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Background
The contribution made by the Saints of Maharashtra by their thoughts, their literature and philosophy especially for the period culminating in the 7th
century was extremely significant. It will be seen that the social ethos in India during that period was more pathological then reported in chronicles of history. During the period, the typical socio-economic
scenario reflected a society divided by castes, social structures, dominated by religious rituals and village system plagued feudal landlords. The average common man stood deprived of status and was denied the
opportunities of development.
Religion, political power and wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few. The status of women as well as the status of the scheduled castes and
scheduled tribes was of sub-citizenship and they were easily and routinely exploited, resulting in bonded labour. Women behind four walls of the house and the scheduled casts in the caste structure. There was no
political peace, no economic prosperity and no social integration.
This situation was further aggravated by invasions beyond the boarders of India. One after another, waves of aggressors, exploiters came to this
country either through Himalayan passes or they landed from the ships on the coasts in the south. This included the Greeks, the Turks, and Arabs, the Mongols, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and British. To
most of these outsiders, India was land of gold, jewels and condiments. This way a very fertile situation for exploitation of the common man by the upper castes, the poor man by the wealthy feudal landlords and the
innocent by the imperialists. The aggressors primarily came in the disguise of traders who wanted to buy or sell the silk, cotton, tobacco, condiments, tea and gold. Those who came to trade stayed to rule and
dominate the country. This was the scenario almost pessimistic, resulting in inaction making people chronic dependants on fatalistic attitude.
It did not take a long time for the Saints in India to realise that if the common man has to rise out of this fatalistic and passive slumber, he has to
be awakened and made to realise the exploitative situation around him. He has to be educated and made to realise his own potential and arose his sense of duty towards himself his motherland and God. This was indeed
a very difficult task since the attack by the aggressors was not very open. They corrupted the minds of the masses by denigrating the religion and uprooting the value system of our country. The first victim of this
was the religion and culture. Therefore it was appropriate that efforts were made by the Saints to revive the values and reassure the people that their culture, spiritual strength and religion have stood the test of
time and in this adverse period what they need is awakening, self-confidence and Self-realisation so that they need not depend on fate, but can depend on their internal strength.
The Philosophy of Karma Yoga
Whether man works with a hope to achieve the material fruits of his labour or whether he works for the sake of his duty, was the challenging question
which was answered by the philosophy of "Karma-Yoga". What should be the real motivation of life? Has it material gains or is leading a good life for the sake of it? This philosophy of Karma Yoga was being
preached by the Saints to teach the people to work not for any material gain or loss but as his God's given duty.
Life is divine mission and the motivation is work towards self realisation as preached by Bhagvat Geeta. It was a pity that the common man who could
not read and write, did not have access to this philosophy which was imprisoned in Sanskrit classics and was not available in Marathi or in a printed form. It was only the oral tradition that carried this messages
from one generation to other. It was only Saint Jnaneshvara who first opened the treasures of this great philosophy to the common man by bringing it into Marathi the language of the people.
Jnaneshvari, the treatise which interpreted Bhagvat Geeta was really a series of discourses given to the public in a temple. These were transcribed and
made available to the common people. In fact, Saint Jnaneshvara was the first rebel to break the monopoly of Brahminical tradition and to open to common men and women the pathway to God through Devotion (Bhakti).
During this period, similar work was done by Saint Tukaram who wrote in more simple language in the form of Abhanga Verse. Then there was Saint Ramdas who travelled all over India and wrote in very pragmatic terms
about the real responsibility of awakened man. There are also others such as Saint Namdev who also travelled all over the country and whose verses are a pare of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjabi. There were ladies like
Saint Muktabai, Janabai who wrote in still simpler forms of folklore. These are just a few names of this period of spiritual renaissance through oral tradition. It is extra-ordinary cultural feat that without any
facility of print or electronic media, the messages of these Saints reached virtually the entire masses of population and every village in Maharashtra and continues to do so, generation after generation, This
tradition is alive and fresh today after 700 years. This speaks volumes for the spiritual strength behind their writings of simple words and verses.
Social Reformation
While one discusses the contribution of literature by the Saints one must underscore the correct meaning of social reformation. In developmental debate
some terms are interchangeably used. We must define them accurately before understanding their inter-relationship. Social development consists of welfare services, social services, social security and finally social
well being which is a spiritual term.
The terms defined are:
1. Social welfare services for the deprived and disabled individuals and groups.
2. Social services: such as education, housing, employment, communications will make the population receptive to development.
3. Social security provides protection and safety net.
4. Social development: The world bank has defined development as upgrading the quality of life by providing opportunities and qualifications to
millions of people who have been denied the same.
5. Social well being: is a philosophical concept. Its roots are to be traced to the Indian Philosophy.
This is modern terminology. The Saints have concentrated on peace, harmony and social well being in a broader sense.
Saints like Jnaneshvara have elaborated all of them, leading to the final goal of spiritual well being.
Knowledge and Faith
The man is defined not only as a social animal but as a planning animal. The capability of planning emerges from his/her ability to distinguish between
what is good and what is bad according to his conscience. Therefore the basic reasons of change in society are desires of man to achieve what is good according to him.
