets good results of his actions.He, who does welfare of others, is protected by the God. He, who twists his tongue for cursing others, is kicked by the God.He, who does not serve his parents during their lifetime and offers rice to them after their death, is useless.A sibling of horse is more animated than wind. It learns to carry stock of merchandiseafter proper training. Similarly we should learn to tide over cravings and aversions of mind by consistent practice. Unless butter is fully converted into a purified butter duringits conversion, it makes noise. A stone is converted into an idol of God only after bearinghits of chisel.
He, who wants to realise God, should purify his mind. He should not rejoice at others plight and should not feel sad for others prosperity. He should keep his head on the feetof saints. He should speak words that will not disturb balance of his mind. He should dowhatever social welfare he can.One makes great efforts for tallying his financial accounts. One should make similar efforts to wake up one's mind.Everything that earns a bad name should be shunned. The world likes to listen the truthfrom you. Everything that is not considered as good should be shunned; doing this task requires a lot of courage. One earns a bad name in the world if one indulges in badactivities condemned in the world.Let us help each other on the noble path.You do this and that every moment for the sake of stomach. But you do not have anytime for exploring the truth. He, who does not explore the truth, cannot be termed as ahuman being.
The best sacrifice is the sacrifice of ego. He, who sacrifices the ego, neither craves for happy moments nor shows any aversion for the adverse time. Tukaram Maharaj says, oneshould have an equanimous mind.A fox roars as long as a lion is not seen An ocean roars as long as Maharishi Agasti is notseen A talk of renunciation of the material world only before seeing a beauty A talk of courage only before having encountered an outsider The pride of a show of religion aslong as Tukaram Maharaj is not seen.A particle of snow looks beautiful as long as a diamond is not seen The light of a lamplooks great as long as sun does not rise The pride of sainthood as long as TukaramMaharaj is not seenHe, who has grown his hair very long, burns with anger and always thinks about tastymeals, what knowledge he can gain? He, who always remains in the state of passion dueto consuming tobacco and narcotics, is a hopeless fellow and is far away from the truth.He, who does not demand anything from anybody, is liked by the God. He should betreated as God and we should take shelter at his feet. He, who has love for all, has presence of God in his mind.He, who has truly renounced the world, could have a peaceful sleep in the crematorium.He, who is blessed by Panduranga, treats trees, bushes, living creatures and everything
else with equanimous mind. Tukaram Maharaj says, O Panduranga when by your gracewe will attain this status?At times we have to fetch water, at times we sleep on bed. As the thing has to happen, itkeeps on happening. At times we get wholesome meals, at times dry breads. At times weride a vehicle, at times we walk with naked feet. At times very good clothing, at timesworn out clothes. At times prosperity, at times adversity. At times association with good,at times association with evil. Tukaram Maharaj says, let us be equanimous in happinessand misery.There is no discrimination for devotees in the eyes of the Almighty. He is waiting for those who have devotion in their minds. He eats coarse grain offered by Vidura. He protects Prahalada in the house of demons. He helps Rohidas to dye clothes. He helpsKabir to weave cloth. He helps Sajan Butcher selling meat. He helps Sawata Mali in pettyagricultural operations. He helps Narhari in performing chores of a goldsmith. He helpsChokhamela for removing carcasses of animals. He drives the chariot of Arjuna. He eatswith great love dry food offered by Sudama. In the homes of milkmen he does the task of maintaining cows. He acts as a doorkeeper for King Bali. He repays loan of Yekoba. Hetakes birth as a human being for the sake of Rishi Amba. He drinks a glass of poison for Meerabai. He becomes a low breed person to pay off loan of Damaji. He carries earth for Gora Kumbhar. He repays loan of Narsi Mehta. He is still standing on a brick for Pundalik. Parents of Pundalik are great to have such a great son.
Earn money through an honest business. Spend money for noble cause by maintainingequanimity of mind. Work for others' welfare. Dont say harsh words for others. Consider others' ladies like your mother and sisters. Show kindness to all beings. Rear cows andother cattle. Make possible arrangements for drinking water at remote places for quenching the thirst of people. Dont harm others. He, who abides by the above teaching,spreads good name of his parents all around. The virtue of renunciation that is requiredfor realising Panduranga is also acquired through such actions.Offer anything that happens to the God. God likes very much this method of devotion. Beequanimous in the condition in which you happen to find yourself. Excitement begetssorrow. One has to pay for his past actions.Knowledge of Brahma means purity of mind. The Sun absorbs vapours of every kind of water but it remains unaffected by the quality of water. Similarly while giving light theSun does not discriminate among creatures. Tukaram Maharaj says, one should see thetruth by maintaining equanimity of the mindA creeper of nectar will bear fruits of nectar. This will also result in continuous rise in theseeds of nectar. Like this association with good people results in all round increase of happiness.From a seed originates a tree. From a tree countless seeds originate.He, who is standing on the banks of river, should not dive into the river for crossing over.He should enquire about the means of doing so from those who have earlier crossed theriver. One should not be under the impression that one is capable of doing anything onhis own. If one is lethargic in learning then one has to suffer badly on this account.
