Jnaneshvar

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JNANESHVAR

THE LIFE AND WORKS

OF THE CELEBRATED

THIRTEENTH CENTURY

INDIAN MYSTIC-POET


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Books by S. Abhayananda

The Supreme Self History of MysticismThe Wisdom of Vedanta

Dattatreya: The Song of The AvadhutThomas á Kempis: On The Love of GodThe Origin of Western Mysticism Mysticism and Science


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JNANESHVAR

THE LIFE AND WORKS

OF THE CELEBRATEDTHIRTEENTH CENTURY

INDIAN MYSTIC-POET

by Swami Abhayananda


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Copyright © 1989, 1994, 2007 bySwami Abhayananda

All rights reserved. The reproduction of this book inwhole or in part in any manner whatsoever without

prior permission from the author is prohibited exc ept inthe case of brief quotations embodied in criticalar t icle s and reviews . Inquiries may be sent to:

Swami [email protected]


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CONTENTS

BOOK ONE

The Life of Jnaneshvar

Preface ………………………………….……. 9

1. The Historical Setting……………… 142. Vitthal And Rakhumabai…….………2 53. The New King of Devgiri……………314. Nivritti Finds His Guru……… ………335. The Death of Vitthal………………...426. A New Beginning…………………… 457. Jnaneshvar Beco mes Enlightened……588. The Creations of ThePoet……………64

9. A New Sultan Comes To Power….... 7410. The Pilgrims of Pandharp ur…………. 8411. On The Road To Kashi………….. . 10112. Return To Pandharpur……………….10713. The Siege of Devgiri……………… .11314. Treachery At Manukpur…….…….. 12015. Jnaneshvar’s Samadhi……………… 124

Postscript……………………………………..128 Notes………………………………………….133Bibliography………………...……………… 135


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BOOK TWO

The Works of Jnaneshvar

Preface……………………………………… 139

Amritanubhav

Chapter One: The Union of Shiva andShakti……………………………………….. 147

Chapter Two: Salutations To Sri Nivritti………… 157

Chapter Three: The Requirements of Speech…….. 171

Chapter Four: Knowledge and Ignorance……….. 180

Chapter Five: Existence, Consciousness, Bliss….. 189

Chapter Six: Inefficacy of The Word………….. 202

Chapter Seven: Refutation of Ignorance…………. 220

Chapter Eight: Refutation of Knowledge………… 264

Chapter Nine: Secret of Natural Devotion………. 268

Chapter Ten: Blessings To The World………… 280

Haripatha………………………………………………. 288

Changadev Pasashti…………………………………… 308

Notes……………………………………………. 322

About The Author……………………………. 327


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BOOK ONE:



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THE LIFE OF JNANESHVAR

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PREFACE

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PREFACE TO BOOK ONE:


The story of the life of Jnaneshvar is necessarilysketchy, as many of the existing accounts of his life,

written several centuries ago, are highly imaginative,to say the least. Indian hagiogra phers trad itionallywrote about their Medieval saints as though theywere celestial gods translocated to earth to appear inhuman guise for the benefit of suffering humanity.The story of their lives was related as a series ofmiraculous events from beginning to end, culminatingin the saint’s supernatural epiphany and resurrectionin his celestial habitat. It is oftentimes very difficult,therefore, to reconstruct from such accounts a real,living, feeling, human being and to get a clearunderstanding of what that saint’s life was reallylike. The life of Jnaneshvar is no exception to thisrule; he is pictured in existing icons as though hewere a porcelain doll, and represented in literature asa godlike being who flew about on brick walls,caused bullocks to recite the Vedas, and, at the ageof twenty-five, after having left his message formortals, released his body to return to his abode inKailas, his celestial mountain paradise.

Fortunately, however, there are enough facts prese rved fr om the recorded recollect io ns of hiscontemporaries, and enough data available concerning

the historical period in which he lived to piecetogether a likely story of the life and career ofJnaneshvar, who emerges as one of the most brilliant poets, su bl ime myst ics, and fascinating figures in allof Medieval Indian history. At an age when mostmen have scarcely begun their life’s work, Jnaneshvar(Gyan-esh-war ), who lived from 1271 to 1296, amere span of twenty-five years, had ended his; butnot before having built an everlasting monument tohis memory in the written masterpieces he left


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behind . In so few years, he had est abl ishe d a legacythat was to revitalize his culture, his language, hisreligious tradition, and make a place for himself asan enduring presence in the hearts of his countrymenfor all time. Had the thirteent h centur y been blessed

with no other luminary than Jnaneshvar, still it wouldhave been a glorious century for the literature ofGod-knowledge; but Jnaneshvar was not the o nly starin the world’s sky in that shining century.

In Christian Europe, at the same time asJnaneshvar, there lived a learned Prior at Erfurt, inGermany, by the name of Johann Eckhart (1260-1327) who had directly known and experienced Godin mystical vision, and was embarrassing the officialsof the Catholic church by declaring before all hiscongregation that he had done so. Eckhart, knownas Meister Eckhart, was undoubtedly the bright starin the European firmament of the thirteenth century,and t he Christian equivalent o f Jnaneshvar in mysticalknowledge . He was only eleven years older thanJnaneshvar, and is certainly possible that therevelation of unity which each of them experiencedoccurred around the same period (1288-1293). LikeJnaneshvar, Eckhart was to inspire a mysticalmovement with a succession of genuine mysticstrailing after him, and, lie Jnaneshvar, he was torevolutionize and set the standard for a buddingliterary language. Also, like Jnaneshvar, he was to

live misunderstood, unappreciated, and persecutedduring his own lifetime.

The world of Islam also had its luminaries: thegreat Sufi mystic-poets, Farid-uddin Attar (d. 1230),Fakhr-uddin Iraqi (d. 1289), and the incomparableJalal-uddin Rumi (d. 1273); but it was the Spanish-Arab, Muhi-uddin Ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240), who, proba bly mo re tha n any othe r, qualifies fo r the posit io n of myst ical influenc e which Jnaneshva r andEckhart came to hold in their respective worlds.


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PREFACE

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Jnaneshvar, Eckhart and Ibn Arabi, though born inwidely divergent locations and religious traditions,each experienced the revelation of cosmic Unity; and,though one called that Unity by the name of Shiva ,and another called in Gottheit , and the other called

in Haqq , the Unity which they experienced was thesame, and their descriptions of it were identical.However, the writings of Eckhart and Ibn Arabi

were the products of men well into their maturity;Jnaneshvar was but a boy when he had concluded hislife’s work. How, we must wonder, did such profo und myst ical kno wledge and literary genius arisein this young, casteless, peasant boy, orphaned andliving in utter poverty on the banks of the GodavariRiver? How is it possible that a lad of nineteen poss esse d the va st learning and mature wisdom towrite the Jnaneshvari, and a year later Amritanubhav? And why did he choo se to end hislife at the age of twenty-five. Why did his sister andtwo brothers take their own lives shortly thereafter?To these questions there will never be conclusiveanswers. But, in piecing toget her the tale ofJnaneshvar’s life and times, we may find a few clueswhich will enable us to draw our own con-collusions.

It is a tale I’ve chosen to tell in a somewhatunorthodox fashion, weaving together the chroniclesof historical fact with the kind of recreative dramausually reserved for fictional litera ture . I have take n

this license as a storyteller in order too impart asense of life and immediate drama to a tale which, because of it s many diverse element s and eso tericterms, might ten to be taxing to the reader if toldentirely in the usual narrative style of the historian.And while I have taken stylistic license, I haveconscientiously avoided taking license with historicalfact. All events described herein are consistent withthe chronicles of historians and reliablecontemporaries of Jnaneshvar.


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It seems that, up to now, Jnaneshvar has not beenadequately treated or appreciated in the West; and soit is my hope that this book may serve to providethat appreciation by familiarizing Western readerswith this best loved poet-saint of India, and with

some of his lesser known works which rightlydeserve a prominent place among the world’s greatmasterpieces of mystical literature.

Swami AbhayanandaAugust, 1983


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PREFACE

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(Map – figure 1.)


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1. THE HISTORICAL SETTING

The lives and works of the great cannot be viewedclearly without some understanding of the historicalmilieu in which such perso ns lived. Even a yogi and

saint such as Jnaneshvar could not escape theinfluence of his times and the effects of hisenvironment. Jnaneshvar’s life was a perpetual dramaof struggle against poverty and caste persecution, played out against a ba ckdrop of the invasio n of hiscountry by a foreign power; for India, in the 13 t h century, was a land under siege.

Since the latter part of the 10 t h century, India andher people had been under attack by the conqueringMuslims from the northwest; it was a siege whichwas to continue for more than five centur ies. WillDurant, in his Story of Civilization , c alls it “proba blythe bloodiest stor y in history.” And it was justified by the ba sic conceptio n of the Muslim state: tha t allnon-Muslims are its enemies and are to be slain. Theholy Quran, the word of the Prophet, says: “Killthose who join other deities to Allah, wherever youshall find them. But if they shall convert … then letthem go their way.” 1 And again: “Say to theinfidel, if they desist from their unbelief, what is pastis forgiven them. But if they return to it, … fightthen against them to the end, until the only religionleft is Allah’s.” 2

The Turkish ruler, Sabuktigin, was the first of along line of Muslim princes who, finding their ju st ificat io n in the command s of Mu ha mmed, andspurred by their own lust for wealth and new lands,led their conquering armies into India by the gatewayof Afghanistan, which lay on her northwestern border. Making his capit al at Gha zni in Afghanist an,Sabuktigin led the first holy Muslim campaigns intoIndia’s northwestern province, the Punjab (now in


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THE HISTORICAL SETTING

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Pakistan), in the year 986 of our Current Era. (Seethe map in figure 1.)

