Part VIII – One Essence Pervades All
(Stanza 8: Sukh Sagar )
This is one of the most beautiful and compassionate stanzas in the entire Tati Ugada Dnyaneshwara. Having spoken in the previous stanza about overcoming anger through the vision of oneness, Muktabai now teaches the positive expression of that realisation—becoming a source of peace, comfort, and upliftment for the world.
Stanza 8
Sukh Sagar Amhi Vhave, Jagha Bhode Nivwavw ||1||
Bodha Karu Naye Antar,Sadhu nahi Apaar ||2||
Jeeva Jeevasi Pai Dhyava, Magh Karu Nahye Hewha ||3||
Tarunopai Chinti Dhara, Tati Ughada Jneshwara ||4||
Stanza 8
सुखसागर आम्ही व्हावे । जग बोधे निववावे ॥१॥
भेद करू नये अंतर । साधूस नाही आपपर ॥२॥
जीव जीवासी पै द्यावा । मागे करू नये हेवा ॥३॥
तरणोपाय चित्ती धरा । ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥४॥
(Some versions read “बोधे” and some “भोंडे“; however, the traditional meaning remains essentially the same: soothing, awakening, uplifting the world.)
Become an ocean of peace and joy, and cool the fever of the world. Let no walls of separation remain within; For a Saint, none are strangers, none are his own. Let one life nourish another life,
And let all jealousy melt away. Hold fast to the means of crossing this shoreless sea—
Open the Door, O Dnyaneshwara!
Translation
Verse 1
Let us become an ocean of happiness and peace, and soothe the burning restlessness of the world.
Verse 2
Let no sense of difference remain within. For a true saint, there is no “mine” and “other.”
Verse 3
Let one life support and nourish another; let there be no jealousy thereafter.
Verse 4
Keep firmly in your heart the means of crossing this ocean of worldly existence. Open the Door, O Dnyaneshwara!
- The Spiritual Quality Being Described
If the earlier stanzas taught:
- Purity,
- Humility,
- Compassion,
- Forgiveness,
- Forbearance,
- Freedom from anger,
this stanza teaches:
Universal Benevolence
The Yogi no longer seeks merely his own liberation.
He becomes a source of strength for others.
“Become an Ocean of Happiness”
सुखसागर आम्ही व्हावे
Muktabai does not say: Seek happiness.
She says: Become happiness.
There is a vast difference. Ordinary people seek happiness in the world. The Saint radiates happiness into the world. This is exactly what devotees experienced in Bhagavan Nityananda’s presence.
People came burdened with:
- sorrow,
- confusion,
- fear,
- poverty,
- illness.
Yet they often returned inwardly lighter, even when Bhagavan spoke a few words.
He had become a Sukha Sagara—an Ocean of Bliss.
- Relation to Sudha Bhavana
This stanza is perhaps one of the clearest expressions of Bhagavan’s:
Sudha Bhavana
The pure heart does not ask:
“What can I get?”
It asks:
“How can I help?”
The pure heart naturally becomes cooling, soothing, and healing.
Bhagavan often emphasised:
Nirmal Maan
Vishal Maan
Pure in Heart, You Be
Muktabai is describing exactly that state.
- “A Saint Knows No Mine and Yours”
साधूस नाही आपपर
This is profound Advaita. The ordinary mind lives in:
- mine,
- yours,
- us,
- them.
The saint lives in:
- One.
Not merely philosophically. Existentially.
The distinction between:
- insider and outsider,
- friend and enemy,
- worthy and unworthy,
begins to dissolve.
Vivekachudamani Connection
This directly reflects the culmination of Vivekachudamani.
When ignorance ends:
The Self is recognised in all beings.
Then naturally:
- attachment weakens,
- aversion weakens,
- separation weakens.
The Heart becomes universal.
- “Let One Life Nourish Another”
जीव जीवासी पै द्यावा
This is one of Muktabai’s most tender teachings.
A living being should become nourishment for another living being. Not merely physically.
But through:
- kindness,
- encouragement,
- wisdom,
- service,
- compassion.
The Yogi does not isolate himself from life. He enriches life.
Bhagavan Nityananda’s Life
This is exactly how Bhagavan lived.
He:
- fed people,
- built schools,
- dug wells,
- supported temples,
- uplifted villages,
- guided seekers.
His realisation flowed outward as service.
This is why Bhagavan said:
“Hands that help are holier than lips that pray.”
(As remembered in the oral tradition.)
- Freedom from Jealousy
मागे करू नये हेवा
Jealousy is impossible where Oneness is seen.
Jealousy requires:
- comparison,
- competition,
- separateness.
The Heart established in Sudha Bhavana rejoices in the success of others.
It sees:
Their joy is my joy.
The Heart (Hridaya) and This Stanza
In our Vivekachudamani study:
Buddhi
knows.
Manas
feels.
Bhavana
integrates knowledge and feeling.
Heart
becomes the living centre of universal love.
This stanza describes the flowering of that Heart.
Its signs are:
- kindness,
- non-separation,
- service,
- absence of jealousy,
- concern for the welfare of all.
- “Hold the Means of Crossing”
तरणोपाय चित्ती धरा
This is a beautiful warning. Compassion alone is not enough. Service alone is not enough. The goal must not be forgotten.
The seeker must keep alive:
- Viveka,
- Vairagya,
- Bhakti,
- Bhavana,
- Guru Krupa.
These are the boat that carries one across. One serves the world without losing sight of Brahman.
Application for the Seeker
Muktabai asks us:
Can people feel lighter after meeting us?
Can our presence reduce someone’s burden?
Can we celebrate another’s success?
Can we help without expectation?
Can we see beyond divisions?
These are practical measures of spiritual growth.
Relation to Bhagavan Nityananda’s Core Teachings
This stanza beautifully synthesises:
Sudha Bhavana
The pure heart.
Vishal Maan
The expansive mind.
Nirmal Maan
Freedom from jealousy.
Sabh Mithi
Dropping egoic distinctions.
Guru Krupa
Living as an instrument of grace.
Chidakasha
Seeing all beings in the One Consciousness.
Essence of Stanza 8
If Stanza 7 taught:
“See God in all beings,”
Stanza 8 teaches:
“Serve all beings as God.”
Muktabai’s Yogi is no longer concerned merely with personal liberation.
He becomes:
- an ocean of peace,
- a source of comfort,
- a friend to all,
- free from jealousy,
- free from division,
- a living bridge helping others cross the ocean of worldly existence.
Such a one embodies Bhagavan Nityananda’s Sudha Bhavana—the Heart that has become so pure, so vast, and so universal that it naturally radiates peace wherever it goes.
And therefore Muktabai lovingly concludes:
“ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा“
“Open the Door, O Dynaneshwara.”
For the door truly opens when the seeker’s happiness is no longer his own, but becomes a blessing to the whole world.
