दुर्बल नाचारी वोडगस्त । आळसी खादाड रिणगस्त । मूर्खपणें अवघें वेस्त । कांहींच नाहीं ॥ १ ॥

A weak, helpless, wretched person — lazy, gluttonous, and buried in debt — through sheer foolishness ends up ruined in every respect, left with absolutely nothing.

खाया नाहीं जेवाया नाहीं । लेया नाहीं नेसाया नाहीं । अंथराया नाहीं पांघराया नाहीं । कोंपट नाहीं अभागी ॥ २ ॥

He has nothing to eat, nothing to wear, no bedding to lie on or cover himself with, not even a humble hut to live in — such is this unfortunate man.

सोएयेरे नाहीं धायेरे नाहीं । इष्ट नाहीं मित्र नाहीं । पाहातां कोठें वोळखी नाहीं । आश्रयेंविण परदेसी ॥ ३ ॥

He has no kin, no relatives, no dear friends; wherever he looks he finds no one who knows him, and, without anyone's support, he lives like a stranger in a foreign land.

तेणें कैसें करावें । काये जीवेंसीं धरावें । वाचावें किं मरावें । कोण्या प्रकारें ॥ ४ ॥

What is such a person to do? What should he hold onto to keep himself alive? Should he live or die, and by what means either way?

ऐसें कोणीयेकें पुसिलें । कोणीयेकें उत्तर दिधलें । श्रोतीं सावध ऐकिलें । पाहिजे आतां ॥ ५॥

Thus someone posed this very question, and an answer was given to it; let the listeners now pay careful, attentive heed to what follows.

लाहान थोर काम कांहीं । केल्यावेगळें होत नाहीं । करंट्या सावध पाहीं । सदेव होसी ॥ ६॥

Whether the task be small or great, nothing is ever accomplished without effort; wake up and be alert, you unfortunate one — and you too shall become fortunate.

अंतरीं नाहीं सावधानता । येत्न ठाकेना पुरता । सुखसंतोषाची वार्ता । तेथें कैंची ॥ ७ ॥

One whose heart lacks alertness can never make a truly complete effort; so where, then, could there be any talk of happiness and contentment?

म्हणोन आळस सोडावा । येत्नं साक्षेपें जोडावा । दुश्चितपणाचा मोडावा । थारा बळें ॥ ८ ॥

Therefore one should give up laziness, keep gathering effort with diligence and care, and forcibly break the hold of a distracted, wavering mind.

प्रातःकाळीं उठत जावें । प्रातःस्मरामि करावें । नित्य नेमें स्मरावें । पाठांतर ॥ ९ ॥

One should rise early at dawn, offer the morning remembrance of God, and daily, as a fixed discipline, recall and review what has been memorized.

मागील उजळणी पुढें पाठ । नेम धरावा निकट । बाष्कळपणाची वटवट । करूंच नये ॥ १० ॥

Review what was learned before and practice what comes next, keeping strictly to this daily discipline; one should never indulge in idle, pointless chatter.

दिशेकडे दुरी जावें । सुचिस्मंत होऊन यावें । येतां कांहीं तरी आणावें । रितें खोटें ॥ ११ ॥

One should go some distance away to answer nature's call, return having purified oneself, and never come back empty-handed — bring something useful along on the way.

धूतवस्त्रें घालावीं पिळून । करावें चरणक्षाळण । देवदर्शन देवार्चन । येथासांग ॥ १२ ॥

One should wear freshly washed and wrung clothes, wash the feet clean, and perform the worship and viewing of God's image properly, in full and due form.

कांहीं फळाहार घ्यावा । पुढें वेवसाये करावा । लोक आपला परावा । म्हणत जावा ॥ १३ ॥

One should take some light fruit as a meal, and then attend to one's work and occupation; one should keep discerning who among the people encountered is truly one's own and who is a stranger.

सुंदर अक्षर ल्याहावें । पष्ट नेमस्त वाचावें । विवरविवरों जाणावें । अर्थांतर ॥ १४ ॥

One should write in a beautiful, well-formed hand, read clearly and regularly, and learn to probe and unfold the deeper meaning of what is read.

नेमस्त नेटकें पुसावें । विशद करून सांगावें । प्रत्ययेंविण बोलावें । तेंचि पाप ॥ १५ ॥

Whatever is unclear should be asked precisely and properly, and explained clearly to others; to speak of something without having truly verified it oneself is itself a sin.

