Mauli – Sant Dnyaneshwar

आता विश्चात्मके देवे, येणे वाग्यज्ञे तोषावे
तोषोनि मज द्यावे, पसायदान हे
जे खळांची व्यंकटी सांडो, तया सत्कर्मी रती वाढ़ो
भूतां परस्परे जडो, मैत्र जीवांचे
दुरिताचे तिमीर जावो, विश्व स्वधर्म सूर्ये पाहो
जो जे वांछील तो ते लाहो, प्राणिजात
वर्षत सकळ मंगळी, ईश्वरनिष्ठांची मंदियाळी
अनवरत भूमंडळी, भेटतु भूतां
चलां कल्पतरुंचे आरव, चेतना चिंतामणींचे गांव
बोलते जे अर्णव, पीयूषाचे
चंद्रमे जे अलांछन, मार्तंड जे तापहीन
ते सर्वांही सदा सज्जन, सोयरे होतु
किंबहुना सर्वसुखी, पूर्ण होऊनि तिहींलोकीं
भजि जो आदिपुरुरवी, अखंडित
आणि ग्रंथोपवीजिये, विशेषी लोकी इये
दृष्टादृष्टविजयें, हो आवे जी
येथ म्हणे विश्चेश्चरावो, हा होईल दानपसावो
येणे वरे ज्ञानदेवो सुखिया झाला.

On the Sanjeevan Samadhi Day, I bow to MAULI – Sant Dnyaneshwar with humility and ask him to bless us with Bhakti towards God for which he spent his 21 years of life.

Dnyaneshwar, the second of the four siblings, Nivruttinath, Sopandev and Muktabai, being the other three, is the author of Dnyaneshwari, the first translation of Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta into Marathi. He has written the whole text in the form of “owya” (poetic composition) and so can be easily sung. And this treatise just at the age of 12 or 16 (historians differ). At the age when kids are growing up, understanding the world, this divine kid translates Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta into the layman’s language so that He understands. Would request my readers to go through the book available easily on the net.

There are many aspects to his life. His childhood, his parents, his sanyas. Today I just want to write about his work of awakening of Bhakti within individual lives, along with Namdev and others. There is a story that goes on to say that Dnyaneshwar made a male buffalo sing the Vedas on insistence of the Brahmins. I personally don’t doubt it a bit. At the same time, there is a perspective to it, too. Dnyaneshwar has taken the understanding of the Vedas to the last man, such that even a man who lives like a buffalo, starts reciting the Vedas. And it’s not a single person! He has touched and transformed thousands. They are all the Warkaris. They still continue the legacy of Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.

There are many such instances like that is moving of a wall, getting a chappati cooked on his back and many more, but leave them to some other time to write on, when He permits.

Dnyaneshwar is very large hearted. (All the saints are). This is demonstrated in the every line of Pasaaydaan cited at the beginning of my blog. He talks about the changing of minds, changing the thought process of the human. He does not call for beheading, but calls for a change. He calls out to such persons with love and sympathy. And later talks about line of people who are one with God, immersed in God. And in the end he asks for all that is needed to make a Human happy. That is the reason he is called Mauli, a mother. Dnyaneshwar cares for humankind as a mother cares for her child.

All the 4 siblings are considered as the great saints of the Nath Sampradaay. Dnyaneshwar was initiated into the sect by his elder brother Nivruttinath, and he in turn initiated Sopandev and Muktabai. When Changdev, the great ascetic accepted his own misgivings and asked Dnyaneshwar to take him as his disciple, then Dnyaneshwar initiated him as a disciple of Muktabai. Such is Dnyaneshwar.

His works Amrutanubhav and Changdev Pashashthi are equally well known. He is also known through his abhangs (devotional songs).

At the age of 21, when He asks his elder brother, his Guru (teacher) to initiate Him into Samadhi, Nivruttinath accepts the request with a heavy heart. Today is the day when many years back, Mauli – Sant Dnyaneshwar was initiated into Sanjivan Samadhi. We bow down to Him on this day. His going is to be celebrated and it’s a day to sit back and think of all the work He has done for our upliftment.

Lastly, in the words of the Warkaris,

NIVRUTTI, DNYANDEV, SOPAN, MUKTABAI,

EKNATH, NAMDEV, TUKARAM…