In the following year, Sabuktigin was succeeded by his so n, Mahmud, known as “the idol-breaker”,who declared:

The whole country of India is full ofgold and jewels, and of the plants whichgrow there are those fit for makingwearing apparel, and aromatic plants andthe sugar cane; and the whole aspect ofthe country is pleasant and delightful. Now sinc e the inha bit ant s are chieflyinfidels and idolaters, by the order of Godand His Prophet, it is right for us toconquer them. 3

Mahmud’s hordes of Turkish cavalry were fartoo many, too swift, and too skilled for the peacefuland unsuspecting Indian peoples, and he was able to push his raid ing part ie s fu rther and fu rther intonorthern India, harvesting immense wealth from thetemples containing treasures accumulated overcentu ries. From the city of Kangra, Mahmud carried back to Gha zni “jewels and unbored pearls andrubies, shining like sparks of fire, or like iced wine;emeralds like sprigs of fresh myrtle; and diamondsthe size and weight of pomegranates.” 4

In 1018 C.E., Mahmud directed his attackagainst the sacred city of Mathura. According tohistorians,

The city was surrounded by amassive stone wall, in which were twolofty gates opening on to the river.There were magnificent temples allover the city and the largest of themstood in the center of it . The Sultan


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was very much struck by its grandeur.In his estimate, it cost not less then100 million red dinars, and even themost skillful of masons must havetaken 200 years to complete it .

Among the large number of idols in thetemples, five were made of pure gold,the eyes of one of them were laid withtwo rubies worth 1000 thousanddinars, 5 and another had a sapphire ofa very heavy weight. All these fiveidols yielded gold weighing 98,300miskals. 6 The idols of silver numbered200.

The city is said to have been within theKingdom of the Raja of Delhi, but theSultan captured it without meeting anyoppo sition. He seized all the gold andsilver idols and ordered his soldiers to bu rn all the temples to the ground. Theidols in them were deliberately broke ninto pieces. The city was pillaged for20 days, and a large number of buildingswere reduced to ashes. 7

In 1023 C.E., Mahmud stormed Somnath, theholy place of pilgrimage of the Shaivites, with30,000 of his troops, reportedly killing 50,000

Hindus, and destroying the huge stone Shiva-lingamworshipped there. He caused it to be broken into pieces, which were the n carried back to Ghazni to pave the ent ranc eway to the Jami mo sq ue, so tha tthe faithful of Islam might daily trample on it.

One might wonder why the provincial Rajas ofIndia did not gather together their forces to fightoff this invader, which they could have done easily.But the Rajas seemed incapable of envisualizing atthat time a united national interest that took


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precedence ove r their individual provinc ial interes ts,and incapable of relaxing their centuries-old feudswith one another long enough to unite against acommon enemy. Also, the Indian peop le wereunaccu stomed to this kind of fighting. From

ancient times, defense was the special task of thekshatrya caste, and of no other. And they foughtaccording to an ancient chivalric code. A notedhistorian of the Medieval period of India points outthat

The Indian kings, all of whom accepted,at any rate in theory, the law of the Dharma-shastras as inalienable, wagedwars according to certain humane rules.… War being a special privilege of themartial classes, harassment of the civilian popula t io n during military operat io ns wasconsidered a serious lapse from the codeof honor . The high regar d which all thekshatryas had for the chastity of womenalso ruled out abduction as an incident ofwar. The wars in Centra l Asia, on theother hand, were grim struggles forsurvival, for the destruction of theenemies and for appropriating theirwomen-folk. No code circumscribed thedestructive zeal of the conqueror; no

canon restrained the ruthlessness of theirhordes. When, therefore, Mahmud’sarmies swept over North India, it sawtorrents of barbarians sweeping across itsrich plains, burning, looting, indulging inindiscrim-inate massacre; raping women,destroying fair cities, burning downmagnificent shrines enriched by centuriesof faith; enforcing an alien religion at the point of sword; abduct ing tho usa nds,


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forcing them into unwilling marriage orconcubinage; capturing hundreds ofthou sands of men, women and children,to be sold as slaves in the market s ofGhazni and other Central Asian markets.8

After Mahmud died in 1030 C.E., India enjoyeda brief respite until the rise of Muhammed Ghori,who, in 1182, conquered Sind and the Punjab. One by one , the great Indian cit ies fe ll; Ajmir, Delhi,Benares. And in 1199, the Buddhist stronghold ofBihar was taken, most of the Buddhist monksslaughtered, and with them the last vestige ofBuddhism disappeare d from India. The fewremaining survivors fled to Tibet where they made anew home for the teachings of the Buddha. Soon

after 1200, the whole of northern India, except forRajputana, Malwa, and part of Gujerat, was underthe rule of the Muslim conqu eror s. MuhammedGhori was assassinated in 1206, and his general,Kutb-uddin Ibak, became the first MohammedanSultan of Delhi.

During the reign of Iltutmish (1211-1236), theulama , the officials of Islamic law, made a uniteddemand to the Sultan that the Hindus should beconfronted with the Quranic injunction of ‘Islam ordeath.’ The Sultan referred the question to his

wazir , Nizam-ul-Mlk Junnaidi, who, whileconcurring with the ulama’s interpretation of thelaw, and agreeing that the Hindus should eitherconvert to Islam or be put to death, said:

However, at the moment, India hasnewly been conquered, and the Muslimsare so few that they are like a sprinkleof salt amid the sands of the desert. Ifthese orders are applied to the Hindus,


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it is possible that they might combineand a general confusion might ensue,and the Muslims would be too few innumber to suppress them. Later, aftera few years, when in the capital and in

the regions and small towns theMuslims are well established and thetro ops are larger, it will be possible togive Hindus the choice of ‘death orIslam.’ 9

The Sultans were therefore compelled to allowthe Hindus to live as zimmis, or second-ratecitizens, who were required to pay the j iziya, a poll-tax of 48, 24, and 12 silver coins for the rich, themiddle class, and the poo r, respect ively. OnlyBrahmins, monks, beggars, children, and the blindwere exempt from it. In addition to this, Hinduswere not permitted to conduct open worship, nor toteac h their religion. Their test imony in cour t wasnot considered legally valid, their temples andimages were frequently destroyed, their wealthconfiscated, and the priests and worshippers put todeath.

Iltutmish, like many of the Delhi Sultans, was aman of contradictory elements; although a strongruler and defender of the territories under theSultanate, he was also an aspirant to the attainment

of divine Trut h. One religious teache r andcontemporary of Iltutmish, Minhaj-us-Siraj, said ofhim, “The probability is that there was never asovereign of such exemplary faith and of suchkindheartedness and reverence toward recluses,devotees, divines, and doctors of religion everenwrapped by the mother of creation I the swaddlingclothes of dominion.”1 0 It is said that wheneverIltutmish heard about the arrival of some saint fromCentral Asian lands, he went out for miles to


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receive him and insisted on his stay at the palace;and that he used to visit paupers, mendicants anddestitutes at night under disguise in order todistribute money to them.

In 1246, Iltutmish’s son, Nasir-uddin Mahmud,

was named Sultan, but having little inclinationtoward rulership, he entrusted the affairs of thegovernment to Balban, his Deputy of State, while hedevoted himself entirely to spiritual studies and thediscipline of his soul. He wore his royal robesonly for public appearances; at other times he woreonly an old ragged garment, and tended to hisalmost constant prayers ad fasts. Much of his daywas spent making hand-written copies of the Quran,of which he completed two or three a year. Thesecopies were sold in the bazaar and the Sultansubsisted mainly on their proc eeds. He allowed noone to serve him but his wife, who cooked his foodand performed the tasks of a maidservant.

Nasir -uddin’s Deputy, Balban, who was ve rymuch inclined to govern, cajoled Nasir-uddin intoallowing him to display the royal canopy over hisown heat at court, and it is indicative of theconsolidation of Balban’s power that, when onenoble snickered upon seeing the white and goldcanopy over his head, he was immediately killed bytwo assassins with dagge rs. Eventu ally, Nasir-uddin proved superfluous, and Balban arranged to have

him eliminated by poison.In 1265, Balban became in name what he already

was in fact: the Sultan of Delhi and Emperor ofIndia. For Balban, the Muslim saying, ‘al Sultan zill allah f i’l arz’ (“The Sultan is the shadow ofGod on earth”), was to be taken seriously. Heasserted his divine status by placing around himselfa picked band of uniformed soldiers who wenteverywhere with him, surrounding him with theirglittering sabers held at the ready. In public, he


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never spoke to anyone, even his nobles, exceptthro ugh his Grand Chamberlain. Anyoneapproaching the throne was required to prostratehimself and kiss the throne or the Sultan’s feet.And because of the Mongol invasions of Central

Asia, all the refugee princes and nobles, as well asthe poets and scholars, of Turkey, Persia, Arabiaand Afghanistan flocked to Delhi to assemble at hisrichly festoo ned court. All this went to maintain thesemblance of divinity and absolute authority whichBalban intended. His extre me formality anddignified demeanor struck awe and terror into thehearts of the people and kept everyone precisely intheir proper place.

