Divinity plays its endless little leelas through the saints and devotees of God. Divinity enacts incidents that are miraculous and amazing in order to attract and hold our attention. We do not pay attention or learn the divine truths of life in daily miracles of life like the Sun rising or the rain falling. Only when extraordinary events are played out, are we attracted and try and learn the lessons taught by them. Saints and men of God all over the world enact such divine dramas which are remembered over the years. These incidents inspire, teach and instruct mankind on divine rules and how to attain grace. The divine play of Sri Jnaneshwar and Sant Eknath for the editing and rewriting of Jnaneshwari- the Bhagwad Gita – in Marathi language is one such example:
Jnaneshwar was born over seven hundred years ago in the village of Apegaon, in Maharashtra. His father was a sanyasi who came back into material life at the orders of his Guru, lived with his wife and had four children. The entire family was ostracized by the brahmin community. The boys were not permitted to wear the sacred thread until Jnaneshwar commanded a buffalo to recite the Vedas.
Jnaneshwar was an incarnation of Lord Vishu. The purpose of his birth was to pass on the knowledge of the Bhagwad Gita to the masses. Jnaneshwar spontaneously dictated a commentary on the Bhagwad Gita in vernacular Marathi called the Bhavartha Dipika. Later on it was called the Jnaneshwari. As the knowledge of the Gita spread to the common man, Jnaneshwar became famous. At the age of twenty two, while he was residing at Alandi, he decided to give up his body. He went into deep meditation and left his physical body. He was entombed after that. This is known as Jeeva Samadhi. Over a period of time, the tomb became a part of a jungle and people forgot its existence.
Eknath was born centuries after Jnaneshwar. He was a disciple of Janardana Swami. He was a great guru bhakta and devotee of Lord Vitthala. He dedicated himself to the revival of Marathi literature, of the great epics and other sacred hindu texts. His knowledge, bhakti, wisdom and hardworking nature made him an ideal tool for many divine leelas or plays. Jnaneshwar worked through Eknath for the revival of Jnaneshwari which was distorted by translations and did not exist anymore in its original, pure form.
Eknath suddenly developed pain and swelling in his throat without any cause and was very uncomfortable. One night he had a dream in which he saw the young saint Jnaneshwar. Jnaneshwar had taken Maha Samadhi about 300 years earlier at Alandi near Pune, Maharashtra. Jnaneshwar complained to Eknath: Please come and remove the root of the anjana tree. It is wrapped around my throat and choking me.
Eknath journeyed to Alandi and searched for the Samadhi of Jnaneshwar. The area was overrun by jungle and it took him a long time to search out the particular anjana tree under which the Samadhi of Jnaneshwar lay. He pried open a massive slab and found the cave of Jnaneshwar’s Samadhi. When he went in, he found the subtle form of Jnaneshwar, effulgent and glowing and a sweet perfume pervaded the cave. He worshiped the great saint with folded hands and removed the root. Jnaneshwar spoke to him with great love: The root was only an excuse to call you here. In the past 300 years, my Jnaneshwari has become corrupt with misinterpretations and interpolations. Please rewrite it as it was and in the way I intended it to be.
Eknath stayed for three days in the cave and conversed and discussed with Jnaneshwar. He felt honoured to be with such a great personage. Before he left he placed his head on Jnaneshwar’s feet and sought his blessings. Then he came out and closed the cave with the massive slab and returned back. He worked for over a year sorting and clearing the Jnaneshwari of unwelcome additions or omissions. The Jnaneshwari we read today is the one amended by Eknath. It is believed that Jnaneshwar exists in his light body in the cave at Alandi, radiating his divine energy to the entire world.
Great saints and their lives are examples for us to follow. They are benchmarks which define the heights a man can reach following the spiritual path. Let us do our SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru and aspire to reach the heights set by such great saints.
