Bhav Jaisa, Dev Taisa by Tukaram Maharaj

Understanding Bhav and Bhavana

The are the three Abhang by Shree Sant Tukaram Maahraj on Bhav.

1

Jaisa Bhav, Taisa Dev Bhave Vina Dev Na dise||1||

Bhav hachi Devacha Dev, Bhavesi Lage Dev ||2||

2

शिळा जया देव । तैसा फळे त्याचा भाव ॥ १ ॥

होय जतन तें गोड | अंतराय येती नाड ॥ २ ॥

देव जोडे भावें । इच्छेचें तें प्रेम घ्यावें ॥ ३ ॥

तुका म्हणे मोड दावी । तैशीं फळें आलीं व्हावीं ॥ ४ ॥

3

भाव तैसें फळ । न चलें देवापाशीं बळ ॥१॥

धांवे जातीपाशीं जाती । खुण येरयेरां चित्तीं ॥ध्रु.॥

हिरा हिरकणी । काढी आंतुनि आइरणी ॥२॥

तुका म्हणे केलें । मन शुद्ध हें चांगलें ॥३॥

Bhagavan often used to say, “Bhāv taisā Dev” — as is one’s bhāv, so is one’s God. This profound statement reveals a deep spiritual truth: the Divine is experienced not as an object outside us, but as a reflection of the inner state of the seeker. God does not change; it is our bhāv—our inner attitude, intention, faith, and maturity—that determines how the Divine is perceived.

Countless people approached Bhagavan Nityananda, each carrying a different need, temperament, and level of understanding. To some, He appeared as a compassionate healer; to others, a stern disciplinarian; to yet others, a silent, detached yogi. Each devotee encountered the same Bhagavan, yet experienced Him differently. In truth, each one found his or her own Bhagavan.

This principle is beautifully illustrated in the Rās Leelā of Sri Krishna. Though Krishna was one, each Gopī experienced Him as entirely her own. Krishna danced simultaneously with every Gopī, not by multiplying Himself physically, but by responding perfectly to the individual bhāv of each devotee. The Divine became intimate and personal, without ever ceasing to be one and indivisible.

The Sadguru functions as a living mirror. He reflects back to the seeker exactly what the seeker brings. When approached with devotion, He radiates compassion. When approached with ego or doubt, He may appear distant or challenging. The change is not in the Guru, but in the inner lens of the disciple.

Thus, the Sadguru does not impose an experience; He reveals the seeker to himself or herself. Through this reflection, one’s bhāv is refined—moving from expectation to surrender, from demand to trust, and from form to formless understanding.

In this way, “Bhāv taisā Dev” is not merely a statement of belief, but a call to inner transformation. As the bhāv becomes purer, subtler, and more selfless, the vision of God also becomes more expansive—until the seeker realises that the Divine experienced outside was always a reflection of the Divine within.

“Bhāv taisā Dev” — As is your inner heart-feeling, so is your experience of God.

Tukaram Maharaj says:

The result you receive from God depends on your own bhāv — not outward power or ritual.
God does not respond to external strength, caste, or social identity.
Instead, pure inner devotion is what attracts the Divine.

As is the bhāv within your heart,
Such is the fruit of devotion.
Not by strength of name or caste,
But by pure heart, God responds.
As a diamond remains unbroken,
So too should the mind be purified.

Thus, Bhagavan’s statement “Bhāv taisā Dev” finds a powerful echo in the abhangs of Sant Tukaram Maharaj, who repeatedly emphasised that God is not experienced through outer effort, but through inner disposition.

Tukaram says,
“Bhāve vinā Dev na dise” — without bhāv, God cannot be seen.
Here, bhāv is not emotion alone, but the inner orientation of the heart. In fact, he goes further to say,
“Bhāv hāchī Devāchā Dev” — bhāv itself is the deity of God.
God is drawn, held, and revealed only through bhāv.

This explains why so many went to Bhagavan Nityananda, yet each experienced Him differently. The Sadguru remained the same, but the reflections varied, shaped by the devotee’s inner state. The Sadguru, like a spotless mirror, does not impose an image—He reflects what stands before Him.

Tukaram reinforces this truth in another abhang:
“Śiḷā jayā Dev, taisā phaḷe tyāchā bhāv” —
if one worships stone with bhāv, the fruit too becomes divine. It is not the object of worship that sanctifies devotion, but the quality of bhāv behind it. Even when obstacles arise, Tukaram says, what is lovingly preserved within eventually ripens into sweetness. God accepts the love one is capable of offering, not what one claims to offer.

