Abhanga 1488
Simple acts of devotion, such as a name repeated, a mark worn, a garland tied, are the real armor that breaks old faults and conquers the fear of death.
The verse
आम्ही वीर जुंझार । करूं जमदाढे मार । तापटिले भार । मोड जाला दोषांचा ॥१॥ जाला हाहाकार । आले हांकीत जुंझार । शंखचक्रांचे शृंगार । कंठीं हार तुळसीचे ॥ध्रु.॥ रामनामांकित बाण । गोपी लाविला चंदन । झळकती निशाणें । गरुडटके पताका ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे काळ । जालों जिंकोनि निश्चळ । पावला सकळ । भोग आम्हां आमचा ॥३॥
Literal translation
We are vīra juñjhāra — we strike jama-dāḍhē — bhāra was tapped — mōḍa of dōṣas. Hāhā-kāra arose — juñjhāra came hānkīta — śankha-cakras' śṛngāra — tuḷasī-hāra at throat. Rāma-nāma-ankita bāṇa — gōpī-candana applied — niśāṇas sparkle — Garuḍa-ṭaka patākā. Tuka says: kāḷa — we conquered, niścaḷa — pāvalā sakaḷa — our bhoga ours.
मराठी: आम्ही — वीर — जुंझार; — करूं — जम-दाढे — मार; — तापटिले — भार; — मोड — जाला — दोषांचा. जाला — हाहा-कार; — आले — हांकीत — जुंझार; — शंख-चक्रांचे — शृंगार; — कंठीं — हार — तुळसीचे. राम-नामांकित — बाण; — गोपी — लाविला — चंदन; — झळकती — निशाणें; — गरुड-टके — पताका. Tukā म्हणे — काळ; — जालों — जिंकोनि — निश्चळ; — पावला — सकळ; — भोग — आम्हां — आमचा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आम्ही वीर जुंझार | "we are vīra juñjhāra (= warriors)" |
| करूं जमदाढे मार | "we strike (māra) — jama-dāḍhē (= Yama-jaws / death-jaws)" |
| तापटिले भार | "tapped-struck (tāpaṭilē) — the bhāra (load)" |
| मोड जाला दोषांचा | "mōḍa (breaking) — has happened (jālā) — of dōṣas" |
| जाला हाहाकार | "hāhā-kāra (great cry) — has arisen" |
| आले हांकीत जुंझार | "came (ālē) — hānkīta (shouting / driving) — juñjhāra (warriors)" |
| शंखचक्रांचे शृंगार | "of śankha-cakras — śṛngāra (decoration)" |
| कंठीं हार तुळसीचे | "at the kaṇṭha (throat) — hāra (garland) — of tuḷasī" |
| रामनामांकित बाण | "Rāma-nāma-ankita (= name-marked) — bāṇa (arrows)" |
| गोपी लाविला चंदन | "gōpī — candana — applied (lāvilā)" |
| झळकती निशाणें | "niśāṇas (banners) — sparkle (jhaḷakatī)" |
| गरुडटके पताका | "Garuḍa-ṭaka — patākā (flags)" |
| तुका म्हणे काळ | "Tuka says — kāḷa" |
| जालों जिंकोनि निश्चळ | "we have conquered (jinkōnī) — niścaḷa (unmoving)" |
| पावला सकळ | "(we) attained (pāvalā) — sakaḷa (entire)" |
| भोग आम्हां आमचा | "bhōga — for us (āmhām) — ours (āmacā)" |
What it means
Bhakta-as-vīra-juñjhāra abhang. A bhakti-warrior-self-portrait. The opening: āmhī vīra juñjhāra — karūm jamadāḍhē māra — tāpaṭilē bhāra — mōḍa jālā dōṣāñcā — we arevīra juñjhāra(= heroes / warriors); — westrike—jama-dāḍhē(= death-jaws); —tapped-down— thebhāra(load); — thebreakingofdōṣas has happened. Bhakta-as-warrior who strikes death-jaws; the load (of samsāra) is broken-down. (Compare 1438's kāsa-kaivāḍa-warrior-stance; this is the plural-warrior-army version.)
The arrival-image: jālā hāhā-kāra — ālē hānkīta juñjhāra — śankha-cakrāñcē śṛngāra — kaṇṭhīm hāra tuḷasīcē — ahāhā-kāra(= great cry) arose; —juñjhāraarrivehānkīta(= shouting / driving); —śankha-cakra'sśṛngāra(= decoration); — at the throat —hāraoftuḷasī. Hari's-warrior-bhaktas march in shouting; their armor: śankha-cakra-decoration + tuḷasī-garland. (= Vaiṣṇava-marks-as-armor.)
The arrows-and-banners: Rāma-nāmānkita bāṇa — gōpī lāvilā candana — jhaḷakatī niśāṇē — Garuḍa-ṭakē patākā — arrowsRāma-nāma-marked; —gopī-candanaapplied (= the yellow-clay tilaka of vaiṣṇavas); — bannerssparkle; —Garuḍa-ṭaka(= Garuḍa-emblem)patākā(flags). The bhakti-arsenal: arrows marked with Rāma-nāma; gopī-candana tilaka on forehead; banners with the Garuḍa-emblem (= Hari's vāhana). Battle-ready bhaktas.
The closing-victory: Tukā mhaṇē kāḷa — jālōm jinkōnī niścaḷa — pāvalā sakaḷa — bhōga āmhām āmacā — Tuka says —Kāḷa—conquered—niścaḷa(unmoving); —attained—entire; —bhōga— for us —ours. Time conquered; we are unmoving; we have attained the entire bhoga that belongs to us.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we are bhakti-warriors — we strike at death's jaws; the load is broken, faults shattered; we march in with conch-cakra-tulasī-garland armor, Rāma-marked arrows, gopī-candana tilaka, Garuḍa-flags; Time conquered, our bhoga ours.
Where this applies
- When you feel weighed down by old habits or faults you can't seem to shake off
- When you are afraid of death or the passing of time
- When you wonder whether simple devotional practices like chanting a name or wearing a mark of faith actually matter
- When you need courage to face a hard situation and want to feel armed rather than helpless