Despite all this, Balban seems to have beengenuinely humane and eminently just in all hisdealings with those arou nd him. He had a great lydeveloped sense, not only of the need for respecttoward the sovereignty, but also of the moralresponsibility that went with so exalted a position.He seems to have been totally dedicated to perfo rming his duty as ‘t he shadow of God’, andthis made of him a strong and respected leader.Though not a “mystic” like Iltutmish or Nasir-uddin,he had a great faith in God and in the life of virtue.

Always sober, dignified, Balban could not bearthe company of “the lowborn”. But he was everfriendly toward the orthodox, respectable theologians

and scholars of his day, and never failed to attendthe funerals of the Shaikhs and other divines,offering consolation and stipends of money to theirsurviving family members.

In a speech to his son, Mahmud, he advised himto commit himself to “the protection of some holy person … who has really reno unced this world andwho has dedicated himself completely to thedevotional worship of God. Beware that you neverattach yourself … to a man of the world.” But, in


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the same speech, he showed himself above all aMuslim, saying: “Keep the infidels and idol-worshipers degraded and dishonored so that you mayget a place in the company of the prophets, andcrush and uproot the Brahmins so that infidelity

vanishes…”

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It was Balban’s dedication to the virtues ofdivine sovereignty and the principles of responsiblegovernment that won for himself high regard as anoble and capable ruler. During the previous reignof Sultan Iltutmish, a sort of “non-aggression pact”had been established with Genghis Khan; but duringBalban’s reign, the Mongols were again attemptingin earnest to establish their stronghold in India. Cutoff from their own homeland, the Turkish Muslimsof India had now to repel the Mongol hordes fromthe north who were breathing down their necks, andit is to the credit of Balban’s foresight and strategythat it was accomplished.

The territory of India under Muslim rule at thattime can be seen on the map in figure 2. Itextended as far south as the Vindhya mountainrange, which, because of the tremendous obstacle it present ed, prevent ed the fu rther encroachment ofMuslim rule into sout hern India. The Deccan (from Dakshinapath , “the Southland”), bordered on thenorth by the Vindhyas and on the south by theTungabhadra river, was then, as it is today, a rich

lava-based plain, a fertile valley of rice and wheat producing land. The Deccan was protected fr omMuslim encroachment, not only on the north, but onthe west and east coasts by the Ghats, the naturalhigh cliff barriers created by the build-up ofgeological layers along the shores of the continent.

Here, in this bountiful plain, this peaceful oasis,unspoiled by the Muslim invaders, lay the vast Hindukingdom of the Yadavas, ruled from the greatfortressed palace at Devgiri (“the mountain of


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God”). The kingdom of the Yadavas extended fromthe southern foothills of the Vindhya mountainsdown to the Krishna river. This vast kingdo m had be en ruled by the Yadava clan, said to be desc endedfrom the legendary king of Dwarka, Lord Krishna

himself, since Billama Yadava seized it and declaredhimself king in 1191. The Yadava kings ruled fromthe great walled city of Devgiri, presiding over allthe rural population of the towns and villagessurrounding it .

It was in such a town, called Appegaon, situatedon the banks of the Godavari river, only a day’sride south of Devgiri, that there lived a youngBrahmin named Vitthal, who was to become thefather of Jnaneshvar. And, because thecircumstances of Vitthal’s early life were so greatlyto affect those of his future son’s, our story beginswith the tale of Vitthal and his young wife,Rakhumabai.


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(Map – figure 2)


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VITTHAL AND RAKHUMABAI

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2. VITTHAL AND RAKHUMABAI

In the year 1265—the same year that Balban was procla imed Sult an in the north, yo ung Vit thal, whowas then in his teens, could be seen running alongthe dirt road of Appegaon behind a small band ofitinerant monks who had just entered the town.When these sannyasins passed through Appegaon,covered with ashes and carrying their begging bowlsand staffs, Vitthal’s mother would rush out of herhouse, calling out , “Vitthal! Vitthal! Come homeat once! I need you here this minute!” For sheknew Vitthal loved to run after the wandering sadhus who periodically traipsed through town intheir pale orange robes and their matted hair and be ards. Vit tha l lo ved to sit wit h the m and list en totheir mysterious talk of Maheshvar , the great Lordof the universe. He always brought the swamiswhat he could—a few chappatis, a mango or some jack-fr uit ; and they allowed him to stay amo ngthem as they ate, listening with rapt attention totheir stories.

Vitthal’s mother knew that he would gladly go offwith these monks and take up their life ofwandering. But Vitthal was the son of Govinda,

the kulkarni of Appagaon, and he also would be come the he adman of the village one day, wit h agoo d wife and many children That was a goo d lifefor a man; not this good-for-nothing life ofwandering, hunger, and pretentious holiness. Shefelt a little constriction in her heart whenever sheimagined her son running off one day with theseGod-forsaken men.

It was just such fears which prompted Vitthal’s parent s to arrange fo r the bo y’s marriage to a


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lovely girl from the town of Alandi, the daughter ofSiddhopant, who was the kulkarni of that town. Itwas a very good marriage for both children, andeveryone turned out for the large weddingcelebration between the two leading Brahmin

families of Appegao n and Alandi. Vitthal waseighteen and Rakhumabai was thirteen, a merechild, and still very much attached to her parents.Therefore, it was only natural that, immediatelyafter their marriage, Vitthal and Rakhu went to liveat the home of her parents, Siddhopant andKamaladev, in Alandi.

Rakhu was a good wife to Vitthal and she lovedhim with all her heart, but Vitthal was scarcely athome; he was always meeting with the Brahmin priests at the temple , or studying the bo oks tha t the priests gave him, or engaged in conversa t io ns deepinto the night with whatever scholar or swamihappened to be passing through town. And, in theearly hours of the morning, he would arise beforeRakhu awoke, and go out among the trees tomeditate in the silent hours before dawn. One day,however, instead of rushing off in the morning ashe usually did, Vitthal remained sitting quietly be fo re Rakhu as she awoke. Rakhu knewimmediately that he had something important to say.It was then that Vitthal told her of his decision torenounce his place in her heart and home to become

a sannnyasin , a renunciant, to study the sacredscriptures under the tutelage of a Master inBenares, to seek salvation from the sorrows of thisworldly existence in meditation and prayer.

Rakhu could not believe her ears. She was to be come a chi ld le ss widow at the age of fo urteen?What was he saying? Could he wish to leave thiswonder ful life in their beaut iful home? She weptand pleaded with him, but finally she saw that hewas not to e dissuaded. When her father heard of


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it, he became very angry and stalked about, yellingat everyone. The night, he sat up arguing withVitthal until quite late; but Rakhu knew that it wasof no use. In the morning, Vitthal put a fewclothes in a cotton bag, and Rakhu, wiping the

tears from her eyes, began making chapattis for himto take on his journey to Kashi, the distant holycity of Benares. “There is a great Ashram there ,”he told her; “that is where I am going. It is theAshram of Ramanand Swami. If he will accep t me,I will stay there as his pupil, and serve him until Ihave attained Brahman.” He too k up his bagstuffed with the chappatis and some bananas thatRakhu had put there, and, holding his palmstogether before his face, he made a namaskar to hiswife, and then went off through the town towardthe road that led eastward to Benares.

Rakhumabai stayed with her parents, who did their be st to br ing some cheer ba ck into her life , butRakhu had suffered a deep wound, and found itimpossible to reco ver her gayety. She lovedVitthal, and their life together, and now she hadneither Vitthal nor the children she longed to bear.She fell into dark moods of depression from whichno one was able to rouse her.

As for Vitthal, he was successful in convincingRamanand Swami of his sincere desire for God, and

of his willingness to serve and to learn. As ithappened, however, Swami Ramananda was just preparing a tour of some mo nast eries to which hehad been invited as an honored guest; for he waswell known throughout the region as a holy andlearned scholar and speaker. And it was not longafter Vitthal had been accepted at the Ashram inBenares, and had passed through the initiation intobrahmacharya, the prerequisite to sannyasa, thatSwami Ramananda left for his tour which led him


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through the cities of Prayag, Bhilsa, Devgiri, Nasikand Alandi.

In Alandi, it was the custom, when a famous orhighly revered person came to town, for the familyof the kulkarni , who was the chief official and

representative of the government in the town, toentertain and house the guest of honor in his ownhome. And so, when Swami Ramananda eventuallyreached the holy town of Alandi on the Indrayaniriver, he was escorted to the home of Siddhopant,who, along with his entire family includingRakhumabai, was standing before their homerespect fully awaiting his arrival. He was dulywelcomed and shown where he could rest andrefresh himself from his long journey.

At the evening meal, Swami Ramananda was giventhe place of honor, with Rakhu seated just oppositehim. The Swami, acco rding to custom, gave his blessings to Siddho pant ’s family; and toRakhumabai, w hose red-bo rdere d sa ri and vermillionmark on her forehead marked her as a marriedwoman, he said, “May your children grow to benoble and saintly examples to all the world.”

Rakhu, with tears forming in her eyes, bowed herhead, saying, “I pray, Swamiji, that your wordscould prove true, but I am childless, and Vitthal,my husband, has gone to Kashi to become asannyasin.”

