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Dnyaneshwar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sant Dnyāneshwar / Sant Jñāneshwar (1275-1296) (ज्ञानेश्वर in Marathi) (also known as Jñanadeva - ज्ञानदेव ) was a 13th century Nath sect yogi of Maharashtra, India. He was the first noteworthy proponent of Bhagawat sampradaya, a sect of Bhakti (devotional worship to Lord Krishna) tradition in Hinduism. Dnyaneshwar composed Bhavarthadeepika or Dnyaneshwari (ज्ञानेश्वरी) to explains Krishna's Sanskrit teachings of Bhagavad Gita to the masses.He was born in the Kulkarni family which was socially-outcast; The Kulkarnis are traditionally village accountants in medieval times of Maharashtra. He took sanjeevan Samadhi, a yogic path to salvation by giving up life at the young age of 21.
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माझ्या मराठीची बोलु कौतुके परी अम्रुताच्या पैजा जिंके एसै अक्षरे रसिके मिळवीन!
Translation: I will bring great knowledge of Vedas, Upanishads, Shastras and Bhagvadgita from Sanskrit in my mother tongue Marathi. Thus, provide status to common poor people who know Marathi but don’t know Sanskrit. He regarded the upliftment of all sectors of society as very important and stressed that caste should be based on qualities not birth.
Pasaydan is considered to be a Vaishwik Pratharna (Prayer for the entire world). In this prayer Saint Dnyaneshwar asks for the well-being of all human beings. He prays to God and wishes criminals to give up their bad qualities and develop an interest in noble things. He wants all living things to be united by Maitri (Friendship). He prays to God to remove the darkness from minds of ill-minded people. He asks for the rise of the sun of true Vishwa Swadharma (the Dharma of the entire world). (Vishwa swadharma does not mean any organized religion but indicates the rise of noble powers in the entire world.)
Pasaydaan is considered to be the prayer without any reference to any religion for entire mankind and entire world. It is possibly one of the greatest prayers in Indian heritage.
Dnyaneshwar was the second of four children of Vitthal Kulkarni and Rukmini, a pious Brahmin couple from the village Apegaon near Paithan in Maharashtra on the banks of River Godavari.
Vitthal studied Vedas and became well versed in them at a very young age. During one of the pilgrimages he visited Alandi about 30 km from Pune. Sidhopant, a local brahmin, was very much impressed with him and married his daughter Rukmini to a reluctant Vitthal.
After marriage Vithalpant remained at Alandi for some time but due to his lack of interest in family life he abruptly abondoned his family one day to become a sannyasin at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. Ramanandswami, his guru, soon discovered the truth and sent him back to live as a husband. Vithalpant returned but was boycotted as it was against the holy tradition to abandon sannyas and adopt married life again.
Four children were born to the couple: Nivrutti in 1273, Dnyandeo (Dnyaneshwar) in 1275, Sopan in 1277 and daughter Muktabai in 1279. All four studied the Vedas and other holy books under their father as they could not join schools because of the boycott. The family suffered much with it. In a hopeless state of mind Vitthal and Rukmini left their children at Apegaon, for a pilgrimage. As a punishment he accepted “Dehant Prayshitt” (death Punishment) by order of Dharmadhikaris of Paithan. Both were optimistic that after their death their children will not face any problem and they will get accepted in society.
The orphaned children somehow grew up begging for dry alms from sympathetic people which they would cook and eat. In the course of time they too approached the brahmin community of Paithan to accept them in society after whatever purification rites were necessary but the brahmin community refused.Dharmadhikaris of Paithan suggested them to pray to Shwaan( Dog), Khar(Donkey, Horse Like animal) referring that your status in not even equivalent to these animals.However, considering the excellent behaviour of the children and their learning they were permitted to live in the community on the condition that they observe celibacy and produce no progeny. This was in 1287 when Dnyaneshwar was twelve years old.
About this time Nivrutinath,14, initiated Dnyaneshwar,12, into the Nath sect and instructed him to write a commentary on Bhagwat Gita. The children moved to Nevase, a village in AhmedNagar district. There Dnyaneshwar began his commentary on Gita. He used to give a discourse on it to a group of seekers, some of them belonging to the Nath sect, and others who were followers of the path of devotion. A local devotee by name Sacchidananandbaba wrote down whatever Dnyandeo said. A prominent person among the audience was the saint Namdeo. Dnyandeo and Namdeo had met earlier at Pandharpur and developed mutual friendship.
Dnyaneshwar started on his commentary which he called Bhavarthadeepika in the year 1287 when he was merely twelve year old. He finished it two and half years later in 1290. By that time he had developed a great friendship with Namdeo. He had also realised that the path of yoga on which the Nath sect places a great stress could not be easily followed by everyone and the path of devotion was a key for all seekers irrespective of caste, creed or gender. Perhaps he was influenced in this by Namdeo who was a tailor by profession and therefore traditionally belonged to Shudra caste.
Dnyneswar then composed Bhavarthdeepika, later known as Dnyaneswari after his name, to make the sacred knowledge locked in Bhagawad Gita's Sanskrit verses accessible to far greater numbers of people. Unlike the Gita, Dnyaneswari is in Marathi - a language of masses. However, Dnyaneshwar's commentary is based on Sankaracharya's Advaita Vedanta, which holds that the ultimate form of brahman is impersonal, as opposed to a saguna parabrahma, or brahman with attributes.
