Abhanga 1744
Stay free of dishonor and unpaid debts, keep your word, and return what isn't yours, and people will respect you and come to you on their own.
The verse
नसावें ओशाळ । मग मानिती सकळ ॥१॥ जाय तेथें पावे मान । चाले बोलिलें वचन ॥ध्रु.॥ राहों नेदी बाकी । दान ज्याचें त्यासी टाकी ॥२॥ होवा वाटे जना । तुका म्हणे साटीं गुणां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Don't be ōśāḷa — then all honor. Wherever (one) goes — gets respect — the spoken word stands. Doesn't keep balance — gift, whose-it-was, throws to him. People come on call — Tuka says — by standing-out through virtues.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नसावें ओशाळ | "don't be — ōśāḷa" |
| मग मानिती सकळ | "then — honor all" |
| जाय तेथें पावे मान | "wherever (one) goes — gets respect" |
| चाले बोलिलें वचन | "spoken word — stands" |
| राहों नेदी बाकी | "doesn't keep — balance" |
| दान ज्याचें त्यासी टाकी | "gift — whose-it-is to him — throws (returns)" |
| होवा वाटे जना | "come people's-call" |
| तुका म्हणे साटीं गुणां | "Tuka says — (by) standing-out — through virtues" |
What it means
Anti-disreputable + honor-by-virtue abhang.
The opening: nasāvēm ōśāḷa — maga mānitī sakaḷa — don't be ōśāḷa — then all honor. Ōśāḷa = reproachable, dishonorable, in-debt-to-others. Be free of any reproachable-debt-or-disreputable-mark; then all honor you.
The respect-stands: jāya tēthē pāvē māna — cālē bōlilēm vacana — wherever goes, gets respect — spoken-word stands. Wherever such-a-person goes, respect comes; his spoken-words are kept.
The clean-account: rāhōm nēdī bākī — dāna jyācēm tyāsī ṭākī — doesn't keep balance — the gift, whose-it-was, throws to him. Doesn't keep any debit; returns gifts (or unearned-things) to whom-they-belong.
The closing: hōvā vāṭē janā — Tukā mhaṇē sāṭīm guṇām — people come on call — Tuka says — by standing-out through virtues. Sāṭī guṇām = (by virtue of) virtue-collection. People come-when-called by virtue-recognition.
[T]
For someone today
For today: don't be reproachable — then everyone honors you; wherever you go, respect comes — the spoken word stands; don't keep any debit on your balance — return the gift to whom it really belongs; people come on call — Tuka says — by standing-out through virtues.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to let a debt or a promise slide unpaid
- When you're holding on to something that rightfully belongs to someone else
- When you want people to actually trust your word and take your promises seriously
- When you wonder why people don't respect you even though you haven't done anything to earn their trust