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From times immemorial, a variety of developments, upheavals and changes have been taking place on this planet of earth. Some of them have certainly
brought glory to the mankind and helped in improving the quality of human existence. But there have been movements in the history of human civilization, when people have fought against one another, for the smallest
of the things and for large empires. Most of such events are disgrace to the humanity. Unfortunately such events have not ceased or decreased, instead now, when the world is bestowed with all the modern sciences,
technology, they are on the increase. However, there have been some golden eras in the history of human race, when comparatively people were happy, contented and there was some harmony and peace in the society,
possibly, because there was less of jealousy, less of lust and greed for wealth and materialistic pleasures. This must have been possible because the people were not only trained and educated to be more humane but
were also spiritually enlightened. The present day conflicts, turmoil, bloodshed and massacre in the name of caste, creed, religion or boundaries of nations are spreading all over the world and they speak volumes of
typical human behaviour destructive in nature. All this is taking place in spite of very high level of education, mind boggling scientific developments and economic boom, which was possibly never witnessed in any
earlier era in the human history.
This requires introspection, in the context of philosophical thinking of the great men of the past and the present so that we can endeavour for the
saner elements to prevail to bring about peace, harmony and universal brotherhood which are totally missing at present.
Before we discuss the ideology or philosophy put forth by Saint Jnaneshvara for the world peace, it will be worthwhile to know something about the very
system of universe and the human system on the earth, and the parameters controlling the same.
Earth is one of the most important planets in that is the only known planet as of today, to have life on it, and most important the human beings.
The Universe is a complex system consisting of number of celestial bodies influencing one another and maintaining perfect balance on the one hand and
providing opportunities to the human beings to enjoy abundance and beauty of mother nature on the other.
The human species being intelligent is directly or indirectly controlling the other two. The human beings, who constitute this sub-system are under the
constant influence of the cosmic forces and they possess the various senses like lust, greed, anger, ego, temptation and jealousy in varying degrees. If the level of these senses exceeds beyond a particular limit in
the human race, it is observed that there is more of turbulence, disorder and chaos. In the whole of human history, the great thinkers, educationists, saints, sages, seers and scientists have always tried to guide
or enlighten the human race with their valuable teachings, thereby minimizing the chaos and disorder in the society.
The order and the equilibrium existing in the universe and the influence of the various bodies on each other can be explained through a number of
scientific laws and principles. The various celestial bodies like Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, stars and various galaxies influence one another and the earth as well, and the human beings are not
immune from it. The force of attraction or repulsion between any two bodies, as we know is directly proportional to the product of the mass of the bodies and inversely proportional to the square of the distance
between them. Similarly the universe is governed by some definite principles and laws of nature. Some of these are:
The universe is infinite, so is the space and time. Continuous changes are taking place within the universe. The total mass and energy in the universe
are constant, only there are changes in the form of its manifestation. Creation and destruction is the inherent law of nature. No two things or human beings are identical or alike.
All these laws and principles of the universe have been stated by Saint Jnaneshvara in the most poetic language in his scriptures.
It is observed that every human being anywhere in the world, has his own way of thinking and the nature of each individual is different from the other.
Further, the behaviour of mind and nature of an individual is influenced by some unknown forces.
Nature always tries to maintain balance and it is the human beings which try to disturb it. All these go to show that there is something Supreme, the
Ultimate State of Matter, Ultimate Reality or some Cosmic Force or some unknown Energy called Consciousness which binds the whole Cosmos/Universe and maintains the balance. Thus it is not only the celestial bodies
but also the human race, animal and plant life etc. which are influenced by Consciousness. It is rather difficult to understand the process of controlling the behaviour of human mind and achieving the right type of
action together with self-realization. In the Indian Philosophy, attempts have been made to find answers to such problems, in the most scientific and logical manner. It is for this reason, the scientific community
tries to seek solutions for such problems in the philosophical deliberations of eminent thinkers.
The world has produced eminent philosophers through all the ages. They have left their indelible mark on the human civilization and guided the
destinies of the world during their time and even later. The great names include Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Spinoza, Confucious, Kant, Vyasa, Shankaracharya, Madhva, Jnaneshvara and a galaxy of others. Their
approach and conceptions may be different but ultimately all of them have forcefully pleaded for human welfare.