Shortly after the completion of Bhavarthadeepika, Dnyaneshwar joined the varkari movement, probably under the influence of Namdeo, and virtually became their leader. The varkari sect is known by that name because it is considered essential to visit Pandharpur at least twice a year, on the two Ekadashi (11th day by lunar calendar) in Ashadh (which falls sometime in August) and Kartik (which falls sometime in November) months. It is a path of devotion to Vitthl, who is Krishna.
Dnyaneshwar wrote Amritanubhava, again in verse form, dealing with spiritual and devotional topics. Both Dnyaneshwari and Amritanubhava are holy texts for the Varkari sect today.
Dnyaneshwar then accompanied Namdeo and several other followers of devotee path such as Savata Mali on a pilgrimage of all the holy places of north, east and west India.
Immediately after returning to Alandi, Dnyaneshwar (in 1296) expressed his desire for Samadhi. He chose the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight in the Hindu month of Kartik for samadhi. People gathered and had a final round of bhajans etc. Dnyandeo embraced his brothers and sister and close friends like Namdeo. With tears in the eyes of all he entered the cave and sat in the yogic posture. The cave was sealed with a stone and Dnyandeo left his body by yogic process. Dnyandeo was only 21 years of age at this time.
Sant Dnyaneshwar took sanjivan samadhi at Alandi in Pune District of Maharashtra, India.
Sant Dnyaneshwar’s writing is a combination of scholarly intelligence and poetic beauty.
His major works include:
- The Bhavarth Deepika/Dnyanadevi, popularly known as the Dnyaneshwari, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written in Marathi. Dnyaneshwari is one of the three sacred books of Bhagavata. (Locally called the Warkari movement).Dnyaneshwar composed Dnyaneshwari in Newasa town of Ahmednagar district.
- Nearly a thousand Marathi devotional songs (Abhanga) of which 28 are the famous Haripath.
- The Amritanubhava, is the work in which he has stated his own philosophy, also called Chitvilaasavaada.
The works of Dnyaneshwar and his siblings have influenced the Marathi culture to this day. The stories from the life and works of Dnyaneshwar are widely told in Maharashtra, and in many families he is worshipped as a Hindu God, as he had brought Lord Krishna's words from gita into common man's language. Dnyaneshwar's compositions have found a place in the school anthologies of Maharashtra. The poetry of Dnyaneshwar and Mukta is popular in Maharashtra.
He, along with Sant Namdeo, propagated the warkari tradition that has been alive for over 700 years.
- Nivrutti Nath: Elder brother of Dnyaneshwar, Nivrutti was an authority on philosophy of Nath sect. Gahininath, one of the nine Nath gurus, accepted Nivrutti as desciple and initiated him into Nath sect, instructing him to propagate devotion to Shri Krishna. Dnyaneshwar accepted his elder brother as his own guru. After the early Samadhi of Dnyaneshwar, Nivrutti Nath travelled with his sister on a pilgrimage along Tapi river where they were caught in a thunderstorm and Mukta lost in it without a trace. Nivrutti nath took to salvation (Samadhi) at Triambakeshwar.
- Sopandev: Younger brother Sopandev attained ‘samadhi' at Saswad near Pune. He Wrote a book "Sopandevi" based on Bhagvadgita's Marathi interpretation
- Mukta: The youngest of the siblings, Mukta Bai (or Muktai / Muktabai) was known for her simple and straight expression of thoughts.
Listen songs online at:
http://www.dhingana.com/albums.php?value=OTg0&category=marathi&searchKeyword=dmlzaHdhY2hl
Last Song:
Vishwache Aart mazya mani Prakashale.....
This song is addressed to late Father and Mother of Saint Dyaneshwar. Just before his "Sanjeevan Samadhi(death)", "Aart" means extreme and depth sorrow.
Though I spend my life in intense sorrow, still I succeeded in doing activity of my intertest (that is, writing many books in Marathi, empowering common man who don't know Sanskrit)...I demonstrated sky like miracle by doing this and thus I shocked Orthodox people who outcast me from society.I have decorated my soul in my heart with " Brahma tatva"(- a concept in Vedas believe that every human being is having some portion of god called as Brahma tatva) thus, my soul will soon get dissolve in this infinite universe.
The stories recounted by believers in Bhagawata Sampradaya (sect) about Saint Dnyaneshwar’s life are full of miracles. These stories are mentioned in many scriptures and include: the baking of bread (mānde, or roti in Hindi) on his heated back, as well as his making a wall move and a bull recite vedic hymns. These miracles defy logic and rational thought, but it should be noted that yogic texts describe such abilities and assert that they can be acquired in the advanced stages of yogic practice.
- John Noyce, Gyaneshwara: a Western-language bibliography (Melbourne: Noyce Publishing, 1995)
- M. V. Dhond "Dnyaneshwari: Swarup, Tatvadnyan ani Kavya" (Majestic Book Stall, 1980)
- R.D.Ranade, Mysticism in Maharashtra: Indian mysticism (Poona, 1933; reprint: Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1982) ISBN 8120805755
- B.P.Bahirat, The Philosophy of Jnanadeva (Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1956) ISBN 8171547370
- P.V.Bobde (trans), Garland of Divine Flowers: selected devotional lyrics of Saint Jnanesvara (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987) ISBN 8120803906
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