Dnyaneshwari

The Dnyaneshwari (Marathi: ज्ञानेश्वरी) (IAST:Jñānēśvarī) is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written by the Marathi saint and poet Dnyaneshwar in the 13th century. This commentary has been praised for its aesthetic as well as scholarly value. The original name of the work is Bhavarth Deepika, which can be roughly translated as "The light showing the internal meaning" (of the Bhagvad Geeta), but it is popularly called the Dnyaneshwari after its creator.[1]

Importance of work

The Dnyaneshwari provides the philosophical basis for the Bhagawata Dharma, a bhakti sect which had a lasting effect on the history of Maharashtra. It became one of the sacred books (i.e. the Prasthanatrai of Bhagawata Dharma) along with Eknathi Bhagawata and Tukaram Gaathaa. It is one of the foundations of the Marathi language and literature written in the Modi alphabet and continues to be widely read in Maharashtra. The Pasayadan or the nine ending verses of the Jñāneśvarī are also popular with the masses.

Great Quotes

Dnyaneshwar expanded the Shri Bhagavad Gita, which consisted of 700 shlokas (Sanskrit verses), into around 9999 Marathi verses (ovis). The first line of each ovi rhymes with the next two, rendering a lyrical quality to the entire work.

The first ovi of the Dnyaneshwari follows a rhyme scheme, where the first three lines end in "ā." This ovi is an invocation to OM, and is followed by an elaborate explanation of Lord Shri Krishna's form as the embodiment of the Vedas and Puranas, and the complete representation of OM:

ॐ नमोजी आद्या |
वेद प्रतिपाद्या |
जय जय स्वसंवेद्या |
आत्मरुपा

The second ovi and all the ovis after it follow the same rhyme scheme:

Devā Tūchi Gaṇeshū |
Sakalārthamatiprakāshū |
Mhaṇe Nivṛtti Dāsū |
Avadhārijojē ||2||

देवा तूंचि गणेशु |
सकलमति प्रकाशु |
म्हणे निवृत्ति दासु |
अवधारिजो जी ||2||

Āmhī tanumanu jīve |
Tuzhiyā bola potangāve |
Ana tuwāchi aise karāve |
Tari sarale mhaņe ||3.135||

The content of Dnyaneshwari reflects a detailed knowledge of kundalini, metaphysics and astrology. The commentary lays importance on God as energy. It emphasises that although there may be many different living forms, they all breathe oxygen (even fishes under water and reptiles deep inside the earth) and have the same life force within them, which is a part of God, who is energy and intelligence. It states that people can use energy and intelligence to connect with the supreme and provides methodologies to achieve the same.

Notes

  1. ↑ Dnyandev; Pradhan, Vitthal Ganesh (1987), Lambert, Hester Marjorie, ed., Dnyaneshwari : Bhāvārthadipikā, UNESCO Collection of Representative Works: Indian Series, Albany, NY, USA: SUNY Press, p. 652, ISBN 978-0-88706-487-6

See also

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