In yet another abhang, Tukaram concludes unequivocally:
“Bhāv taisẽ phaḷ” — as the bhāv, so the fruit.
God is not compelled by force, argument, learning, caste, or status. What reaches Him is the purified mind. Just as a diamond is extracted from hard ore, inner purity must be patiently revealed from within the mind itself.

Thus, when Bhagavan says “Bhāv taisā Dev”, He is not offering a philosophy but a mirror. God does not stand apart from the seeker; He appears exactly as the seeker is prepared to see Him. Purify the bhāv, and the vision of God is purified. Transform the bhāv, and the Divine stands revealed—effortlessly, naturally, and inevitably.

*Shally Kemptan too has said about Bhav in the context of spiritual practices.

Bhāva signifies one’s inner feeling, attitude, or deep-rooted conviction about oneself and reality. It is not merely an emotion that arises and fades, but a fundamental orientation of the heart and mind through which life is experienced. According to Indian spiritual tradition, bhāva possesses immense transformative power—so much so that it can shape perception, influence action, and ultimately alter one’s experience of reality itself.

Indian wisdom consistently affirms that consciousness precedes experience. What we perceive externally is deeply conditioned by our inner state. When the bhāva is narrow, fearful, or ego-centred, the world appears threatening and fragmented. When the bhāva is expansive, trusting, and surrendered, the same world reveals harmony, meaning, and grace. Thus, bhāva acts as the lens through which truth is encountered.

The conscious cultivation of a particular inner bhāva is known as bhāvanā, often translated as creative contemplation. Bhāvanā is not imagination in the ordinary sense, but a deliberate inner alignment with a higher truth until that truth becomes lived experience. Each bhāvanā produces a distinct inner effect, gradually refining the mind and heart.

For instance, when one practices the bhāvanā of offering one’s sādhana or daily actions to God or for the welfare of others, it dissolves self-centered striving. The practice shifts from achievement to surrender, from expectation to trust. This bhāvanā frees the seeker from grasping after special experiences or spiritual attainments, replacing effort with humility and grace.

Similarly, cultivating the bhāvanā of love or divine grace—such as breathing with the feeling that one is inhaling love—softens the inner being. The heart expands, fear recedes, and a quiet sense of contentment, safety, and inner protection arises. Over time, this bhāvanā rewires habitual responses and nurtures emotional and spiritual resilience.

Another profound bhāvanā is the contemplation that everything is a manifestation of one’s own Consciousness. This vision loosens the rigid boundaries of “I” and “other,” reducing attachment, aversion, and limitation. As this bhāvanā deepens, separation dissolves, and life is experienced as a seamless whole.

Thus, bhāva determines how truth is received, and bhāvanā shapes how bhāva is refined. When consciously cultivated, bhāva becomes a spiritual force, capable of transforming effort into ease, practice into prayer, and life itself into a living expression of Consciousness.

To conclude, I am reminded of abjhang written by Shree Pant Maharaj

जैसा भाव तैसा देव ।
तर्ककुसरी सर्व वाव ॥ धृ० ॥

जैसी भक्ति तैसी मुक्ति ।
व्यर्थ अभिमानाच्या युक्ती ॥ १ ॥

जैसा संग तैसा रंग ।
हाचि वर्तनक्रम चांग ॥ २ ॥

जैसे श्रवण तैसे कथन ।
मननासारखे समाधान ॥ ३ ॥

जैसा लोक तैसा भेक ।
ठकासंगे महाठक ॥ ४ ॥

जैसा भक्त तैसा दत्त ।
गर्जून सांगे बालावधूत ॥ ५ ॥

As is the inner feeling (Bhāva), so is the form of God experienced.
All clever arguments and intellectual gymnastics are futile.
As is one’s devotion, so is one’s liberation.
Pride disguised as reasoning leads nowhere.
As is one’s company, so is one’s colouring.
This alone determines the true course of one’s conduct.
As is what one listens to, so is what one speaks.
True satisfaction arises only when hearing and contemplation are aligned.
As are the people, so is the outer appearance.
In the company of cheats, one becomes a master cheat.
As is the devotee, so is Datta revealed to him.
Thus proclaims Bala Avadhuta, thunderously.

Note:

“Images shared in this article are in good faith for spiritual purposes.
Credit unknown. Will acknowledge/remove if required.”

This sharing arose from Shally Kempton’s reflections on Bhāva and Bhāvanā, and as I understood, and through them, a clearer understanding dawned as to why Bhagavan laid such insistence on Śuddha Bhāvanā. Bhagavan taught that without purity of bhāvanā, no sādhana can be sustained, nor can it bear fruit. When bhāvanā is pure, the mind becomes steady, the path becomes clear, and sādhana naturally carries the sādhaka towards its final fulfilment, by His grace.