Jnanadeva

Courtesy:Smt.Saroja Ramanujam

Jnanadeva 

Jnana deva's father Vitoba took sanyas before he begot children and lied to his guru Ramananda who initiated him into sanyas. But when the guru came to know the fact that Vitoba was married and had left his wife to take sanyas leaving her desolate , he told him to go back.. Vitoba obeyed his guru and came back and led family life. Four children were born to Vitoba and his wife Rukmayi . all of whom came to be known as great devotees. MukthaBai a well known devotee was the sister of Jnanadev. 

The brahmins of Alandi , a village near Pune where  they  lived, ostracized Vitoba and his family because he returned from sanyasa nd became a householder. In the end Vitoba and his wife gave up their lives by entering the river as a prayschittha. Even then the Brahmins never relented and refused to perform sacred thread ceremony to Jnanadeva and said that they would not do it without aletter from the Brahmins of Paithan, another village far away from Pune, Jnana deva and his brothers went to Paithan and Jnandeva gave a discourse on advaita to them. They made fun of him and pointed out to a buffalo and told him that if the same self is within him all beings then that buffalo should be able to recite the Vedas. To the surprise of everyone the buffalo started chanting the veda and it is said that it never stopped afterwards!

 

The life of Jnandeva and his siblings is filled with miracles such as the one when on the occasion of the ceremony of their parents no one in the village would give them fire and Jnanadeva told his sister Mukthabai to cook on his back which was transformed into an oven. Jnana deva, also known as Jnanesvar wrote a commentary for Bhagavatgita in Marathi, which is called Jnanesvari and became a reputable work.

Jnanadeva says,

saguNa nirguNa dhonhi vilakshana brahma sanaathana vittalaHaa

pathitha paavana maanasa mohana brahma sanaathana vittalahaa

Dhyeya Dhyaathaa chittha niranjana brahma sanaathana vittalahaa

jnaanadevamhaNe aanandha chithghaNa brahma sanaathana vittalahaa

Vittala is that which appears with attributes and that without attributes, Vittala is that which is pure and that which enchants the heart, Vittal is the object of meditation as well as the one who meditates, He is the bliss absolute and the knowledge absolute.