Abhanga 3992
The verse
भक्तांहून देवा आवडे तें काइ । त्रिभुवनीं नाहीं आन दुजें ॥१॥
नावडे वैकुंठ क्षीराचा सागर । धरोनि अंतर राहे दासा ॥ध्रु.॥
सर्वभावें त्याचें सर्वस्वें ही गोड । तुळसीदळ कोड करुनी घ्यावें ॥२॥
सर्वस्वें त्याचा म्हणवी विकला । चित्त द्यावें बोला सांगितल्या ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे भक्तीसुखाचा बांधिला । आणीक विठ्ठला धर्म नाहीं॥४॥
Literal translation
Nothing-dearer-to-Deva-than-bhakta — no-āna-in-trailokya. Vaikuṇṭha-kṣīra-sāgara-don't-appeal — antara-with-dāsa. All-bhāva-sweet — tulasī-leaf-with-kōḍa. Calls-self-vikalā — Lord-gives-chitta-to-vachana. Tukā: bāmdhilā-by-bhakti-sukha — no-other-dharma-for-Viṭṭhal.
What it means
★★ THE canonical 4-verse Deva-bound-by-bhakti-sukha doctrine. Nothing is dearer to Deva than the bhakta — nothing else in the three worlds. He doesn't even care for Vaikuṇṭha or the ocean-of-milk — he keeps close-place with the servant. The bhakta's everything is sweet to him by all bhāva; he accepts the bhakta's tulsī-leaf with delight. The bhakta calls himself fully sold-off; the Lord gives attention to his every word. Viṭṭhal is bound by bhakti-joy — there is no other dharma for him. Foundational reciprocity-doctrine: the Lord's only-dharma is bhakti-sukha-binding. Pair with 2891 (reciprocal-family), 2893 (bhakti-rasa-barāḍī), 3832 (samartha-bears-bhakta's-duḥkha).
For someone today
Tukārām: the-bhakta-is-dearer-to-the-Lord-than-Vaikuṇṭha; he's-bound-by-bhakti-sukha-no-other-dharma.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's Lord-bound-by-bhakti-sukha-no-other-dharma canonical reciprocity
- Pair with 2891 (reciprocal-family), 2893 (bhakti-rasa-barāḍī), 3832 (samartha-bears-duḥkha)