“Without providing you with children?”“Yes, sir.”“Could this be the Vitthal of Alandi who came to

my Ashram just a few months ago?”“Yes, he is my husband.”

Swami Ramananda seemed to squint up his eyes,looking for some time at Rakhumabai, who wascontrolling her tears as best she could; then hesaid, “My dear, my words to you were not false;


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Vitthal will return to you, and you will have yourchildren.”

In the morning, as Ramanand Swami was preparing to leave fo r his jo urney home, Rakhu fe ll prost rate at his feet and touched his sandals . As

he lifted her up, he said, “There is nothing more tocry about; you and Vitthal will produce beautifulchildren whose fame and glory will shine like heSun and stir the hearts of men for all time.”Within a month’s time thereafter Vitthal returned toAlandi as his Guru had instructed him to do, and,resigned now to living the life of a householder, hetook Rakhu away from her parent’s home in Alandito live in Appegaon where he went to work for hisfather. There too, he earnestly set about the taskof producing the children his Guru had instructedhim to father.

The first child was a boy, born in 1269. So quietand calm he was, so pure and undisturbed by eventhe flicker of a thought were his wide, unblinking, br own eyes, tha t Vit thal named him Nivrit t i (Ni-vrit-tee), which means “without the stirring of athought”. Two years later, in 1271, a second boywas born. This one, thought Vitthal, has the lookof wisdom; his face shines with a kind of glowresembling the glow of the jnanis, the knowers ofGod. I shall call him Jnaneshvar (Gyan-esh-wo r),“the Lord of knowledge”.

One year thereafter, a girl was born to Vitthaland Rakhu; she was, from her very birth,independent, indrawn, aloof from everyone andeverything. Thou gh she was very beautiful, withher wispy coal-black hair and golden complexion,Vitthal felt sure she would never be snared byanyone, but would always remain pure and free.He called her Muktabai (Mook-ta-bi) “Sisterfreedom”. And, in 1273, yet another boy was born;it was Rakhu who chose the name this time. She


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called him Sopanadev (So-ponn-uh-dev), one of thenames of the Lord, Krishna.


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3. THE NEW KING OF DEVGIRI

Only a day’s ride to the north of Appegaon wasthe palatial city of Devgiri. And in the year ofJnaneshvar’s birth, the kingdom of Devgiri saw the

coronation of a new king. In 1271, Ramachandra,known affectionately by his people as Ramadeva,was crowned Raja of all the Yadava territories. Uptill 1261, Ramachandra’s father, Krishna Yadava,had ruled. But he had become old and infirm be fo re Ramacha ndra became of age to inherit thethrone, and king Krishna had appointed his own br othe r, Maha dev, as temporary he ir to the throneat that time. Then, when Mahadev died in 1271,instead of turning the throne over to Ramachandra,who had since come of age and was the rightfulheir, he appointed his own son, Amana, to thethrone.

Ramachandra was enraged at his uncle’s deceit, bu t he lacked an army of necessary strength to takethe throne by force. Determined, however, toreclaim his rightful heritage, he devised astratagem: he sent a few of his soldiers into thecourt during the festive celebrations disguised asdancers in the musical program, and, at a signal,they too k the guards by surprise. Ramachandrathen captured his cousin, Amana, had him blinded,and later executed; and thus acquired the throne of

Devgiri for himself.Over the eighty years of Yadava rule, the kingdom

of Devgiri had accumulated a fortune beyondimagination. Vaults full of preciou s stone s andgold and silver in unbelievable quantities were keptin the king’s possession at the palace. Some of ithad been acquired by plunder; much of it fromrevenues collected from the territories of the vastkingdom. In the fertile Deccan plains, from themountains in the north to the Krishna river in the


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south, rich crops of rice, corn, lentils, sugar cane,cotto n, and spices were grown in abundance. Inthe city, manufacturers of brass, silver and goldarticles, makers of silk and cotton cloths, artisans, bu ilders, and archit ects all flourished. It was a

bu sy cit y of commerce and a cent er of cult ure; andthe reign of Ramachandra signaled its golden age.Architecture and the arts set new standards, wealthincreased throughout the land, and the people were prosperous and content .

Ramachandra was ruler of the greatest kingdom,the most impregnable fortress, the most prized jewel of all India ; and , during his lo ng reign, hewas to prove himself a just, innovative, and popularking. At the time of his coronation he won thesupport of the people and the religious community by building thr ee vi llages of ho uses fo r 71Brahmins, and later donating a large amount ofgold to the temple of Vitthala at Pandharpur for itsupkeep . Jnaneshvar would later write of him: “ShriRamachandra, the king of the universe, ruled with just ice. He was the delight of the race of theYadavas and the abode of all the arts.” 1 2


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4. NIVRITTI FINDS HIS GURU

Despite the general prosperity of the kingdom, prosp ects were lo oking rathe r bleak fo r Vit thal andRakhu in Appegaon. In India, to this day, when a

perso n is exc ommunicated fr om the caste int o whichhe was born, he is ostracized from all socialcontact, and deprived of his livelihood. No onewill eat with him, or share water with him, ormarry his children; he is avoided by everyone, pointed at wit h scorn, and regarded eve n by the people of the lo west castes as an unt ouchable, anoutcast. Such a sentence was passed upon Vitthal by the chief Brahmins of Ap pegaon.

Vitthal, they said, had voluntarily abandoned hisBrahmin caste when he submitted to the brahma-charya initiation, during which the sacred thread ofthe Brahmin caste was cut along with the tuft ofhair on the crown of the head significant of hiscaste. According to the Dharma-shastras, the lawsof caste, by his return to the life of a householder,Vitthal had sacrificed his brahmacharya status aswell. He was now an out caste, and his childrenwere also outcastes.

Vitthal protested this decision, but to no avail.And when Nivritti, his eldest son, reached the ageof eight, and it was time for his upanayana, theceremony for the investiture of the sacred thread of

the Brahmins, the Brahmin priests of Appegaonrefused to perform it. However, Vitthal knew aBrahmin priest from Alandi who now lived in Nasik , and who was aware of the strang ecircumstances whereby he had r etur ned t o his familyat the direction of his Guru; and this priest,sympathetic to Vitthal’s plight, had consented to perfo rm the sa cred thr ead ceremo ny fo r his son.

So, while Rakhu remained at home with theyounger children, Vitthal set out with Nivritti on


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foot to the city of Nasik. Nasik, known as theKashi of western India, for its many ancient andholy temples, lies, like Appegaon, on the banks ofthe Godavari river. Appegao n is a small villagenear Paithan, and Nasik is just 25 miles northwest

of Appegaon, along a narrow dusty road, scarcelymore than a path, which, at that time, made its waythrough a deep lush jungle teeming with parrots andmynah birds, monkeys, hyenas, elephants and tigers.

Starting early in the morning, Vitthal and Nivrit t i made it to Nasik by eve ning of the nextday, and the investiture ceremony was performedon the following day. The ceremony itself didnot take long, and Nivritti understood none ofit, as the priest chanted in Sanskrit throughout.There were a few balls of rice offered to hisancestors, a sip from a bitter drink, morechanting in Sanskrit, parts of which Nivritti wasasked to repeat, and the double thread was placed over his le ft shoulder. Vit tha l paid the priest , and they made their namaskars to the priest ’s small murti of Shiva, and then departed.

On their return journey, they made a stop at asmall village along the way, called Nevasa.Vitthal had purchased a co conut in Nasik, whichhe now offered at the foot of a small murti inthe square Devi temple facing the road on theoutskirts of town. Then, taking Nivritti’s hand,

Vitthal led him to the small monastery building be hind the temple . There, st anding wit h twochildren, four or five years old, was a kindlyfaced man of middle age, wearing an ochrelunghi wrapped about his waist. As the mansaw Vitthal, his eyes lit up in recognition;turning toward him, he brought his handstogether before his face, making a namaskar .“Vitthal!” the man called warmly.


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“Om namo Narayanaya!” said Vitthal, returningthe salutat ion. The man clasped Vitthal to his ba re che st ; “How are yo u, Vit tha lji?”

“I’m very well, Swamiji,” Vitthal laughed.“I’d like you to meet my eldest son, Nivritti.”

Nivrit t i bo wed his he ad and made his na mask arto the Swami. “This,” said Vitthal, “is SwamiSatchidananda; he is an old friend.”

“Ah, what a handsome boy, Vitthal!” said theSwami, appraising Nivritti; “and intelligent too,is he not?”“Indeed he is,” Vitthal replied proudly; “and I

have three more at home just as handsome and just as intelligent .”

“Four! Ah, Vitthal, has it been so long sincewe parted at Kashi?”“It is nearly nine years,” said Vitthal.

