 |
The Philosophy of Sant Jnanadeva |
| You are here: Homepage ----> Works of Jnanadeva |
| | The Age of Jnanadeva | Life & Works of Jnanadeva | Jnanadeva's place in the History of Indian Philosophy | |
| | Home | |
| Works of Jnanadeva |
| | Jnaneshwari or Bhavarth Dipika | Amritanubhava | Changdeva Pasashthi | |
| | Haripatha | Namana | Misc. Abhangas | |
| There is an unanimity of opinion regarding the authorship of Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha - Dipika, Amritanubhava, Changdeva - Pasashthi, Haripatha, Namana and misc. Abhangas. There are also other works like the Yoga-vasishtha, Bhaktiraja, Panchikaran, Shukashtaka, Gayatri-tika, Uttargita, Prakritgita and Samas which are sometimes ascribed to Jnanadeva. But they do not appear to have come from the pen of the author of Jnaneshwari. |
| Homepage --> The Works of Jnanadeva --> Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha Dipika |
| Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha Dipika: |
| Jnaneshwari is the magnum opus of Jnanadeva's brilliant career. It is his celebrated Marathi commentary on the Bhagavadgita. Jnaneshwari is also called Jnanadevi and Bhavartha-Dipika i.e. a torch enlightening the import of the original text. Jnanadeva himself does not use any title. He describes his work as an ornament to the Gita, in the form of the Marathi version. The titles Jnaneshwari and Jnana-devi are used by Namadeva while Janabai suggests the other title i.e. Bhavartha-Dipika. Jnaneshwari was not written but delivered extempore, chapter by chapter by Jnanadeva when he was only a lad of fifteen and it is a wonderful miracle of his uncommon genius. The ancient Indian scriptures were written in Sanskrit and were beyond the knowledge of the common people. Jnanadeva used Marathi language instead of Sanskrit. Out of a deep compassion he delivered the message of the Lord with his original interpretations, to the common masses in their own mother-tongue. There are seven hundred verses of the Gita while the number of the ovis in the Jnaneshwari is about nine thousand. In these he tries to bring out fully the spirit of loving devotion that pervades the Song of the Lord. Bhakti or loving devotion is the fruit of right knowledge and the spring of right actions. This is the message of the Gita and Jnanadeva proclaims it in words that are so sublime, so lucid and so enchanting. The object of the Jnaneshwari is to spread spiritual bliss, to eliminate the dearth of discrimination and to enable any aspirant to have the glimpse of Divine Knowledge. Jnaneshwari is the first and the greatest work in the Marathi language both from the point of view of a high literary excellence and of an elevating philosophy of life. Instead of adopting the traditional method of dividing the Gita into three compartments, each consisting of six chapters, Jnanadeva gives his original views about the divisions. The first three chapters, according to him, form the first division in which the way of action is described. Next eight chapters i.e., from 4 to 11 form the second division which describes the pathway of Bhakti or devotion. But it is devotion through action. The third division consists of chapters 12 to 15 where the path of knowledge is described. Jnanadeva thinks that the Gita proper ends here. The 16th chapter discusses the qualities which help or hinder the growth of knowledge. The last two chapters are devoted to answer some incidental questions of Arjuna. Besides these answers, the last chapter sums up the whole Gita. It is called by Jnanadeva 'Kalasadhyaya' i.e. the pinnacle of the temple of the Gita. Jnanadeva adopts the theory of Chidvilas which maintains that the universe is the expression of the Absolute Reality. His philosophy is the source of his exquisite poetry contained in Jnaneshwari. The Shanta Rasa or the 'peaceful flavour' predominates the whole work. In the case of Jnanadeva this Shanta Rasa does not mean merely a negative otherworldly sentiment. It is identical with Bhakti Rasa which is a positive feeling of deep devotion. In describing a true devotee Jnanadeva says that "he is united with God and yet serves Him." So there is the union of Bhakta with his God and yet a separation from Him. This is the secret of Bhaktiyoga that is revealed in the Jnaneshwari. Prof. Patwardhan rightly says that "The general drift of the teachings of Jnanadevi is to emphasize Upasana and Bhakti, service and love of God, not the identity of