The Indian Philosophical thought which has its base in the great Indian books viz. Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagwat Geeta and others was given less than its due importance, possibly because these books were regarded something like religious scriptures, though
this is far from the truth. In fact these books are gems of wisdom and knowledge and they explain the cardinal principles of contented life, true love, affection and universal brotherhood. These holy books are far
beyond any caste, creed, race and religion rather they are for the entire human race. They are universal in their appeal and they always dwell on the principles that ensure freedom from suffering and ultimate
happiness for humanity. Saint Jnaneshvara, contributed a lot in this direction though he was not taken seriously. Even Indian Philosophers did not take cognizance of him fully, thinking that his teachings are merely
religious in nature. Though every philosopher in his own way has thought of human welfare as his ultimate goal, Saint Jnaneshvara has advocated the welfare of not only human beings but even all other living beings
on earth. He is possibly the first visionary to pray for harmony, peace, love and universal brotherhood, the world over.
At this juncture it would be more appropriate to contrast the Indian Philosophy in general and that of Jnaneshvara in particular with the other
philosophies, specially with the Western. In the West, it is generally observed that there is no relation of philosophy to religion, whereas, the Indian philosophy is very closely related to religion. It dwells on
the relationship of human beings with the world around, from the beginning to the end of human life.
The Western philosophy is mostly an intellectual exercise and is linked with social aspects and system of human relationship. The Indian viewpoint is
more towards defining relations between the human beings and the Universe. No act of human being, should disturb the balance of nature, otherwise it will adversely affect everything, including human beings. The
search of Ultimate Reality is the main aim of Indian philosophy.
Generally, philosophy is considered to be a thinking process involving logical analysis and some times landing in intellectual exercises. Mostly it
tries to put forth certain conclusions about the various social systems, prevailing in the world, concerning the socio-economic well being of the people. The Indian philosophy is a living process and is life
pervading. It is rational and critical.
The Western outlook of philosophy is based on two points, (i) Religion and Philosophy are considered to be different from each other as mentioned
earlier, and (ii) Perception, Inference and logic. Indian philosophy has additional dimension which is Anubhuti - self-experiencing of Ultimate Reality. Further, it does not differentiate between Philosophy and
Religion, because religion is nothing but way of life which will ultimately help to build a holistic society. The Western concept of philosophy aims at knowledge and meets the demands of intellectual curiosity.
However, it does not provide any solution for everlasting harmony, peace and happiness to the entire mankind. It offers rather a temporary solution and gives momentary pleasure. Indian philosophy dwells, in terms of
providing permanent solution for the problems of human existence. It provides living experience and fulfillment, so essential for life. Self-realization, self-enlightenment and contentment are the principal features
of Indian philosophy. This is possible only through self-experience i.e. Anubhuti. As these directly affect the human life, they affect all the fields of human activity. They provide answers to all questions the why
and the what of human existence.
Further, the main characteristic of Indian Philosophy is Idealism, with its source in Upanishads. It aims at educating the human beings for the well
being of the society as a whole. It aims at understanding the nature of Ultimate Reality which is of the nature of Consciousness, that the Upanishads call Brahman or Atman. Consciousness as the guiding principle of the universe isthe main aspect of Idealism. Jnaneshvara added one more to it i.e. innate affection or Divine Love (Bhakti).
Religion is based on faith, whereas philosophy is based on reason and experience. It is commonly assumed that Indian Philosophy is anti-social and it
is termed as religious and spiritual. The hollowness of this notion was demonstrated by Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Aurobindo, and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.
Jnaneshvara puts forth his philosophy through his three masterly treatises viz. Jnaneshvari, Amritanubhav and Changdev Pasashti.The first one,
Jnaneshvari is a beautiful poetic appraisal and commentary on the Indian scripture Bhagwat Geeta. The second one, Amritanubhav, is the greatest philosophical work in Marathi based on Jnaneshvara's own experience.
The third one, Changdev Pasashti, which contains only sixty-five verses, was addressed to Changdev, a hathayogi, who had become little egoistic about his own achievements in his life.