The Swami turned to the small children pullingat his legs; “These,” he said, “are my children— at least for the day. While their parent s workin the fields, I care for the little rascals.” Nivrit t i and the chi ldren ha d been siz ing up eachother; now the little ones, giggling, ran offtoward the rear of the monastery building. “Goalong with them, Nivritti,” Vitthal said, pattingthe boy’s back; “the Swami and I would like totalk.” Nivritti ran after the giggling children,while the Swami led Vitthal inside the

monastery.A little while later, the Swami had prepared alunch for his guests, and they all sat down to adish of rice, dal (a thick lentil soup), chappatis,and a bit of mango pickle. Nivritti listenedwhile his father and the Swami spoke of theirdays together at the Ashram of Ramananda, andwhen they had finished their lunch and washedtheir mouths, Vitthal told the Swami that theywould have to leave right away if they were to


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make it home by nightfall. And so they madetheir farewells to the Swami and to Nevasa, andstarted out once again on their journey home.For Nivritti , the long trek through stretches ofwilderness was a great adventure, as wondrous

as the visit to Nasik with its many beautifultemples and endless streets; but as the day woreon, he saw only the monotonous dusty road be fo re him, and his fa ther ha d to call himrepeat edly to hasten his steps. Vitthal was wellaware of the dangers of the jungle afternightfall, and though they were yet far fromhome, darkness had already begun to fall.

All at o nce, a tiger appeared in the pat h beforethem. Vitthal shout ed behind him, “Run, Nivrit t i! Run into the fo rest !” Nivrit t i ran andkept on running, blindly past trees and then up arocky slope to a place between two large rockswhere he could hide. And as e crawled intowhat looked like a crevice, he found himselfentering a large cave. Just then, the shadowyfigure of a man sitting inside the cave lifted upits head, and, showing a large delightful grin,raised a hand in salutatio n to Nivritti. “Comein, my boy,” the man said; “don’t befrightened.” Nivrit t i crouched just inside the cave,

br eathlessly, whi le the man inside produced a

flame, seemingly from nowhere, and passed theflame to a candle nearby. In the growing light Nivrit t i could se e the man was huge; he was a powerfu lly bu ilt man wit h a la rge be lly, but hisface was so gentle, so like a child in its radiantdelight, that Nivritti could not feel afraid. Theman sat on a deerskin, wearing nothing at all onhis body. Nivritti reco gnized by his beard andhigh-piled hair that he was one of the holy mensuch as those his father had pointed out to him


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in Nasik. The man cock ed his head to one sideand smiled so lovingly that Nivritti thought hehad never seen such a kindly looking man.Then, the man motioned for Nivritti to comeforward and take a seat before him. Nivritti

moved cautiously.“What brings you to my cave, my son?” the manasked.“A tiger chased me,” Nivritti said in a weak

voice.“A tiger? Really?” The man shook with

laughter. “Well, he won’t bother you here.You’re welcome to stay the night if you like.”“But my father will be worried,” said Nivritti.And he told the man of his journey with hisfather to Nasik, and how they were just on theway home to Appegao n. After hearing his tale,the man thought for a moment, then said, “It’sdark now in the jungle; I’ll take you to yourvillage in the morning. For to night, you canremain here. Will that be alright?” Nivrit t i wanted ve ry much to stay in the cave;“Yes, sir; I would like to stay,” he said. Heknew somehow that his father was alright andthat it was right for him to stay. There was amagical something about the cave and the manthat attracted and also puzzled Nivritti . He hadnever known such a pleasant atmosphere, or

such an inner gladness, as he had experiencedsince entering the cave. What magical worldhad he stumbled upon? Who was this man forwhom he felt such affection? “Who are you?”he asked the man.“My name is Gahinanath,” he said in his low, pleasant vo ice.

“Are you a yogi?” Nivritti asked. It was aword his father had used when he pointed outthe wandering holy men to him. Again


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Gahininath laughed, while his belly shook Nivrit t i couldn’ t help smiling himself.“I am a Nath. My Guru is Gora khnath, and hisGuru was Matsyendranath. We are yogis, yes.And you, too, are a yogi; and I am your Guru.

Do you understand? Nivrit t i lo oked at Gahini’s eyes, and again, hewore that look of sweet care and tender lovethat he had seen before; but now, it seemed tworays of shimmering light shone from the yogi’seyes into Nivritti’s own, entering deep into hisvery soul and awakening in Nivritti a feeling hehad never known before. There was, for amoment, a trembling within, like fear, and thenit was gone, and he felt light as a feather andexhilarat ed, happy. Gahininath’s hand floatedout gently and rested coolly on his brow, and Nivrit t i was flooded wit h memo ries of this verysame scene, but from long, long ago. Somethingaltogether unexpected was happening to him; heremembered that this cave was his home, thisman his dearest friend. Heavenly joys cameflooding into his heart and he could not hold ba ck the tears which bu rst fo rth as tho ugh ariver had been unleashed behind his eyes. Nivrit t i lay fo r some while, curled up on thegrou nd. He had been riding high on theshoulders of Gahini, high on a mountaintop,

while purple clouds swirled around them and bo lt s of lightning split the skies. Heremembered the brilliant light, so lovely, so cooland … Gahininath was bending over him now,covering him with a soft tiger skin. Nivrittiturned on his side and closed his eyes.

II


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Dawn was just streaking the sky with lavenderand gold when Jnaneshvar, returning fro the wellwith a jug of water, saw his brother running upthe path to their home. “Father! Father!”Jnaneshvar shout ed; “it’s Nivritti!” And, as

bo th Vit tha l and Rakhu rushed out of the house, Nivrit t i ran toward them, and hugged his mo the raround the waist.“Where on eart h have you been? We’ve been upthe whole night searching for you!” his fatherdemanded.“Father, … I ran and ran and climbed into a bigcave.”“Well, thank God, you’re alright!” exclaimedRakhu. “I searched and shouted half the nightand was just preparing to start out again …”,Vitthal put in; but just then he saw the hugehalf-naked yogi standing in the path before him.

“Father,” said Nivritti, proudly, “this is Gahini;he broug ht me back. He lives in the cave Ifound.”

Vitthal went forward at once, bowing to touchthe toes of Gahininath and raise his fingers tohis forehead . “You are Gahini, the famous yogiof the Natha lineage?”

“Yes, father,” said Gahini in a voice so sweetthat Rakhu, who had been holding her breath infear now expelled it , and came forward to touch

his feet also.“This is my wife, Rakhumabai,” said Vitthal;

“we are very grateful to you for bringing Nivrit t i back to us, Yogiji. May we offer yo usomething to drink? Please hono r us by takinga little tea with us.” Vitthal led the way inside,while Rakhu scrambled to prepare a hot tea forGahininath.

As they sat and talked, Vitthal related to theyogi, Gahini, the story of his discipleship to


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Ramanand Swami, and his subsequent return toAppegao n. Nivritti and Jnandev respect fullyremained outside with the younger children,Muktabai and Sopan, but they leaned close tothe window, listening to the conversation

be tween the ir fa ther and Gahininath. The n Nivrit t i he ard Gahini say, “N ivrit t i is anexceptional child; I have offered to become hisGuru. Will you allow him to visit me onocca sion?” There was a moment of silence.Rakhu, stirring a pot of kheer (a sweet porridge) over the fire, stopped, holding her br eath once mo re.

“It would be a great honor to our family,” saidVitthal, “if you would serve as Guru to Nivritti.He may visit you whenever you wish.”

Outside the window, Nivritti hugged Jnandev,and jumped up and down with him, allowing alittle squeal of delight to pass his lips. The,rushing back to the window, he listened oncemore, as Vitthal asked, “Will you honor his br othe r, Jna neshvar, also wit h yo ur grace,Maharaj?” Again, Rakhu stop ped her stirring,and her eyes began to blink nervously.

“How old is the boy,” asked Gahininath.When Vitthal told him, “Six years,” Gahini

smiled, and let out a deep “Hmmm.” Then hesaid, “Let Nivritti be his Guru. I will teach

Nivrit t i and Nivrit t i can teach yo ur Jna neshvar.”“As you wish,” said Vitthal; and he was greatly

pleased. Rakhu stopped blinking, and brought thekheer in bowls, placing one before the yogi, andone before her husband. Outside the window, Nivrit t i and Jnaneshva r danc ed round and round ,holding each other in a brotherly embrace.


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5. THE DEATH OF VITTHAL

Since their trip to Nasik, Vitthal noticed themen of the village were even more determined to

scorn him and his family. They were resentful ofthe fact that he had gone to another town andobtained for his son the ceremony of the sacredthread despite their decision, and regarded hisrefusal to acquiesce to the judgment of theBrahmin elders of Appegaon as an insult andgrave offence. Recent ly, Vitthal’s father hadreluctantly announced to him that he could nolonger allow him to work for him, for theBrahmins had pronounced against it, and nearly allof the people of the village were refusing to dealwith him. Vitthal now had no work as a Brahmin,for in the eyes of the people he was no longer aBrahmin; and neither could he claim any othercaste as his own. Soon there was no food;Vitthal was forced to ask his own father and thefather of Rakhu for charitable assistance.

But this was not the worst of it; because hehad obeyed his master, Swami Ramananda, hiswife and the children were now branded withunto uchability. No ot her villagers or childrenwould come near them; even the low castechildren, such as the cobbler’s children and those

of the sweepers, jeered at them, often throwingcow dung at the younger ones. Nivritti andJnandev seemed not to mind so much theunfriendliness of their peers; they were far too preoccupied wit h the ir yo ga and wit h the irexcursions into the forest to notice. But Vitthalknew that, as they grew older, this anathemawould become more painful; they would find noway to live among the people of Appegaon. Itwas all his fault—he was a millstone about their


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necks, depriving them of any chance for even alittle happiness in this life. Such were thethoughts in Vitthal’s mind as he slowly went onemorning down the path to the river to bathe.

