Abhanga 1862
God meets each person exactly as they are and gives without ever measuring, so simply holding on to that goodness is enough.
The verse
देव भला देव भला । मिळोनि जाय जैसा त्याला ॥१॥ देव उदार उदार । देतां नाहीं थोडें फार ॥ध्रु.॥ देव बळी देव बळी । जोडा नाहीं भूमंडळीं ॥२॥ देव व्हावा देव व्हावा । आवडे तो सर्वां जीवां ॥३॥ देव चांगला चांगला । तुका चरणीं लागला ॥४॥
Literal translation
Deva is bhalā, deva is bhalā — meets and goes (along) as he is. Deva is udāra, udāra — in giving, no little or much. Deva is baḷī, deva is baḷī — no equal on the bhū-maṇḍala. Let it be deva, let it be deva — dear to all jīvas. Deva is cāngalā, cāngalā — Tuka has clung to the feet.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देव भला देव भला | "deva is bhalā (good) — (repeated)" |
| मिळोनि जाय जैसा त्याला | "meets and goes (along) — as he is (with the bhakta)" |
| देव उदार उदार | "deva is udāra, udāra (generous, repeated)" |
| देतां नाहीं थोडें फार | "in giving — no little or much" |
| देव बळी देव बळी | "deva is baḷī (mighty) — (repeated)" |
| जोडा नाहीं भूमंडळीं | "no equal — on the bhū-maṇḍala (earth-circle)" |
| देव व्हावा देव व्हावा | "deva is hō'āvā (let-it-be-deva) — (repeated)" |
| आवडे तो सर्वां जीवां | "that is dear — to all jīvas" |
| देव चांगला चांगला | "deva is cāngalā cāngalā (good, good)" |
| तुका चरणीं लागला | "Tuka has clung — to the feet" |
What it means
Deva-deva-litany — pure-praise abhang. Continues 1858-1865 cluster — back to praise after the comic-deflations.
Verse 1 — bhalā: deva meets-and-goes-along with-each-as-each-is. (= the deva adapts-to-each-bhakta's-state.)
Verse 2 — udāra: deva, in giving, makes no-distinction-between-little-and-much. (= generosity-without-measure.)
Verse 3 — baḷī: deva has-no-equal on-the-bhū-maṇḍala (= earth-circle). (= unmatched-mighty-on-earth.)
Verse 4 — hō'āvā: let-it-be-deva — dear-to-all-jīvas. (= deva-as-the-universal-attractor.)
Verse 5 — cāngalā: Tuka has clung to the feet. (Same as 1858's closing.)
This abhang is the praise-counterweight to 1859, 1860, 1861's comic-deflations within the cluster. The bhakta alternates praise-and-tease in folk-litany-form, mimicking everyday speech-rhythms.
[T]
For someone today
For today: deva is good, deva is good — meets and goes along as (each) one is; deva is generous, generous — no little or much in giving; deva is mighty, mighty — no equal on the earth-circle; let it be deva, let it be deva — dear to all jīvas; deva is good, good — Tuka has clung to the feet.
Where this applies
- When your heart feels full and you want to simply say thank you without asking for anything
- When you feel unworthy of love and need reminding that God meets you exactly as you are, not as you should be
- When you are counting what you have received in life and realize the giving was never measured or grudging
- When you want a simple phrase to repeat that steadies your mind, the way a folk chant does