In the pond of happiness, there are ripples of happiness.He, who shows courage by putting his life at stake, earns recognition in the society and isliked by his preceptor.Dogs barking at an elephant develop pain in their mouths. The elephant is least affected by this. Monkeys mocking at tiger invite disaster for their lives. Tukaram Maharaj says,he who mocks at saints will lose his face.Whatever pressure is there on the mind, it is causing much uneasiness. Later one findsthrough experience that the pressure was not that much disturbing as was made out to be.A dead tiger filled with stuff appears like a tiger. Actually it is not a tiger. A coin withgold plating is not a coin of gold. This fact is clear if it is observed closely. A monkeydances as per the training of its master, it does not have any talents of its own. TukaramMaharaj says, he who keeps stock of absurd virtues has to suffer embarrassment.Dharma demands that they who have wandered away from the path of truth should be brought back. There is no sin for using force to bring back such persons. Doing so adds tothe stock of virtues. A person cannot be cured of a disease unless he swallows a bitter pill.
Because of the downtrodden people like us the God has got the status of the uplifter of downtrodden. Darkness has given greatness to light. Doctors are revered due to personssuffering from diseases. Gold is great because of bronze.Those, who end life of others for enjoying meat, will understand the gravity of their actions on suffering the consequences.Those, who are weak, think that God is also weak. Foolish offend the intellectuals in agathering. Unmanly persons whisper among themselves on seeing the courageous ones.Face the truth without jealousy for others.A monkey sees the outer tough cover of the coconut. A sane person enjoys the inner stuff of the coconut. A person receives benefit from the philosophy taught to him dependingon his ability to assimilate the knowledge. An ignorant just ignores whatever is taught tohim. Fools carry the weight of ego. Intelligent ones assimilate the knowledge.He, who has merged his identity with the God, cannot see others suffering. TukaramMaharaj says, making the mind calm is the true worship.
He, who rakes up quarrels, is always embroiled somewhere or other. A grass on the banksof river is not uprooted by the flow of water. A tough one is always challenged by a harshone. Everyone likes him, who loves to be in harmony with anyone.If bad elements in the society are not penalised then they will be nuisance for all. If grassis not weeded out then harvest wont be good. Levying a penalty on evil is not a vice.Honest persons should not be put to trouble.The form of acquiring merit should not be like filling a tank. It should take a form of unending source of water.Speak such words that will cause your benefit. Tukaram Maharaj says, purify yourself instead of pointing out impurities of others. Nothing will accompany while departing from this world even if wealth of crores isaccumulated. However comfortable may be your bed but the last rest will be on the bareground. You keep your mouth fresh by chewing mouth fresheners. But on the last day,the mouth will be dry. Being away from truth is always a cause of agony.Respect and place in a society does not come free of cost. One has to wear out for itsgain.
by spending his own money. This is not a goodthing and does not result in any addition to the stock of virtue. He does not offer water toa thirsty person and offers wholesome meals to one who is satisfied. He does not eventalk to someone and tells others that he is their servant. On seeing one he hides a piece of bread and invites other to lunch by grasping his feet. He, who behaves like this, is adonkey and wastes his life.Dont rejoice at others misery. For a moment you may feel happy but later on you willsuffer. Abstain from such thinking that is sinful. Jealousy having taken roots in the mindwill lead to a total disaster. Anger reduces stock of virtues. Whatever happens that doeshappen due to the effect of our past actions.He whose devotion is for making money, what knowledge can he gain. He is meditatingwith his mind full of lust, how God can reside in his mind. He keeps his eyes on fruits of work, can he ever be united with the God. His mind is always engrossed with sensualsubjects, whether he can understand the God. Tukaram Maharaj says, that those whoremember God with such motives will burn their faces.Tukaram Maharaj says, many people claim to have acquired the status of God. They willexperience downfall. God has lifted the earth in his incarnation in the form of Warah.
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