the Bhakta and his Lord, is to be inferred from the fact that Jnanadeva is at his best, his spirit in the full swing of its pinions and his soul in sympathetic raptures in those portions of Jnanadevi that deal with the Bhaktiyoga system which maintains that salvation is to be attained by means of Bhakti or is Bhakti." Jnaneshwari is the gospel of thousands of Warakaris i.e. the devotees of Vithal who regularly visit Pandharpur. It forms the fountainhead at which the chief and more prominent exponents of Bhagawat Dharma in Maharashtra like Ekanatha and Tukarama have drunk deep and received the inspiration to compose great works like the Ekanathi Bhagavata and the Gathas of Abhangas. |
| Back to the Top |
| Homepage --> The Works of Jnanadeva --> Amritanubhava |
| Amritanubhava: |
| Amritanubhava of Jnanadeva is the greatest philosophical work in Marathi literature. It is not based on any ancient authorities like the Upanishads or Vedanta Sutras. Jnanadeva relies upon his own religious experience and his original philosophical insight. He expounds his theory of Sphurtivada with a fine logical acumen as well as with a mastery and wealth of poetic imagery. He refutes the other theories like the dulism of Samkhya, the Subjective Idealism and the Nihilism of Baudhas and the Ajnanavada or the theory of ignorance supported by Shamkaracharya. The Ajnanavadi is his chief opponent. About one-third part of Amritanubhava is devoted to the refutation of the theory of ignorance. |
| Back to the Top |
| Homepage --> The Works of Jnanadeva --> Changdeva Pasashthi |
| Changdeva - Pasashthi: |
| Changadeva Pasashthi of Jnanadeva contains only sixty-five verses. They are adressed to Changadeva who was a Hathayogi. When Changadeva came in contact with Jnanadeva he realized the futility of his yogic powers. He gave up his Hatha-yoga and became Jnanadeva's disciple. This small work gives a clear exposition of the philosophy of Jnanadeva within a short compass. |
| Back to the Top |
| Homepage --> The Works of Jnanadeva --> Haripatha |
| Haripatha: |
| The word Haripatha means remembering the name of the Lord Hari with intense affection. Haripatha consists of twenty eight Abhangas. Jnanadeva describes in it the importance of the name of the Lord. The utterance of the name of God is the only royal road to meet Him. All the other means like yogic practices, performance of sacrifices, wandering from one holy place to another, and bathing in the sacred waters, are of no avail. The devotees of God feed upon the nectar of His name. There is neither time nor season for the utterance of God's name. The name of God is like a door of His temple. If any one stands for a moment at this door he goes beyond the four salvations. Haripatha is the outcome of the natural devotion described in Amritanubhava. |
| Back to the Top |
| Homepage --> The Works of Jnanadeva --> Namana |
| Namana: |
| The Namana is a hymn in praise of the Lord of the universe. It contains one hundred and eight stanzas in the ovi metre. Describing the importance of prayer, Jnanadeva says, "Prayer is the supreme end. It is the precious secret. It is the Divine experience. Prayer is the faith in God, nay, it is God Himself." |
| Back to the Top |
| Homepage --> The Works of Jnanadeva --> Misc. Abhangas |
| Miscellaneous Abhangas: |
| The Abhangas are religious lyrics. About nine hundred Abhangas of Jnanadeva are available. They deal with various subjects such as the description of the lovely form of God Vithal, the sweetness of the name of the Lord, advice to the aspirants, the greatness of the spiritual teacher, criticism of religious superstitions and hypocrisy, the futility of asceticism and the supremacy of the path of devotion. There are some Abhangas of Jnanadeva, called 'Virahini.' The Virahini is a woman experiencing viraha or the pangs of separation from her lover. In these Abhangas the Lord of the Universe is depicted as the lover and His devotee as His beloved. Divine love is infinite and the finite individual who has tasted its sweetness is never satisfied. He wants to experience it again and again and always pines for fresh draughts. This sweet and the highest experience of a devotee is expressed in the Virahini Abhangas. It is the culmination of the Haripatha or uttering the name of the Lord with intense love. |
| Back to the Top |
| | The Age of Jnanadeva | Life & Works of Jnanadeva | Jnanadeva's place in the History of Indian Philosophy | |
| | Home | |