Abhanga 3039
Bhakti-prema-sukha neṇave āṇikām — bhakti-prema-sukha — others do not know; paṇḍita vāchakām jñāniyāmsī — paṇḍitas, reciters, jñānīs.
The verse
भक्तिप्रेमसुख नेणवे आणिकां । पंडित वाचकां ज्ञानियांसी ॥१॥
आत्मनिष्ठ जरी जाले जीवन्मुक्त । तरी भक्ति सुख दुर्लभ त्यां ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे कृपा करिल नारायण । तरि च हें वर्म पडे ठायीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhakti-prema-sukha neṇave āṇikām — bhakti-prema-sukha — others do not know; paṇḍita vāchakām jñāniyāmsī — paṇḍitas, reciters, jñānīs. Ātma-niṣṭha jarī jāle jīvanmukta — (those) who have become ātma-niṣṭha and jīvanmukta; tarī bhakti sukha durlabha tyām — for them, bhakti-sukha is durlabha. Tukā mhaṇe krpā karila Nārāyaṇa — Tukā says: when Nārāyaṇa does krpā; tarī chi he varma paḍe ṭhāyīm — then alone does this varma fall into place.
What it means
A canonical 3-verse bhakti-supremacy text by Tukārām.
The argument: Bhakti-prema-sukha is unknown-to-paṇḍita-vāchaka-jñānī. Even-jīvanmukta-ātmaniṣṭha find-it-durlabha. Only Nārāyaṇa's-krpā reveals-this-varma.
★ The claim is striking: bhakti-sukha is higher-than-jīvanmukta-state. Even one-who-has-attained jīvanmukta (liberated-while-living, the-highest-Advaita-attainment) finds bhakti-sukha durlabha. This is bhakti-supremacy over-jñāna-mukti.
The closing-mechanism: only-Nārāyaṇa's-krpā reveals-this varma (secret-spot). The bhakti-sukha is not-self-attainable; it's-grace-given.
Compare-Tukārām's-own 2934 (Vedānta-carries-water at Hari-bhakta's house), 2657 (yoga-vs-bhakti).
For someone today
Tukārām's canonical bhakti-supremacy. The bhakti-prema-sukha — others do not know (it) — paṇḍitas, reciters, jñānīs. Even (those) who have become ātma-niṣṭha and jīvanmukta — bhakti-sukha is durlabha for them. (Only) when Nārāyaṇa does krpā — then alone does this secret-spot fall into place. The verse permits the canonical-claim that bhakti-prema-sukha exceeds-even-jīvanmukta-attainment and-is-grace-given-by-Nārāyaṇa.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's canonical bhakti-prema-sukha beyond-jñāna-paṇḍita-jīvanmukta claim
- ★ Bhakti-supremacy-over-jīvanmukta — radical-claim
- Only-by-Nārāyaṇa's-krpā — grace-given
- Companion to 2934, 2657