It is really amazing to note that Sant Jnaneshvara at the age of only sixteen, wrote Jnaneshvari with an intense passion or quest for the ultimate
Creator or God. The following invocation expresses his innate urge to understand the self-conscious Brahman Atman.
Om namoji adya | ved pratipadya
Jai Jai Svasamvedya Atmarupa ||
ln the above verse Jnaneshvara says, I bow and salute the ultimate reality - the ultimate
state of matter and the self- consciousness, enunciated in Vedic Sciences.
Whereas Sant Jnaneshvara on completion of the writing of his most famous scripture called
Jnaneshvari, humbly says that these philosophical narrations of wisdom and knowledge are written with a hope that they would help the human beings to understand the nature of self-
realisation and the ultimate reality, that will help in establishing peace and harmony in the whole world.
Jnaneshvara's above invocation is one of the most scientific and philosophical narrations of
the laws and principles of universe and mother nature. This provides scientific exposition of the human life and the universe.
Jnaneshvara, nearly seven hundred years back, came out with his concept of holistic society
and social organisation. This speaks about his concern for the common man and his welfare.
A brief narrative of Jnaneshvara's Philosophy will bring out the subtle points inherent in it.
Jnaneshvara is spiritually and philosophically a monist. For him the Ultimate Reality is one and only one and it is spiritual. Spirit is nothing but pure consciousness, the Shakti - or Divine
Energy which occupies the entire universe. According to him, knowledge, the known and the knower constitute important aspects of Philosophy. Shiva, the primal spiritual teacher and Shakti, the Divine Energy i.e. consciousness are one. Divine Love/Devotion to them purifies
the mind and helps one to minimize all the vices and controls the senses and leads to the realization of the Supreme or the Ultimate Reality.
The purity of mind, the purity of thought and purity of action will lead one to self-realization,
which will ultimately help to build healthy and harmonious society.
Further, Saint Jnaneshvara speaks about the strength contained in utterance of the name of
God. He prefers this to various other rituals which people follow blindly. He bclieves in prayer which is the supreme mode of realization. It is the most precious divine experience.
Jnaneshvara advises the aspirants about the greatness of spiritual teacher and criticises religious superstitions, rituals and the hypocrisy involved in them.
Jnaneshvara propagates the theory of Chidvilas, divine playfulness of consciousness
according to which the universe is the expression of supreme Brahma. He believes in Shanti - Peace which, he identifies with Bhakti i.e. feeling of deep divine love. A true devotee is one
with God and still able to serve Him, through his service to the humanity.
Jnaneshvara's Amritanubhava is based upon his own conception of religion and philosophical insight. He expounds his theory of Sphurtivada which regards the world as emanating from
the Supreme, the Creator, the Brahma. Jnaneshvara refutes other theories like Dualism of Sankhya, the subjective idealism and the nihilism of Buddhism. He has revealed the secret of
intense divine love and devotion which forms the philosophical basis of the religion of Bhakti not only in Maharashtra but in the other parts of India as well.
According to Jnaneshvara, Reality is self-evident and self-illuminating. It does not need to be
proved by any extraneous means. According to Jnaneshvara, knowledge and ignorance are both relative terms. The Ultimate Reality is pure knowledge or pure intelligence. Jnaneshvara
refutes Mayavada. He puts forth various arguments in support of these. He says Maya has
no foundation and, is unknowable. It neither can exist independently nor can it co-exist with knowledge. It can not be proved by any method. Maya can not dwell in Atman/self-consciousness in its pure state.
Atman - self-consciousness is beyond description. It is cternal. It can neither be created nor
destroyed. The following verse from Geeta aptly, describes this theory:
Atman can neither be cut by a weapon, nor can it be burnt by fire, nor can it be wetted with water nor dried by wind.
