Abhanga 3239
Tukārām's bhakti-here-suffices text. I am drenched in bhakti-sukha; with (my) mouth, I partake amrta. With sant-sanga, (I) pass kāḷa — the tide-wave of prema-sukha. For Brahmā and others, (this is) the deepest-sleep (hard-to-reach); here, this ānanda (is) on the earth. There is no need of Vaikuṇṭha — Pāṇḍuranga runs to attend the kathā. Why be mukta? — what bhēṭī (would there be) by (foregoing) this rasa? Sweet — this fulfils my desire. The verse permits the canonical bhakti-preference: this-rasa-here over-mukti-elsewhere.
The verse
डौरलों भक्तिसुखें । सेवूं अमृत हें मुखें ॥१॥
संतसंगें सारूं काळ । प्रेमसुखाचा कल्लोळ ॥ध्रु.॥
ब्रम्हादिकांसी सुराणी । तो हा आनंद मेदिनी ॥२॥
नाहीं वैकुंठींचा पांग । धांवे कथे पांडुरंग ॥३॥
मुक्त व्हावें काशासाठीं । कैची येणें रसें भेटी ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे गोड । हें चि पुरे माझें कोड ॥५॥
Literal translation
Ḍauralōm bhakti-sukhe — I am drenched in bhakti-sukha; sevūm amrta he mukhe — with mouth, I partake amrta. Sant-sange sārūm kāḷa — with sant-sanga, pass kāḷa; prema-sukhāñcā kallōḷa — tide of prema-sukha. Brahmādikāmsī surāṇī — for Brahmā and others, deepest-sleep; tō hā ānanda medinī — this ānanda on (the) earth. Nāhī Vaikuṇṭhīmñcā pānga — no need of Vaikuṇṭha; dhāve kathe Pāṇḍuranga — Pāṇḍuranga runs to kathā. Mukta hvāve kāśāsāṭīm — why be mukta; kaichī yeṇe rase bhēṭī — what bhēṭī by (foregoing) this rasa. Tukā mhaṇe gōḍa — Tukā says: sweet; he chi pure mājhe kōḍa — this fulfils my kōḍa.
What it means
A canonical 5-verse bhakti-here-suffices text by Tukārām.
The radical-claim: bhakti-sukha-here-on-earth is what-Brahmā-and-others-deeply-seek; no-need-of-Vaikuṇṭha; Pāṇḍuranga-himself-runs-to-kathā. Why-be-mukta? — mukti-would-end-this-rasa-bhēṭī. Bhakti-rasa is preferred-over-mukti.
Compare-Tukārām's 2657 (yoga-vs-bhakti), 2934 (Vedānta-carries-water-at-Hari-bhakta's-house), 3043 (bhakti-makes-any-place-uttama).
For someone today
Tukārām's bhakti-here-suffices text. I am drenched in bhakti-sukha; with (my) mouth, I partake amrta. With sant-sanga, (I) pass kāḷa — the tide-wave of prema-sukha. For Brahmā and others, (this is) the deepest-sleep (hard-to-reach); here, this ānanda (is) on the earth. There is no need of Vaikuṇṭha — Pāṇḍuranga runs to attend the kathā. Why be mukta? — what bhēṭī (would there be) by (foregoing) this rasa? Sweet — this fulfils my desire. The verse permits the canonical bhakti-preference: this-rasa-here over-mukti-elsewhere.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's bhakti-sukha-here-no-need-of-Vaikuṇṭha canonical text
- Why-be-mukta-this-bhēṭī-rasa preference-claim
- Companion to 2657, 2934, 3043