Jnaneshvar a nd Nivritt i, however, were unaware

of their father’s distress, and of the torment hefelt over the prospect of his children’s future.They scarcely paid any attention to the nasty prank s of the othe r child ren of the vi llage, andwere only vaguely aware that something wasamiss. It was only when they went to the templeto bow to the statue of the Devi, the Goddess,that they felt most strongly the strangeunwarranted rancor o f others toward them, for the priest would not allow the m to ent er as they had befo re, and he ha d sho uted at them, calling themmlecchas.

But they were so engrossed in their sadhana ,their spiritual practices, that they scarcely gave athought to the strange behavior of the villagers.Once a week, sometimes twice a week, Nivrittiwent to see Gahininath in his cave in the jungle.There he would stay for the whole day, whileGahini taught him, not from books, but from thestore of his accumulated knowledge andexperience. Nivritti learned of the various postures and exe rcises fo r the purificat io n of thenerves, to better enable him to meditate. He

learned how to sit for long periods in thevajrasana posture, wit h his back st raight , and hisgaze indrawn. And he learned to hold his mindfixed on the mantram Gahini had taught his to useas a means of stilling and focusing his thoughts.

Then, after their meditation together, Gahiniwould tell Nivritti stories from the ancient yogicscriptures or from his own experience in hisyouthful travels. He to ld him about Krishna andhis teachings in the Gita; he told him of the


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ancient sages, like Yajnavalkya and Ashtavakryawho lived even before Rama and the wickedRavana. And, above all, he taught him to loveGod above everything, and to understand Hisways, seeing Him in every creature and in

everything that appeared on earth.For the rest of the week, Nivritti became Guruto Jnaneshvar. In the early mornings, long beforethe Sun came up, they would sit together,meditating in stillness on the glimmering light thatshone within them. And then, after their morningtea, they would run off to a secret spot in theforest where they would practice their yogicexercises, and where, later, Jnaneshvar wouldlisten raptly to the stories and teachings Nivritti pass ed on to him. And there the y were, in this beaut iful secret sp ot , deep in the green jung le ,when their father’s lifeless body, dripping withwater, was carried by the villagers up the path tohis house, where Rakhu stood speechless andhorrified, with one hand over her mouth and theother clutching her bosom.


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6. A NEW BEGINNING

In 1287, Rakhu also passed away. Since her

husband’s death, Rakhu had become progressivelyweaker, and when the fever epidemic hitAppegaon, she caught it and seemed to just giveup, dying two days later. The children were noworphans, remaining temporarily in the care of their paternal grandparents.

Nivrit t i was no w eight een; Jnand ev wassixteen, and Muktabai and Sopan were fifteen andfourt een respect ively. They were exceedinglyhandsome children, each one of them. Nivritti, aCapricorn, was tall, lean and strong. Indemeanor, he was sober and austere; he was ayogi. Nivritti’s mind was continually engro ssed incontemplation, continually discriminating betweenthe eternal and the non-eternal. When someonespoke to him, he looked at them through half-closed eyes, as though struggling to see throughthe appearance to the eternal reality beyond. Hewas very strict with himself, and followed anauste re discipline; giving little time to frivolity, hecould be rude to those who attempted to drawhim into it.

Jnaneshvar, on the other hand, was a

devotional type, drawn to the worship of God insome form or other. He was a Leo, and greatlyattracted to the idealized stories of the gods andgoddesses who walked the land long, long ago,such as Rama and Krishna. His was the vision ofthe poet, the lover, and his only discipline was tosee everything before him as a manifestation ofGod. He had transferred much of his devotion to Nivrit t i, who m he regarded as his divinelyappointed Guru. Though he was also his brother,


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Nivrit t i had be come , in Jnane shvar’s eyes, a veryspecial manifestation of God, a divine personagewho was to be worshipped and served as the LordHimself.

Muktabai, a Piscean, was deep as the ocean

and beautiful as a young goddess. Her dark,luxuriant, tresses haloed a face of angelic beauty;yet she was always modest and unassuming. Shehad a quiet, confident air about her even at soyoung an age, and her one desire and religious practice was to serve he r brothers in wha teverway she could. Muktabai was their cook, maid,nurse and confidant; and this was the means ofher adoration and the practice of her devotion toGod.

Sopan, the youngest, was a Cancer. He was a boy of many mo ods, and though he idolized his brothe rs and wishe d he could be mo re like the m,he was often swayed by irresistible moods whichcaused him to become confused and distracted.This often resulted in some wild fit of rebellion,followed by a deep sense of sorrow and guilt that pit ched him into a prolo ng ed perio d of si lentwithdrawal. He found he could best control thiswild vacillation of mood by following Muktabai’slead, remaining silent, and giving himselfgenerously in humble service.

Since Vitthal’s death, the attitude of the

villagers toward the children had no changed.They were still regarded as casteless, illegitimate.And now that Rakhu was also gone, Nivritti had become the head of the family, and was exp ectedto provide for the welfare of all. And herecognized that it was clearly time to do whatevercould be done to restore the Brahmin status ofthe family. It was decided, ther efore, that Nivrittiand Jnandev would go into the town of Paithan, afew miles away, and petition the pandits there to


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give them a letter certifying to their purity and totheir membership in the Brahmin caste. Therewas much at stake. With such a letter, they couldgo elsewhere, where their father’s infractions wereunknown, and they could begin anew. They

would be able to secure positions as priests orteachers, and Muktabai would be eligible to marryif she so chose.

But Nivritti would do nothing until he hadspoken to Gahininath; with his blessing, theirendeavor could not fail; without it , i t was amatter of great uncertainty. One month afterRakhu’s body had been cremated, Nivritti went tosee Gahininath. When he arrived, he found Gahinilounging outside the cave with several youngdisciples sitting arou nd him. Nivritti appro achedand knelt to his knees before his Guru, taking thedust from his feet and touching it to his forehead.Gahini smiled happily at his disciple and motionedfor him to sit alongside the ot hers. “I was justspeaking of my plans to travel south,” he said.“Govinda will accompany me and Nityananda willremain in my cave while I am gone.”

Nivrit t i suddenly realized tha t a great changewas about to occur in his life; some unavoidabledestiny was depriving him, not only of his parent s, bu t of his Guru as well. “And whe n willyou be returning, Babaji?” he asked as calmly as

he could.Gahini wagge d his head, nonco mmitta lly. He

looked at Nivritti for a long time with that sternconcentrated gaze that Nivritti knew so well—asearching gaze that went deep into his soul, beyo nd the boundarie s of shi ft ing t ime. The nGahini rose suddenly from his seat, and beckoned Nivrit t i to fo llow him. He walked alo ng the paththat led to the roadway, and when they reached it ,he took Nivritti’s hand in his own. “I am going


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to visit many places, …” he said; “who knowswhen I will come back to this place. And you— you have many responsibilities now, do you not?”

“Yes, Gurudev.”They walked on now, slowly, hand in hand.

Gahini spoke again; “It would be good, Nivritti, ifyou could clear up this family pro blem. God toPaithan; talk to the Brahmin pandits there. Askthem to grant you a certificate of caste. Thenyou should take your family to Nasik. Yes, to Nasik . Eve ryt hing will be fine.”

Gahini had never before offered directions tohim regarding his worldly life, and Nivritti knewthat his Guru’s words carried the power ofdestiny, and were unfailing in their blessing. Tearswere now beginning to blur Nivritti’s vision; “AmI never to see you again, Guruji?” he asked in awavering voice.

Gahini patted the hand of Nivritti, then huggedhim to his chest. “Of cou rse you will. Do youthink I will ever leave you?” Then he to ok Nivrit t i by the sho ulders at arms leng th, lo okingknowingly and lovingly into his eyes; “God now,”he said, “and do as I’ve said. Everything will befine; you and your family will be taken care of.God will bless you.

Nivrit t i brought his hand s togethe r befo re himand made namaskar to his Guru. A biter lumpwas growing in his throat, and tears were beginning to flood his eyes.

“Go on, now,” said Gahini, motioning himaway with a swishing motion of his hand. And,as Nivritti turned and disappeared down theroadway, Gahini muttered, “God will bless you,my son.”

Paithan is a very ancient and holy city, locatedon the north bank of the Godavari. During the


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time of Ptolemy, it was called Baithan, and servedas the capital of the Satavahana kings. Now, itwas just another busy town, a center of commercewhere one could buy bolts of silk and cotton, fine brassw are, leather goods, and fo odstuffs of every

variety. It was also a tow n of many historictemples, and it was the home of a number ofitinerant holy-men, Gurus, and Pandits. Two suchPandits were Hemopa nth and Bapude v. They werethe accepted authorities on the Dharmashastras,the laws of correct conduct and caste restrictions.Therefore, it was to them that Nivritti andJnandev went one morning to obtain a letter ofcertification.

After inquiring in several temples, they foundthe establishment of these Pandits in a room behind a text ile and clo thing store, and entered.“Revered sirs,” Nivritti began, addressing the twostout men who sat on the floor at their low desks,“my name is Nivritti, son of the late Vitthalpanthof Appegaon, and this is my brother, Jnaneshvar.We would like to speak with if we may on amatter requiring your expert and learned judgment .”

“You are a Brahmin?” one of the men asked.“Yes, sir; of the family of the kulkarnis of

Appegaon.’“Yet your brother does not wear the sacred

thread?” the man challenged.“It is just that I wish to speak to you about,

sir.”“Very well,” the Pandit said, pushing aside his

papers; “Be seated. Tell me wha t is on yo urmind.”