God, the Supreme, man and the world are three important issues of philosophy, and the real
test of any philosophy consists in finding a satisfactory solution for their balanced, harmonious coexistence. Jnaneshvara has his own conception of philosophy which is rooted
in the welfare of the whole of mankind and never in terms of any specific caste, creed or religion. He has always spoken about how the problems of the humanity can be minimised
through divine faith and love. He considers every human being and every creature as a part and parcel of the God, and the soul being the same in all living beings one must look to each
other as if they are nothing but God. This principle of philosophical thought of Jnaneshvara is revealed in the following verse:
The real nature of an individual is the same as that of God. Jnaneshvara has described this
with beautiful similes. He finds the relation between the individual self the world and the God, more intimate, natural and real.
Reality is often taken as Sat, Chit and Ananda - Existence Pure Consciousness and Pure Bliss.
This triad denotes only one Reality. Though Ultimate Reality cannot be described as existent or non-existent, it does not mean that it is void. Reality is Pure Existence, Pure
consciousness and Pure Bliss. The knower and the known are not two separate entities. They are inseparably united. It is the experience which manifests itself into the manifold objects of the world.
Bhakti or Divine Love has been an important component in the religious and spiritual India.
The ideal of life, according to Jnaneshvara is Bhakti or life Divine in this very life. The world being a divine manifestation, Jnaneshvara does not support renunciation like some others. He
advocates that one should carry out one's duties in a spirit of worship. He strongly feels that every act should be performed with a sense of one's duty and with an attitude of prayer. He
is a believer in Karma - the Work ethics. One should do one's work without aspiring for its returns for if one works with full faith, he will certainly get the fruits of the same. The
following verse reveals this philosophy:
Karmanye vadhikasraste maphaleshu kadachan |
According to Jnaneshvara, the Absolute of Philosophy and the God in Religion are identical.
The Ultimate Reality is pure consciousness, divine love and creative energy. Love is not something material. It is a living spirit, self-conscious and self-realizing. Every object in the
world is significant to a devotee. For him, it is not a mere object of sensual enjoyment as a materialist would think but is the expression of Divine Love which is also the very source of
his life. To Jnaneshvara, the Bhakti has the highest value not only from the human point of view but also from the point of Absolute Experience.
Our life is the medium through which Divine Love expresses itself. To realise this will require
unifying of our finite self with the Divine. This is the greatest thing to be achieved in life and is within the reach of every human being, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, time and geographical barriers.
The important and dynamic aspect of Jnaneshvara's Philosophy consists in his recognition of
the feeling aspect in philosophy, in contrast to its Western counterpart where the emphasis is more on intellectual aspect the Jnaneshvara adopted healthy, positive and realistic outlook
in respect of the external world. According to him, God takes delight in manifesting in and realizing Himself through infinite variety of forms of existence. God is regarded as the
embodiment of love. Hence, to know Him is to love Him, and this love offers the inspiration for carrying out noble deeds and the significant social service. Thus, Jnaneshvara's
Philosophy has a great significance in the present day world.
In Jnaneshvara's Philosophy we find a happy harmony between Bhakti - divine love and Karma
- work. Even though it stresses the feeling aspect of philosophy, it does not sacrifice the knowledge part. This is also responsible for a total change in the attitude towards the worldly things.
Jnaneshvari, which is a lucid, poetic, forceful and analytical commentary on Bhagwat Geeta
while dealing with Karma Yoga (Work ethics). Jnana Yoga (ethics of knowledge) and Bhakti Yoga (ethics of Divine Love), lays emphasis on the philosophy of Karma Yoga (work ethics),
which is an essential component of life for every individual. In fact Jnana and Bhakti (knowledge and divine love) will automatically follow this. It makes people think about the
duality between temptation and duty. According to Jnaneshvara any form of work becomes possible if there is an intense passion for it. Anger results because of others, while
temptation or attraction takes place, without any awareness or unknowingly. Temptation or greed cannot be got rid of without selfrealization. The lust, greed or temptation which is
common to everyone leads to indecision and ultimately it creates problems for oneself, family and for the society.