सावधानता असावी । नीतिमर्याद राखावी । जनास माने ऐसी करावी । क्रियासिद्धि ॥ १६ ॥

One should remain constantly alert, keep within the bounds of proper conduct, and bring one's work to a completion that people find agreeable and convincing.

आलियाचें समाधान । हरिकथा निरूपण । सर्वदा प्रसंग पाहोन । वर्तत जावें ॥ १७ ॥

One should satisfy whoever comes seeking, expound the stories of God, and always act according to what each occasion calls for.

ताळ धाटी मुद्रा शुद्ध । अर्थ प्रमये अन्वये शुद्ध । गद्यपद्यें दृष्टांत शुद्ध । अन्वयाचे ॥ १८ ॥

The rhythm, style, and manner of presentation should be pure, the meaning, theme, and logical connection should be sound, and the illustrations used in prose and verse should likewise be fitting and consistent.

गाणें वाजवणें नाचणें । हस्तन्यास दाखवणें । सभारंजकें वचनें । आडकथा छंदबंद ॥ १९ ॥

Singing, playing instruments, dancing, showing hand gestures, words that delight the assembly, side-stories, and metrical compositions — these too are part of how such an exposition is presented.

बहुतांचें समाधान राखावें । बहुतांस मानेल तें बोलावें । विलग पडों नेदावें । कथेमधें ॥ २० ॥

One should keep most listeners satisfied, speak what most of them find agreeable, and never let any gap or inconsistency creep into the exposition.

लोकांस उदंड वाजी आणूं नये । लोकांचे उकलावें हृदये । तरी मग स्वभावें होये । नामघोष ॥ २१ ॥

One should not needlessly pressure people, but rather open up and win over their hearts; done this way, the chanting of God's name then rises up naturally, of its own accord.

भक्ति ज्ञान वैराग्य योग । नाना साधनाचे प्रयोग । जेणें तुटे भवरोग । मननमात्रें ॥ २२ ॥

One should apply the many practices of devotion, knowledge, dispassion, and yoga, so that through steady contemplation alone the very disease of worldly bondage is cut away.

जैसें बोलणें बोलावें । तैसेंचि चालणें चालावें । मग महंतलीळा स्वभावें । आंगीं बाणे ॥ २३ ॥

One should act exactly as one speaks; then the grace and dignity of true saintliness naturally settles into one's own being.

युक्तिवीण साजिरा योग । तो दुराशेचा रोग । संगतीच्या लोकांचा भोग । उभा ठेला ॥ २४ ॥

A show of yoga that is merely attractive but lacks real judgment is nothing but the disease of false hope; and those who keep company with such a person end up bearing its consequences too.

ऐसें न करावें सर्वथा । जनास पावऊं नये वेथा । हृदईं चिंतावें समर्थ । रघुनाथजीसी ॥ २५ ॥

One should never act this way, never cause people distress or harm; instead one should keep the mighty Lord Raghunath continually in one's heart.

उदासवृत्तिस मानवे जन । विशेष कथानिरूपण । रामकथा ब्रह्मांड भेदून । पैलाड न्यावी ॥ २६ ॥

Only those of a truly detached mind can properly appreciate a deep and special exposition; such a telling of Rama's story should be capable of piercing through the very universe and carrying the listener to the farther shore.

सांग महंती संगीत गाणें । तेथें वैभवास काय उणें । नभामाजी तारांगणें । तैसे लोक ॥ २७ ॥

Where there is fine, well-ordered spiritual leadership and melodious singing, what indeed could such splendor lack? Just as countless stars adorn the sky, so do such people shine forth in the world.

आकलबंद नाहीं जेथें । अवघेंचि विश्कळित तेथें । येकें आकलेविण तें । काये आहे ॥ २८ ॥

Where there is no coherence, no binding thread of understanding, everything there falls apart and scatters; of what use, indeed, is anything without such coherence and comprehension?

घालून अकलेचा पवाड । व्हावें ब्रह्मांडाहून जाड । तेथें कैचें आणिले द्वाड । करंटपण ॥ २९ ॥

One should so expand one's own understanding that one becomes, as it were, vaster even than the universe itself; then from where could this wretched, ill-fated misfortune ever find a foothold?

येथें आशंका फिटली । बुद्धि येत्नींप प्रवेशली । कांहींयेक आशा वाढली । अंतःकर्णी ॥ ३० ॥

In this way, all doubts here were resolved, the intellect entered upon the path of true effort, and within the heart some measure of hope and confidence began to grow.