Nivrit t i and Jna neshva r took their places on thefloor before the two Pandits “My father,” said Nivrit t i, “many years ago went to Bena res, wherehe was initiated by a Swami …”


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“Wait!” interrupted the other Pandit, who had been si lent t ill then; “Y ou are the children of tha tmarried Swami of Appegaon!” Turning now tothe other man, he said, “You remember, the onewho changed his mind after taking vows of

renunciation, and then went back to his wife andhad a flock of children…”“Sir,” Nivritti interposed, “my father was asked

by his Guru to return; it was be yo nd his decis io n.Besides, he has been dead now for ten years, andhis deeds have died with him. Whether they weregood or bad, only God can judge. My brotherand I are not here to plead for him nor to ask forany judgment concerning him; we are her to askthat you grant us a letter of certification, so thatmy family may be free of this stigma.”

“Your mother…?”“She did over a month ago. There is only

myself, Jnaneshvar, and two others—a brother anda sister. We are staying with our grandparents, but we are a bu rden to the m. Since we areconsidered outcastes, we are unable to earn anymoney to assist them, and because of us, they aretreated badly by the community.

“We feel, sir, that we have committed no sin,that we are guiltless; yet because of our father’sobedience to the command of his Guru, we areregarded as unclean. If we are granted, sir, a

certificate from the hands of such respectedPandits as yourselves, we shall be able to seekemployment in Nasik and thus provide for ourfamily. Otherw ise, I do not see how we cansurvive.”

The two Pandits sat quietly for a moment,considering what the boy had said. Then one ofthem spoke up. “How would you gainemployment? Have you any learning?”


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“Yes, sir,” Nivritti answered; “I, and my brothe r as well, ha ve studied the Srutis— and theSmritis also, and we are proficient in the writingof Sanskrit.”

“Indeed?” one of the Pandits quest ioned. “And

who taught you so much?”“Sir, I have learned everything from my Guru,Sri Gahininath,” answered Nivritti.

“The yogi?”“Yes, sir.”“And you, young man,” the Pandit said, eyeing

Jnaneshvar, “do you also claim to be learned inthe Srutis and the Smritis?”

“Sir,” said Jnaneshvar, “I am not nearly sowell learned as my brother.”

“Yet you call yourself ‘the Lord ofknowledge!”

“Sir, it is my firm conviction that all of us,including the birds and animals, are manifestationsof the Lord of knowledge.”

“Oh, it is, is it?” the Pandit chuckled; and,spying outside his window a passing buffalo pulling a cart , he sa id , “And I su ppose the n thatwe should call that buffalo ‘Jnaneshvar’ also?”

“Sir, if you’ll pardon me,” said Jnandev, “Iwill remind you that Krishna told Arjuna, ‘No being eit her mo ving or unmo ving, can ever beapart from me. I am the beginning, middle and

end of all that lives.’ Sir, he said that in thetenth chapter of the Gita. And, in the eleventh book of Srimad Bhagavatam , the Lord said toUddhava, “O Uddhava, this whole universe existsin me and is an expression of my divine power.’‘Therefore,’ he said, ‘learn to look with an equaleye upon all beings, seeing the one Self I all.’ Iregard this as the truest of truths, sir, and I amcertain that even that buffalo is a manifestation of


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the oneself, the Lord of the universe, and is asworthy of the name of ‘Jnaneshvar’ as I am.”

The two Pandits sat quietly and thoughtfully.With a glance at the o ther for confirmation one ofthem drew out a parchment and spread it on his

desk. “I will give you your cert ificate,” he said;“but there is a penance which each of you arerequired to observe for the remainder of youlives. Whenever you observe a man, woman, orchild, a dog, pig, horse, ass or buffalo, or even a bird in the sky, yo u are to make obe isance to it inyour heart as you would to the Lord of theuniverse. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir!” both Nivritti and Jnaneshvaranswered in unison.

“And do you agree?”“Yes, sir,” they answered once again; and then

they fell to their knees at once, and bowed to both the Pand it s, touching their he ads to the floorand saluting them with genuine love and gratitude.

The Pandit wrote out the letter, confirming andcertifying their Brahmin status, signed it, and place on it his seal. The n he passe d it to theother Pandit, who added his signature and seal bene ath. “Y ou are Brahmins in the eyes of manand God,” he said, handing the parchment to Nivrit t i. “Whe n yo u get to Nasik , prese nt this tothe council of elders there, and I’ sure they will

help you to find some employment and will assistyou in every way.”

“You are truly instruments of the mercy ofGod,” said Nivritti; “may He keep you in Hiscare, and bestow on you His grace.” The boysand the Pandits saluted each other with greataffection, and then the boys departed, eager toreturn home with their wonderful news.

The two Brahmin Pandits remained unable towork for some time; though each pretended to


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work on some do cument before him, neither couldsee for the moisture that clouded their vision.Finally, each simultaneously sat back against theircushions, and gave out a sigh.

II

With their few possessions in cloth bags ontheir backs, the four youngsters set out early onemorning on the road to Nasik. It was a longer jo urney tha n the one Nivrit t i had taken wit h hisfather many years ago, because they needed tostop often to rest from the burdens they carried.It was late, and the Sun had already set below thehorizon when they arrived at the junction of thePravar a and Goda vari rivers. Nivritti recalled thatthe monastery of Nevasa was just a short wayfrom there. “We’ll stop at the monastery ofSwami Satchidananda,” he told the others; “weshould be able to spend the night there.”

When they arrived, it was nearly dark, but theycould see no light in the small kutir of themonastery. “Perhaps it’s deserted,” Jnaneshvarsaid, when no one answered his knock . Nivrittitried the door, and finding it open, led the way

inside. There was no one at home; but therewere several mats on the floor for sleeping, andto one side a small cook stove with a chimney.“We’ll sleep here tonight,” said Nivritti; “bringeverything inside.”

Jnandev found a tinderbox on the cook stovehearth, and told Sopan to gather some sticksout side for a fire. Nivritti, still exploring themonastery, went to a door at the rear and peeredinto a small dark room. “Jnandev!” he shouted,


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“come here!” And he disappeared into the room.When Jnaneshvar entered, he saw a man lying ona mat on the floor with Nivritti kneeling overhim. “It’s the swami,” Nivritti said; he’s sick!”

They soon had a tallow candle burning and

were able to see more clearly. The Swami wasoccasionally conscious, but he was delirious withfever. Nivritti stayed with him, holding him,while Jnandev managed to get a fire going in thecook stove. Sopan went for water, whileMuktabai rummaged in their bags for her herbsand cooking utensils.

The boys rinsed the Swami’s face and browwith cool water, and Muktabai prepared a soup ofthick rise brot h and herbs. Sitting him up, theymanaged to get him to swallow some of the hotliquid. When he would take no more, they laidhim down and covered him well with some of theclothing which they had unpacke d. And then theytoo took some nourishment of rice and coldchappatis which they had brought with them.

Though the Swami’s fever seemed to have broken and he was sleeping peacefu lly, Jna nd evthough it best to remain with him through thenight, and so he spread his mat in the back roomalongside the Swami, while the others, exhaustedfrom their long journey, made their beds in thelarger room.

In the morning, the Swami was given more ofthe hot broth, while Sopan was sent into thevillage to purcha se some milk. The Swamiseemed to be reviving now, and Nivritti andJnandev watched over him, soothing him andkeeping him cover ed and warm. When Sopa nreturned with the milk, Muktabai warmed it andmade a milk tea which seemed to have a verygood effect on the Swami. He sat there, lookingaround at the children hovering over him so


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solicitously. “Who are you?” he finally managedto ask.

“Don’t you remember me?” asked Nivritti; “myname is Nivritti. I came here once with myfather, Vitthal from Appegaon, many years ago.

And these are my brothers and sister.”“Nivritti … yes, of course, I remember…” theSwami said. Where is your father?”

“He died quite a few years ago, Swamiji.”“I’m sorry…,” he said.“This is Jnaneshvar; he stayed in here with you

last night. And this is Mukta bai, and this isSopan,” said Nivritti, pulling each of themforward in turn. “We were on our way to Nasik,and since it was getting late, we stopped here forthe night.”

“I’m very glad you did,” said the Swami.“I’ve been alone here for quite some time, and Ihaven’t been feeling very well …”

“Just rest,” said Jnandev.Muktabai spoke from the doorway, “If you

think you could eat something solid, Swamiji, Iwill bring you some rice.”

“Yes, ... I think so,” the Swami replied. Andthey knew then that he was going to be alright.

In the next few days, the Swami graduallyregained his strength, and was moving aboutslowly on his own. Mukta bai cok ed chappatis and

rice and dal for him and brought him ginger tea inthe mornings. She and Sopan attacked themonastery with brooms and cleaned it out, andaired the bedding and washed the Swami’s clothesin the river and laid them out in the Sun to dry.

Nivrit t i and Jnandev ha d gone to Nasik , whichwas only a short distance away, and had spokenwith some of the council elders and had shownthem the letter of certification from the Pandits ofPaithan; but the Brahmins were wary and


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suspicious. There was no work for them justnow, they said; there were already too manyyoung Brahmins around seeking work as priestsand assistants. Nivritti and Jnandev returned tothe monastery in rather low spirits after traipsing

aro und Nasik all day. They had inquired at allthe temples and schools, and revived the sameanswer from everyone. That evening, after theirdinner, they sat outside in the cool night air withthe Swami, and recounted to him theunencouraging results of their daylong search.

