Sant Gyaneshwar

Sant Gyaneshwar

About Gyaneshwar It is difficult to pinpoint who exactly Gyaneshwar was. He had so many talents in himself, that it is not easy to explain his contribution to the Indian culture in a single sentence. He was a poet, an intellectual, a spiritual leader, a master of yoga and an Enlightened One. As we move on further with Gyaneshwar Biography, you will be able to see the many faucets of his personality more clearly. Early Life Gyaneshwar was born in the year 1271 in a small village near the Godavari River. His father, Vithalpant, found married life annoying and deserted his wife to seek refuge in the holy city of Benaras. However, the Guru who had initiated him came to know about his wife and sent him back to his village. Later, four children were born to them. The first was Nvrittinath, then Gyaneshwar (in 1271), another boy Sopana and a daughter Muktabai. All the siblings became great spiritual leaders in their might. Initiation into Spirituality Sant Gnaneshwar was initiated by his elder brother, Nvrittinath. Soon after his initiation, he realized that the Bhagvad Gita is the best text in satisfying the spiritual needs of people. At the same time, he appreciated the fact that it is difficult for the common people to comprehend the great text, since it was written in Sanskrit. It was then that he took the decision to translate the great text into a common language. With this, he laid the basis for Marathi language.Miracles Many people came in the way of Jnaneshwar / Gyaneshwar and he won over them with his knowledge as well a through his miracles. One story goes that he swayed a troublemaker by making him see Muktabai, his sister, cook food over his back. It implied that his spiritual power was so strong that the heat it gave served as the fire for cooking. It is also said that he once gave back life to a dead person. However, Gyaneshwar never ever mentioned his miracles in his own writings.Writings Even though there are many renowned writings of Gyaneshwar, the ones that are the most famous are the Gnyaneshwari and the Amritanumbhava. Gyaneshwari is the interpretation of the Sacred Bhagvad Gita, while Amritanumbhava is the outpouring of his devotion to god as well as the great saints. Today, Gyaneshwar is regarded as one of the greatest as well as the most difficult philosophers minds of India.

Role Of Acharyas

Shri Vallabha Charya
Chaitnya Mahaprabhu

Shri Jagatguru Shankracharya

Role of the Acharya
By Sri.M.V.Ananthapadmanabhachariar

Courtesy The Hindu

Sastras throw light on the nature of the universe, the Supreme Being and the individual soul to enable us to perceive the relationship between them. But it is not easy to master the knowledge contained in the Sastras and that is why time and again the Lord descends to the earth to establish the validity of the scriptures and reinforce the value of salvation for the Jivatma. The Bhagavad Gita remains an unparalleled sacred text because Lord Krishna, who is the embodiment and source of all knowledge, in the role of a preceptor, teaches the quintessence of the Sastras so that the Jivatma understands the need to strive for salvation, The Lord also entrusts Acharyas with the responsibility of leading the Jivatma from the darkness of ignorance to enlightenment since ignorance is the greatest hurdle in this quest. Just as the darkness in a cave can be dispelled with the light from a lamp, the ignorance accumulated through countless births can be removed by the valuable instruction of the Acharyas.
Vedanta Desika illustrates the role of the Acharya in creating the spark of awareness in the Jivatma about its relationship with the Lord with the story of a king who lost his infant during a hunting spell.
In due course, the child, who grew up into a handsome young boy among the forest dwellers, was spotted by some Sages who immediately realised the lad as not belonging to the hunting race because his appearance reflected royal lineage. Further enquiry confirmed their hunch and they led the boy to his rightful father, the king, who eagerly welcomed his long lost son. Likewise, the Jivatma is unaware of its true lineage and associations and is lost in its wanderings through the cycle of birth. Unless it has the good fortune of meeting a preceptor who can clarify its nature and its relationship with the Supreme Brahman, and also recommend its cause to the Lord in an appropriate manner, it may not realise its real nature.
Another analogy of the Jivatma as a precious stone whose sheen is hidden in the mire of dirt illustrates the role of the Acharya through whose instruction the sheen can be regained.