Abhanga 3224
Don't cheapen your self-respect or dress yourself up to seem more than you are, since someone genuine needs no decoration and steadiness is enough.
The verse
अमृत अव्हेरें उचळलें जातां । विष आर्त्तभूतां आवश्यक ॥१॥
आदरासी मोल नये लावूं केजें । धीर शुद्धबीजें गोमटा तो ॥ध्रु.॥
खर्याचिये अंगीं आपणे चाली । लावणी लाविली काय लागे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे चाडे करा वेवसाव । आम्हांसी तो वाव धीर आहे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Amrta-scoffed; viṣa-needful for-ārta-bhūtas. Don't-price-ādara cheap; dhīra is-shuddha-bīja-gōmaṭa. True-one's-anga has-own-chālī; applied-lāvaṇī useless. Tukā: do-vyavasāya of-chāḍa; our-vāva is-dhīra.
What it means
A 3-verse observation. True-people-need-no-paint; dhīra-is-our-resting-place.
For someone today
Sometimes what's genuinely valuable, like nectar, gets dismissed, while what's actually harmful gets treated as necessary, value doesn't always look the way people expect. Tukaram says don't cheapen your own sense of honor and self-respect, and don't dress yourself up to seem more than you are: someone genuine doesn't need decoration, their own natural way of carrying themselves is enough. Others may chase after whatever they're eager for, but Tukaram's own resting place is simple steadiness.
मराठी: कधीकधी खरंच मौल्यवान असलेलं, जसं अमृत, नाकारलं जातं, तर प्रत्यक्षात हानिकारक असलेलं आवश्यक मानलं जातं, मूल्य नेहमी लोकांना वाटतं तसंच दिसत नाही. तुकाराम म्हणतात, स्वतःचा आदर आणि स्वाभिमान स्वस्तात विकू नका, आणि स्वतःला जास्त भासवण्यासाठी सजवू नका, जो खरा आहे त्याला सजावटीची गरज नसते, त्याची स्वतःची चालच पुरेशी असते. इतर लोक त्यांना हवं ते मिळवण्यासाठी धावतील, पण तुकारामांचं स्वतःचं विश्रांतीस्थान आहे साधी स्थिरता.
Where this applies
- When something genuinely good gets dismissed while something harmful is treated as essential
- When you're tempted to dress yourself up or exaggerate to seem more impressive
- When you're pricing your own self-respect too cheaply just to please others
- When everyone around you is chasing something eagerly and you choose steadiness instead