“Why not stay here!” the Swami said, afterlistening to their story.

“You are very kind, Swamiji,” said Nivritti,“and we are very grateful for your hospitality, but…”

“Now listen,” the Swami interrupted; “youyoungsters need a place to stay; I need thecompany. Besides, there’s going to be plenty todo around here now that hot weather’s on theway. There’ll be many peo ple sto pping here,wanting something to eat, and parents wanting toleave their children here with me. We’ll have alittle schoo l here. We’ll have plenty to eat; theelders bring food for the orphans, and there’s ahuge mango orchard out back. We can put somecor n and peppe rs and squash in the field … Whatdo you say? Please say you’ll stay. I would love

for all of you to stay!”The youngsters looked around at one another.

Finally Jnaneshvar said, “Well, if you still want usto stay even after tasting Mukti’s cooking, then Iguess you’ve got it coming.” And they alllaughed, as Muktabai squealed and pretended to pull at Jna ndev’s hair . It was decided; they had anew home—one in which they would remain forthe next six wonderful years of their lives.


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7. JNANESHVAR BECOMESENLIGHTENED

They were quiet years for the youngsters fromAppegaon; Jnandev and Nivritti grew intomanhood, Muktabai became a living goddess of be auty and grace, and Sopan became st rong in bo dy and mind . Satchidana nda had neve r inhis life been so happy as he was with hisnewly adopted family; and now that they werefree to devote themselves entirely to their sadhana , their search for God, all the childrenhad become filled with knowledge and light.People from nearby villages had begun making pilgrimages to Neva sa to vis it the lit t lemonastery where the young yogis dwelt, andthere was always a cheerful welcome from theSwami, and a ready cup of tea and a smilefrom the lovely Mukta bai. If someone neededsolace or advice, they would come and talkwith any one of the children or the Swami, andwould leave refreshed, with their faith andconfidence restored. Some came just to spend

some time in the holy and peaceful atmosphereof the monastery and temple grounds; this, byitself, seemed to answer their questions andresolve their confusion.

There was always enough to eat and enoughto provide for necessities. Those who cameusually brought a little gift for themonastery—a basket of fruit, a bag of flour, acocoanut; and there was always plenty toshare, as more and more of the townspeople


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came to know of the rare family of orphansand the good Swami who lived in the littlemonastery.

Sopan was responsible for keeping the placeclean and beautiful; but his greatest interest

was in tending the orchard and the smallgarden which he created in back of themonastery. He grew spinach and green beans,cauliflower and eggplant, and okra as well.He seemed never to tire of working, and neverto be quite at ease unless he was. He was atrue karma-yogin , entirely devoted to theservice of God in the form of his family andthe others who came to Nevasa. He had foundhis own way to be very happy; and all whosaw him remarked how cheerful and sweet healways seemed, how kind and loving to all.

Muktabai had now entered those years whenmost young girls become vain, impertinent andflirtatious; but Mukti was no ordinary girl.She was entirely self-possessed, alwaysconsiderate, gracious, and never presumptuous.The truth is that she simply had no interest inthe prospect of marriage or in any kind offamiliarity which would tae her mind from the jo y she fe lt in the lo ve and service of God.She longed to merge, like Radha, with theadorable Krishna; she longed to serve chastely,

like Sita, the divine Rama. Yet she truly felt ju st as fo rtunate and blesse d as Radha or Sit ain her role as sister, friend, and servant to herdivine brothers, who seemed to her the veryincarnation of Rama and Krishna in this world.She loved, like them, to meditate in the earlymorning, to offer worship with flowers andkum-kum in the temple, and to spend the dayin service, loving God and offering Him her


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heart with every thought. Who, she wondered,could ever wish for more than this?

Her brother, Nivritti , was the quiet one.He felt still such a strong bond of love for hisGuru, Gahini, that he thought almost

continually of him, sensing his presence withhim at all times. He reflected often on theteachings he had received at the feet of hismaster, and often reminisced on their many private mo ment s togethe r in the hidden cave.He lived for nothing else but his periods ofdeep meditation, and the divine experienceswhich came to him unbidden at those times.He felt no attraction at all to the world, andregarded it with supreme detachment. Theextraordinary peace and joy which he derivedfrom his prolonged periods of meditation faroutweighed any delight he had ever foundthro ugh the senses. His inner joy was so fullthat no amount of occurrences in the outerworld could either add to or detract from it.The parade of the world he viewed as a magiclantern show of ephemeral forms whichappeared and disappeared as mere images uponthe cosmic screen while he, the eternalwitness, remained blissfully unchanged.

In this respect, Jnaneshvar was much like Nivrit t i; so abso rbe d was he in his inner jo y

that he could sit for hours and hours justwatching the play of thoughts, images andrevelations, or engrossed in intenseconcentration o n the ever-fascinating light thathovered just inside his forehead, and whichrevealed to him so many hidden wonders anddelights. Indeed, it seems that it was at thiswonderfully peaceful time in his life thatJnaneshvar realized his identity with theuniversal Self.


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Of course, there is no record of the dateand circum-stances of Jnaneshvar’senlightenment, but t he evidence would seem toindicate that it occurred around this period,from 1287 to 1288, at Nevasa. The

Jnaneshvari , which he wrote in 1290, at theage of nineteen, is sufficient evidence to thewise that Jnandev had fully realized the Selfsome time prior to its writing. He had alsoobtained considerable learning to substantiatehis own experience in the meanwhile, and wasable in Jnaneshvari to speak with the utmostconfidence of the knowledge of the Self, bothfrom his own first-hand experience and fromthe recorded experiences of his predecessors.Therefore, it is safe to assume that at least afew years had elapsed between his ownrealization and the writing of Jnaneshvari .

It is also apparent that, from Jnaneshvar’s perspect ive, su ch exp erienc e came to him bythe grace of his Guru and beloved brother, Nivrit t i. We must assu me, then, that Nivrit t ihimself had attained Samadhi previous toJnaneshvar’s attainment, and had closelysupervised his younger brother’s sadhana ,encou raging him, and d eeply influencing, by hisown example, Jnaneshvar’s profound longingfor God-knowledge. Perhaps it happened

something like this:In the early morning, long before dawn,

Nivrit t i and Jna ndev ha d bathed silent ly in themoonlit river, and had taken their accustomedseats on the riverbank. Both boys were soinwardly concentrated than no word wasspoken, yet both sensed the extraordinarycondition of stillness and intense clarity whichseemed to pervade not only their ownconsciousness, but also the whole universe.


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Jnaneshvar’s attention was entirely centered onthe spreading white light which he could seeand feel gathering at the crown of his head.With his eyelids lightly closed, and his gazefixed on that clear, cooling light, his breath

be came soft and gent le , ne arly su sp end ed inthe pure silence and calm of his upliftedawareness.

O what a pure and perfect state! Whatloving sweetness filled his mind and body! Hefelt balanced, poised, on the threshold ofabsolute purity and clarity of mind, and helooked to the infinite heights of light andsilence above with all the desperate longing ofhis being. “O Loving Father, lift me up toThyself so that I may know Thee and proclaimThee to all Thy children!” It was a prayerthat spoke itself from his soul to theimpenetrable light into which he peere d. Andsuddenly, as he leaned with all hisconcentration into that utter stillness, his mindgrew bright with clarity, and he knew theEternity from which his soul was born.

“O my God, even I am Thine own! I have be en like a pebb le yearning fo r the stone ofwhich it is made. Or like a wave yearning forthe ocean. Thou art the One in whom allexists! I and Thou are not two, but have

always been one. How had I imagined that Iwas separate, apart? Like a man who dreamshe is fallen into a ditch, and dreams a cast ofthousands to inhabit his dream along with him,I have dreamt I was a player among others inmy own drama. I am the Dreamer and thedream. All this is myself, and not hing isout side of me ever. I am this gossameruniverse of worlds upon worlds, drama upondrama. All is me! Yet all is but a bubble of


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my own fantasy; I remain forever pure andfree, unmanifest and unseen, silently upholdingin myself this vast array of form and life.There is no othe r, but only Me It is my Lifewhich sings and dances in a million million

forms, forever untouched and unchanged.”Clearly he saw the myriad universeemerging from and returning to himself, as a br eath pass es out and is then indrawn again.All was known, all was himself, and he wasexquisitely, happily, alone, containing all.

When, at last, he raised his eyelids, thedaylight had long since come; and here he was,once again, amid the world of forms. Butnothing had changed; it was all himself, onlynow he was seeing from the vantage point ofone of the forms within his own play. Hecould see the river flowing by, a sparklingsheet of consciousness; the monastery groundswere, likewise, consciousness, as was everyglistening speck of sand. And there , lookingat him, with such love and beauty, was Nivrit t i, his own Self in the fo rm of br o ther,guide and benefactor.

Nivrit t i had been sit t ing there fo r so mewhile, watching his brother’s face, and heknew that young Jnandev had reached thatsupreme knowledge which he also had known.

Their eyes showered rays of love on oneanother, and they sat smiling deliriously at theliving form of God before them. Jnandev’svision was cloude

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Jnaneshvar