Abhanga 1705
Real courage shows in steady action and unbroken commitment, not brave words, and that steadiness is what brings divine support.
The verse
शूरत्वासी मोल । नये कामा फिके बोल ॥१॥ केला न संडी कैवाड । जीवेंसाटीं तों हे होड ॥ध्रु.॥ धीर तो कारण । साह्य होतो नारायण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हरि । दासां रक्षितो निर्धारीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
To śūratva, the worth — fading words won't come to use. Once made, doesn't abandon kaivāḍa — for life-stake, this hōḍa. Dhīra is the cause — Nārāyaṇa becomes sāhya. Tuka says: Hari — protects dāsas with niścaya.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शूरत्वासी मोल | "to śūratva (heroism) — worth" |
| नये कामा फिके बोल | "won't come to use — fading words" |
| केला न संडी कैवाड | "made, doesn't abandon — kaivāḍa" |
| जीवेंसाटीं तों हे होड | "for life-stake — this hōḍa (wager)" |
| धीर तो कारण | "dhīra — that's the cause" |
| साह्य होतो नारायण | "becomes sāhya — Nārāyaṇa" |
| तुका म्हणे हरि | "Tuka says — Hari" |
| दासां रक्षितो निर्धारीं | "protects dāsas — with niścaya" |
What it means
Bhakta-as-hero-Hari-protects-with-niścaya abhang.
The śūratva-worth: śūratvāsī mōla — na yē kāmā phikē bōla — the worth of śūratva — fading words won't come to use. Śūratva = heroism, valor. Heroism's-worth: fading-vague-words won't suffice — only firm-action.
The kaivāḍa: kēlā na saṇḍī kaivāḍa — jīvēmsāṭīm tōm hē hōḍa — once made, doesn't abandon kaivāḍa — for life-stake, this hōḍa. Kaivāḍa = partisan-defense, taking-up-the-cause; hōḍa = wager / bet. Once the kaivāḍa is taken up, never abandoned — for life-stake, this is the wager.
The dhīra-cause: dhīra tō kāraṇa — sāhya hōtō Nārāyaṇa — dhīra is the cause — Nārāyaṇa becomes sāhya (helper). Patience-and-firmness is the active-cause; Nārāyaṇa is the helper that follows.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē Hari — dāsām rakṣitō nirdhārīm — Tuka says: Hari — protects dāsas with niścaya. Nirdhāra = firm-determination, with-certainty. Hari protects with-certainty.
[T]
For someone today
For today: for heroism, there is real worth — fading vague words won't come to use; once the partisan-defense has been made, never abandon it — for the very stake of life, this is the wager; patience-and-firmness is the cause — and Nārāyaṇa becomes the helper that follows; Tuka says — Hari protects his servants with absolute certainty.
Where this applies
- When you talk boldly about standing up for something but waver as soon as it gets costly
- When you have taken on a responsibility or defended someone and are tempted to quietly back out under pressure
- When you feel unsure whether patient steadiness is really doing anything for you
- When you are afraid that staying firm in a difficult stand will leave you unsupported