Sant Jnaneshwar of Alandi, Maharashtra (India)
Sant Jnaneshwar, also known as Jnanadeva, is well known as the author of the Jnaneshwari, a commentary on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. He was born in 1275 A.D. in Alandi, Maharashtra. Behind his birth lies the sad story of his parents. His father, Vithalpant, hailed from Apegaon in the same state. He was a saintly man given over to religious practices from a young age. Once, passing through Alandi while on pilgrimage, he came to the notice of one Shidopant, who offered his daughter, Rukminibai, in marriage to him. Vithalpant was disinclined to enter into worldly ties but on receiving a Divine command in a dream, he accepted the proposal. The couple lived in Apegaon till Vithalpant's parents died and then they moved to Alandi.
However, his spiritual tendencies continued, and one day he left home to take sannyas. He became the disciple of Swami Ramanand in Varanasi, without revealing that he was already married. After some time, Swami Ramanand went on a pilgrimage to the south and was passing through Alandi. Rukminibai, the disconsolate wife of Vithalpant, was a regular worshiper at the Mareih Temple where the Swami had put up. As a matter of respect, she bowed down to the Swami, who gave the usual blessing to a married woman, 'Be you the mother of a son.' Rukminibai could not hold back her tears at this point. On enquiry, she told the whole story of Vithalpant's sannyas. Ramanand was shocked to hear his name being mentioned as the guru. A furious Ramanand returned to Varanasi and after ascertaining that his disciple was the unfortunate lady's husband, severely reprimanded him for lying to his guru and sent him back home. Vithalpant resumed family life but there was a social storm. Never before had a sannyasi returned to the householder's life. They were ostracised by their Brahmin community and had to live as outcastes outside the village.
Four children were born to them: Nivrittinath (1273), Jnanadeva (1275), Sopan (1277) and Muktabai (1279) (Some accounts give the birth dates as four years earlier.) Vithalpant educated the children himself while bearing the taunts and insults of society. However, as the children grew up, it became necessary to perform their thread ceremony if they were to lead normal lives. The brahmins of Alandi flatly refused such a request. In a dejected state, he took his family to Nasik to perform some purificatory rites. During their pilgrimage, they were set upon by a tiger. The family scattered and Nivritti lost his way. While the others got together and returned home, Nivritti had entered a cave. There he came upon Sant Gahinath of the Nath sect of Yogins. The sage saw in Nirvrittinath, a great potential yogi. He initiated him into the Nath oracles and taught him for a week. That it took him only a week to master yoga shows that he was an exceptional pupil. (In fact, popular tradition says he is an incarnation of Lord Shiva.) With this knowledge, Nivrittinath returned home. He initiated Jnaneshwar who in turn initiated Sopan and Muktabai. In all his works, Jnaneshwar pays obeisance to his elder brother Nivrittinath as his guru.
Meanwhile, Vithalpant, finding his efforts at obtaining a letter of purification (shuddhipatra) in Alandi futile, decided to go to Paithan. However, on the advice of his guru, Swami Ramanand, (some accounts say on the advice of his maternal uncle), Vithalpant and his wife Rukminibai, drowned themselves in the sacred Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad). The children, thus left alone, went on to Paithan.
There the brahmins again obstinately refused to give the purificatory letters. They argued about the scriptures with Jnaneshwar, who put forward the advaita philosophy that all is the one Brahman. If so, the Brahmins argued, buffaloes should be able to recite the Vedas. Jnanadeva accepted the challenge.
A buffalo was brought and by putting his hand on the buffalo's head, Jnanadeva made it recite the Vedas. The awe struck Brahmins gave the required letter and sent them on their way. They shifted to Newasa on the Prarasa river in present day Ahmeduagar district. All the four children became great saints with Muktabai's devotional songs becoming the jewel of Marathi Saint literature. Here, Jnanadeva cured one Satchidananda Baba of an incurable disease. He became an ardent disciple who later copied out the Jnaneshwari. It was here in Newasa that Jnanadeva composed the Jnaneshwari or the Bhavarthidipika in the temple of Mhalsadevi (Mahalayadevi). The work was completed in 1290. After this they returned to Alandi.
There lived at that time a yogi called Changdeva. He was reported to be more than 400 years old, such was his mastery over the hatha yogic techniques of controlling ageing. He also possessed many other siddhis (powers). He was peeved at a boy like Jnanadeva (who was barely 16) getting so much respect.
