Pandit Kumar Gandharva sings Sant Tukaram

लहानपण देगा देवा
मुंगी साखरेचा रवा

lahaanpan degaa devaa
mungee saakharecha rawaa

O god let me be simple (small) to live like ant eating tiny pieces to live
(Oh God, make me as humble as possible (i.e. take my ego away), )

ऐरावत रत्न थोर
त्यासी अन्कुशाचा मार

airaavat ratan thor
tyasi ankushaachaa maar

No doubt Airaawat (heavenly elephant of Lord Indra) is great and gracious but still he gets beaten up by the mahout (Just like, Airaawat (Indra’s vehicle elephant) who is called a gem (being one of the 14 Ratnas churned from ocean) gets beaten by Ankusha (a sharp tool used to control elephants))

जया अंगी मोठेपण
तया यातना कठीण

jayaa angee mothepan
tayaa yaatanaa katheen

So anyone who becomes great or legend he has to go through greater pain
because, being great, a person has to bear pains (greatness has its own toll)

तुका म्हणे बरवे जाण
व्हावे लहानाहुनी लहान

tukaa mhane barve jaan
vhaave lahaanaahunee lahaan

Tukaram says be smallest be humblest and be simplest (Therefore, Tukaram says, it is better to be modest than being great (which will make us egoist))

महापुरे झाडे जाती,
तेथे लव्हाळ वाचती

mahaapure zaade jaatee
tethe lavhaal vaachatee

Because during floods even large trees get wiped out but tiny plant like moss remain intact (Big trees fall down in flood due to the vigorous force of the water, but if you take example of a ‘River weed’ (Aquatic plant which is small in size), it survives even in floods because it is modest as compared to big tree.)