Hinduism

Tukaram, Poem 1182

They call themselves saints, but no one sees it
in their actions; who would put faith in such
men? Their purity vanishes with the hour of
trouble. In the rains, brooks look like rivers; when
the flood passes, not a drop remains. A pebble,
says Tuka, may look like a diamond afar, but it
cannot stand the anvil.

Source The Poems of Tukârâma, trad. J. Nelson Fraser et K. B. Marathe, 3 vol., 1909-1915, archive.org · Contents