Abhanga 3171
Keeping your word, protecting those who seek refuge, and guarding your integrity even under pressure is itself the path that draws you closer to God.
The verse
दिली मान तरी नेघावी शत्रूची । शरण आलें त्यासी जतन जीवें ॥१॥
समर्थासी असे विचाराची आण । भलीं पापपुण्य विचारावें ॥ध्रु.॥
काकुळतीसाटीं सत्याचा विसर । पडिलें अंतर न पाहिजे ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे यश कीर्ति आणि मान । करितां जतन देव जोडे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Dilī māna tarī nēghāvī śatrūchī — honour once given (must) not be taken back even from an enemy; śaraṇa ālē tyāsī jatana jīvēm — the one who has come in śaraṇa — protect (him) with (your) jīva. Samarthāsī asē vichārāchī āṇa — the samartha has a vow of vichāra; bhalīm pāpa-puṇya vichārāvem — let the good weigh pāpa and puṇya. Kākulatīsāṭīm satyāchā visara — forgetting satya for the sake of pity; paḍilēm antara na pāhijē — a gap fallen (in antara) — let it not be. Tukā mhaṇe yaśa kīrti āṇi māna — Tukā says: yaśa, kīrti, and māna; karitām jatana Deva jōḍē — by guarding (them) Deva is joined.
What it means
A 4-verse ethics-text drawing on kṣatriya-vow vocabulary (honour, refuge, vow-of-vichāra). Even an enemy who has been granted māna must keep it; even a refugee must be protected at the cost of one's own jīva. The samartha — the capable, the strong — is bound by vichāra. Guarding yaśa-kīrti-māna (one's name) is itself the path by which Deva is "joined."
For someone today
Word given is word kept — including to people you dislike. Power is bound by deliberation, not by impulse. Do not let momentary appeals for pity dissolve your truth. Integrity is how you become joined to what is higher than you.
Where this applies
- When you are tempted to break a promise to someone you no longer like or trust
- When someone vulnerable comes to you for protection and it would be easier to turn them away
- When you hold power over others and face pressure to act on impulse rather than careful judgment
- When someone's emotional appeal tempts you to bend or hide the truth