He wanted to challenge him, but could not find a suitable form of address. He could not bring himself to respect a mere boy, but in view of his reputation could not insult him either. So he sent him a blank letter. In reply, Jnanadeva sent him a poem of sixty five verses containing the essence of his teachings; it is known as the Changdeva-pasashti. But the latter could not understand it. Riding on a tiger, he started for Alandi with his retinue of 3000 disciples. As he approached Alandi, Jnanadeva, who was sitting on a wall, rode forward to meet him on a moving wall. The meaning of this incident is that Jnanadeva demonstrated to Changdeva his mastery over inanimate nature. If Changdeva had the power to control a tiger, Jnanadeva could make the very earth move! Changdeva surrendered to Jnanadeva but the ego is not easy to destroy. Jnanadeva asked him to ask one of his disciples to sacrifice himself so that he (Jnanadeva) could attain to Brahmajnana (Self knowledge). Changdeva was confident all his disciples were utterly dedicated to him and would do anything for him; but the next day none of them were present. Changdeva prostrated before Jnanadeva and offered himself. Jnanadeva told him that by his surrender he had given up his ego and no more sacrifice was needed. Ultimately, Changdeva became one of his leading disciples.
The other important stage in Jnanadeva's life was his meeting the great saint Namadev, who was a worshipper of the personal aspect of God in the form of Lord Panduranga Vithala of Pandhapur. In fact, it is said that Namadev attended the first discourse of Jnaneshwari by Jnanadeva in Newasa. In Jnanadeva, Namadeva found the ideal combination of jnana and bhakti. He introduced him to the other great devotees of Lord Vithala and to the Varkari sect (worshippers of Vithala) whose leader he soon became. Jnanadeva wrote many abhangas (devotional songs) to Lord Vithala and went on a pilgrimage with Namadev to northern India.
On their return to Alandi on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of Karthika in 1296, Jnanadeva entered into his last meditation samadhi and was buried alive in a cave. A temple was constructed there and thousands of devotees visit it today. He was only 21 years old at the time of samadhi. His brother and sister followed him into samadhi within a year and a half.
Two great works of Maharashtra's spiritual literature stand to his name: Bhavarthdipika (Jnaneshwari) and Amritanubhava. He wrote all his works in Marathi so that the people could comprehend their message. He was tender in age but had infinite compassion for suffering humanity. He denied the importance of caste, creed or gender before God. He perceived that the paths of Yoga and Jnana were too difficult for the people of the present age and presented the comparatively easy path of devotion-cum-knowledge. "Living in the world, perform your duties with constant remembrance of God. The only way is constant remembrance of God." He saw no contradiction between the advaitic philosophy and bhakti. "In advaita, there is still bhakti. This is a matter of experience, not of words."
The Jnaneshwari is a big, poetical-cum-philosophical
Again, it was on his elder brother and Guru Sri Nivrittinath's advice that he wrote the philosophic work Amritanubhava. It is based on the Upanishads and proclaims the unity of the soul and the Supreme Consciousness (jiva and Shiva). Scholars have said that this work is deeply influenced by Shaivism. This is quite natural given the Nath sect is Shaivite. Besides these two works, he wrote the Changdeva-pasashti and abhangas to Lord Vithala.
Sant Jnaneshwar was a great Master who guided many to realization in his lifetime and whose works continue to guide many more. Of him it can truly be said:
Shanta Mahanto Nivasanti Santo/
Vasantavallokahitam Charantah/
Tirnah Swayam Bhimbhavarnavam/
Jananhetum anyanapi Taryantah/
Vasantavallokahitam Charantah/
Tirnah Swayam Bhimbhavarnavam/
Jananhetum anyanapi Taryantah/
"There are the great, calm ones who do good to others like the spring. Having crossed the dreadful ocean of birth and death, they selflessly help others to cross the same."
By Unmesh Vakila
Matruvani, November/December, 2000
Notes: At the age of twenty-one, Jnaneshwar spontaneously dictated the Bhavartha Dipika, the first ever vernacular commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. This scintillating feat, uniting the Yogas of Devotion and Knowledge, earned the young Sant enduring fame.
He is widely revered as an incarnation of Krishna. At the age of twenty-two, he was entombed in a state of deep meditation known as jivan samadhi. Centuries later, Sant Eknath entered the tomb and saw a radiant youth seated in meditation.
Jnaneshwar is still believed to be alive, anchoring his light body as a crystal of enlightened energy radiating from Alandi to the entire world.
Alandi: The Marathi word Alandi is a corruption of the Sanskrit Alankapuri.
On the physical plane, Alandi is a village located fifteen kilometers from Pune, on the banks of the Indrayani River. Since ancient times, the village has been a shrine of Shiva as Siddheshwar, Lord of Spiritual Attainment. Today, the Alandi Jnanshewar temple is a major pilgrimage center, drawing hundreds of thousands of devotees on festival days.
On the spiritual plane, Alankapuri is the location of the Blue Pearl, ten fingerbreaths above the crown of the head, embodying the supreme level of consciousness, attainable by human beings—absolute, pristine awareness imbued with love and devotion.
UNESCO World Peace Centre in Alandi, India http://www.mitpune.org/wpc
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