Bhagwat Geeta which is nothing but the teaching of the Supreme being Lord Krishna to the King Arjuna who was confused about his duty, because he was engulfed by maya the
materialistic love for his kith and kin. Lord Krishna explained the correct picture of knowledge and ignorance in the following verse which is interpreted by Jnaneshvara in the most apt words for the common man:
While explaining the concept of real knowledge and wisdom, Jnaneshvara says that complete
understanding of the self, the consciousness, the Ultimate Reality is Jnana - is the true knowledge while acquiring the information of any thing external to the soul - the Atman is the
Science-Vijnana. Further, he emphatically states that those who think that the knowledge of external materialistic world is the true knowledge, it speaks of their ignorance of the correct
definition of true knowledge. He is a firm believer that unless the human beings have full faith and true knowledge of the Supreme - the Ultimate Brahman, one cannot build a real healthy
and holistic family and hence the society.
Jnaneshvara, apart from him insights into various philosophical theories, shows his knowledge of various scientific principles, when he says,
This verse shows his concern and foresight for the town planning aspects the importance of
afforestation and creation of water lakes near the towns. This speaks about his understanding and concern for ecology and environment. Similarly, he states that when one
sees that sun is moving from East to West, it is illusory. Again this clearly shows his correct perception of the fact that the Sun is steady while the earth is moving around it.
Jnaneshvara gives expression to a number of similar scientific statements in his most poetic
and lucid language and gives most befitting examples to explain his scientific concepts. Through these, he speaks about the laws of creation and destruction and the parameters
concerning the nature, mind, matter and about the expanse of the Universe. Also he affirms that the universe has emerged out of the absolute zero (naught-big-bang) and how it will go
back into the Absolute again, possibly that is big crunch.
In his other treatise, Changdeva Pasashti, Jnaneshvara asks Changdeva, a great Yogi, who
had acquired yogic powers to give up ego. Ego and selfish motives are the basis of practically all the conflicts and evils, which ultimately lead to unrest, instability and finally disorder in one's life.
He who tries to have self realization and is sincere to his own duties and responsibilities can
contribute his mite for the welfare of the society. In addition, by controlling his passions like desire, lust, anger, greed, ego, temptation and jealousy, one can lead a happy and
contented life. Also it will help to establish peace and harmony in society by reducing the tensions, and violence which have become rampant these days. Such controls help in
keeping the family intact, which in turn moulds one's life. The concept of family is closely related with social reconstruction and forms a part of Bhagwat Geeta. This is not spiritual,
rather it is down to earth social problem. Jnaneshvara strongly believes in healthy, holistic society through a well knit family system based on mutual understanding and a spirit of sacrifice for one another.
It is further observed that all the thinkers, saints, sages, seers and the scientists have a
common goal, i.e. the welfare and happiness of the humanity. All of them have spent their entire life in the quest for understanding the principles and laws of nature, life and ultimate
reality. The scientists have always tried to invent and discover solutions to problems concerning the materialistic world and have stated the scientific laws and principles of nature
in the form of equations and formulae of mathematical and physical sciences. But the saints, sages and seers who have been equally great visionaries, in their own way, have also
expressed the very principles and laws of nature in the form of most poetic and lucid language.
At the end, if we look in retrospect, we find that the rule of law of any society or a nation
must run close to the rule of life and the rule of life must run close to rule of Mother nature, because the rule of Mother Nature is the rule of Cosmos, it is the law of the Supreme, the
Creator, the Brahman. In fact, this truly reflects the gift of Jnaneshvara's philosophy, which is true universally and at all times.
If one studies Jnaneshvari with full devotion and concentration, one will find that it is one of
the master pieces in philosophy, literature, poetry, metaphysics, science, spirituality, Religion, Yoga and a real guide to live a contented life and let others also live happily. If the
teachings of Saint Jnaneshvara and those of the Great Masters of the past can form a part of the Education System, then it will help the students, to develop a feeling or a sense of
reverence and respect and love in their parents, elderly persons and teachers. Further, it will prevent the disintegration of families and breaking up of homes which has become quite
common all over the world. Possibly, union of science and religion alone can bring peace to the world through the medium of education. This will help to build the men of character required for the holistic society.
If the international community of intellectuals, thinkers and leaders who can shape and guide
the destiny of the world, decide to take up the task of establishing peace and harmony, then this is the time to put Jnaneshvara's philosophy into practice by incorporating it in the
Universal Education system, which is the dire need of the day.
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