God's love, bound to his devotees
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
भक्तांहून देवा आवडे तें काइ । त्रिभुवनीं नाहीं आन दुजें ॥1॥
नावडे वैकुंठ क्षीराचा सागर । धरोनि अंतर राहे दासा॥ध्रु.॥
सर्वभावें त्याचें सर्वस्वें ही गोड । तुळसीदळ कोड करुनी घ्यावें॥2॥
सर्वस्वें त्याचा ह्मणवी विकला । चित्त द्यावें बोला सांगितल्या ॥3॥
तुका ह्मणे भक्तिसुखाचा बांधिला । आणीक विठ्ठला धर्म नाहीं॥4॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
What does God love more than His devotees? There is nothing else in all three worlds. He cares not for Vaikuntha or the ocean of milk; He stays close to His servants. Everything about His devotees is dear to Him in every way; He delights in receiving even a single tulsi leaf. He calls Himself sold to them entirely, giving His heart to whatever words they speak. Says Tuka, Vitthal is bound by the joy of devotion; He has no other duty.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
What does God love more than his devotees? In all three worlds there is nothing else. He does not care for Vaikuntha or the ocean of milk; he holds a place in his heart and stays with his servant. Everything of the devotee's is sweet to him, in every way; he takes a single tulsi leaf and treasures it. He calls himself wholly sold to them; he gives his attention to whatever they say. Tuka says: Vitthal is bound by the joy of devotion. Other than that, he has no duty at all.
What it means
Tukaram says God prizes nothing in the three worlds above his devotees, not even his own heaven or the ocean of milk where he reclines. He keeps a place in his heart and stays down here with his servant instead. Everything the devotee offers delights him, down to a single tulsi leaf he treasures like a fortune; he even calls himself sold to them outright, attending to their every word. The closing claim is the boldest: the joy of devotion is the one thing that binds God, and apart from answering it he holds himself to no other obligation at all.
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