Abhanga 2878
Devotion is a trade that pays in boundless joy rather than money, and anyone who trades with the divine finds endless gain and close companionship.
The verse
सुखाचे व्यवहारीं सुखलाभ जाला । आनंदें कोंदला मागें पुढें ॥१॥
संगती पंगती देवासवें घडे । नित्यानित्य पडे तें चि सांचा ॥ध्रु.॥
समर्थचे घरीं सकळ संपदा । नाहीं तुटी कदा कासयाची ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे येथें लाभाचिया कोटी । बहु वाव पोटीं समर्थाचे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sukhāñce vyavahāri sukha-lābha jālā — in thevyavahāra(trading, business) of sukha, thesukha-lābha(gain-of-joy) has happened; ānande kondalā mage puḍhe — with ānanda — densely-packed behind and ahead. Sangati pangati Devā-save ghaḍe — thesangati(companionship) andpangati(row-seating-for-meal) happens with Deva; nityānitya paḍe te chi sāñchā — daily-and-eternally — that-very-thing falls — indeed. Samartha-cha gharī sakaḷa sampadā — in thesamartha's(all-powerful's) house — allsampadā(wealth); nāhī tuṭī kadā kāsayāñcī — notuṭī(lack, shortage) ever — of anything. Tukā says: yethē lābhāñciyā kōṭī — here arekōṭī(millions) oflābha; bahu vāva pōṭī samarthāñce — muchvāva(capacity, room) in thepōṭa(belly) of thesamartha.
What it means
A short bhakti-as-trading-wealth verse. Sukhāñce vyavahāri sukha-lābha jālā — ānande kondalā mage puḍhe — in joy-trading, the gain-of-joy has happened — ānanda is densely-packed behind and ahead. The bhakti-merchant-image: bhakti is sukha-vyavahāra (joy-trade); the bhakta has ānanda before and after.
Sangati pangati Devā-save ghaḍe — nityānitya paḍe te chi sāñchā — companionship and row-seating with Deva — daily-and-eternally. The bhakta's-reward: pangati (sitting-in-the-same-row at-the-meal) with Deva. This is intimate-companionship.
Samartha-cha gharī sakaḷa sampadā — nāhī tuṭī kadā kāsayāñcī — all wealth in the all-powerful's house — no lack ever of anything. The Lord's-house is fully-equipped; no shortage.
Yethē lābhāñciyā kōṭī — bahu vāva pōṭī samarthāñce — millions of gains here — much room in the samartha's belly. The bhakti-claim: the samartha's belly (interior, store) has infinite capacity. (Compare 2629 santa-udāra-udāra ananta-bhāṇḍāra.)
For someone today
A useful claim about devotion as a kind of trading wealth. In sukha-trading, the gain-of-joy has happened — ānanda densely-packed back-and-forth. The companionship and pangati is with Deva — daily-and-eternally. In the samartha's house — all wealth — no lack ever. Millions of gains here — much room in the samartha's belly. The verse pictures the bhakta as a merchant trading with the Lord. The trade yields joy, not money. The bhakta's claim: the Lord's house has no shortage; come and trade.
मराठी: ही भक्तीला व्यापाराच्या धनाप्रमाणे मांडणारी अभंगातील उपयुक्त कल्पना आहे. सुखाच्या व्यवहारात सुखलाभ झाला — आनंद मागे-पुढे दाटून भरला. देवासोबतची संगत आणि पंगत रोजची आणि शाश्वत आहे. समर्थाच्या घरी सर्व संपदा आहे — कधीही तुटी नाही. येथे लाभाच्या कोट्यवधी संधी आहेत — समर्थाच्या पोटात खूप जागा आहे. या अभंगाचे रूपक असे आहे की भक्त हा जणू परमेश्वराशी व्यापार करणारा व्यापारी आहे. हा व्यापार पैसा नाही तर आनंद देतो. भक्ताचा दावा असा आहे की देवाच्या घरी कधीच तुटवडा नाही — तेव्हा या, व्यापार करा.
Where this applies
- When you feel like your life is running on scarcity and need reassurance that real abundance is possible.
- When you're seeking closeness with the divine rather than measurable material rewards.
- When you feel real joy from prayer or devotion and wonder whether that joy itself counts as a genuine gain.
- When you're weighing whether to invest your time in spiritual life instead of purely material pursuits.