This process to decide what is good or what is bad is not merely and emotional response but it is a thought process which begins with his upbringing
learning process. Learning is based on faith. The famous psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud when he gave his lectures in the United States, in his very first lecture he explained the relationship between faith and
education. He took a piece of chalk and told his audience that we call this white. We do so because we have been told by our parents or by our teachers in our pre-primary education or in our home up-bringing that
this piece has to be called as chalk and its colour is called white. This knowledge is based on our faith in parents or teachers and is not based on any scientific logic. Therefore knowledge and faith cannot be and
should not be bifurcated. They are really two sides of the some coin. I have described this process in little more details because the philosophy of the Saints in India created the basis of knowledge and initiated a
new thought process.
The Process of Change
The process of social restructuring can only be understood after appreciating the conditions of the lowest of low in the society and relating it to
what is the good for all. The status of women and the deprived has been the basis on which in the present century leaders like Dr. Babasahib Ambedkar, the maker of Indian constitution, wanted the equality of
opportunities to all to be transformed into political rights. He said that the wheel of change has moved only half way because women and the Dalits are still left behind. Lokamanya Tilak was aware of the fact that
gaining independence cannot be achieved in one life time and as a result people are likely to be frustrated; and therefore as a political leader and philosopher he decided to write this famous treatise called
"Geeta Rahasys" (The secret of Bhagvat Geeta) to teach Karma Yoga. I have given these contemporary examples only to establish the fact that the process of social change has to begin within the minds of
people and this process begins with the charge initiated by the Saints like Jnaneshvara. The oral tradition of the message to masses by the Saints like Jnaneshvara in Maharashtra is responsible for this change in
the psyche of the Indian masses. The words with spiritual message were not only meant for one listening audience but were meant for the masses. This masses were the strength as well as their limitation.
The writings of Jnaneshvara indicate that he was realistically aware of the fragmenting social conditions, Saint Jnaneshvara wanted to plough the minds
of common men and women and sow seeds of spirituality and understanding of godliness in them which would blossom into life force he calls "Chaitanya". Saint Jnaneshvara did not want to talk of philosophy
and spirituality in terms beyond the understanding of common men and women. He wanted the massage to be translated into actions in their day to day life. Therefore he described the "Saintliness" or
"Sadhutva":
"After all what is Saint and what is Saintliness? It is like camphor which is whiteness of purity and transparency of light which bright inside
out. It is like a jewel shining from within. It is like the bright sun silently reaching to light every nook and corner."
If this is not so then only exterior Saintliness of saffron attires and beads can be totally superficial and deceptive like.
"Decorating the haunted or deserted house or coating with food the body of the hungry."
Therefore the reform has to begin with once own life. This is not only the view of Saint Jnaneshvara, but of all the Saints of that period. A Saint
like Tukaram militating against the caste supremacy, says that "..the real meaning of Vedas is only known to us, the common man and women and dalits". The others are merely like donkeys carrying the
physical weight of the scriptures and the holy books. What he indicated was Brahmins only recite Vedas and not practice the high values prescribed by them.
Saint like Ramdas almost picks the quarrel with god and says: "We have heard that in the earlier periods you have demolished the demons and the
vicious elements in society. Now looking around us and witnessing the injustice and exploitation we want you to show your concrete strength here and now."
Talking about the social conditions and the inequalities created by caste system, Saint Jnaneshvara says: "The caste, race, colour are absolutely
unnecessary. All human being are the forms of god and therefore are equal in every sense of the term."
The literature of the Saints not only thought Bhakti or devotion but initiated the process of social integration and reformation through a change of
heart and change in thought. Saint Jnaneshvara even talks of strengthening Lok Sanstha (Social institutions) which is the direct discussion of social institutions like family, marriage and the engineering of the
human relationships required for social reforms. There are plenty of references a social researcher can find in support of this.
All these Saints wanted to liberate all human beings from the bondage of caste system and material motivations. Therefore they said: "God does not
make a distinction between his children, therefore those who trust God, how can they even think of differentiating among persons?"
This was the message of social integration, reform and mammon and compassionate culture. In fact, the efforts of all these Saints was to give a
direction and speed to the process of transformation and social change.
The Grace Asked
The final prayer of the Saint Jnaneshvara at the end of his treatise prays for prasad, the blessings and the grace of god. These part known as
Pasay-Dan is really the prayer for human harmony. After all, what Saint Jnaneshvara was asking from God who was present in the form of his audience and at the same time was beyond all audience, was a blessing. The
grace he is asking for is: "Now I pray and hope that God, who is at the hear and soul of this universe, may be pleased with this humble oral worship and may God give me his blessings and grace. Let whose with a
wicked bend of mind and deed be able to shod it, let people develop delight in kind deeds. Let all humans be bound by love and friendship."
Saint Jnaneshvara talking about his writing says, "..if anyone wants to understand the meaning of my writings, he has not only to read these words
but he has to experience them and that too with a very tender heart. With this tender heart any human being can understand the other human being and this is really the basis of transformation in mind and thinking
which automatically results in transformed action."
Just like the words of Jnaneshvara, the entire literature of Saints has got to be experienced and not merely to be read. This reformation transgresses
the limits of geography and time.
Today rapid urbanisation and industrialization have changed not only the style but the philosophy of life. Science has taken the quantum jump. We are
able to understand how the atom is split, but what we are not able to look inward the depth of our minds. In this material development and changing world, let us not loose the basic values of life. The system of
family may charge its fact and form but family as a social institution will not wither away. Maybe the present society is split by caste and colour, but as Rabindranath Tagore prays:
"Where the mind is free and the head is held high, where the world has not been broken into fragments by narrow domestic walls; there into the
heaven that freedom, father, let my country awake."
This linkage of thought is the direct relationship between Saint Jnaneshvara and Rabindranath Tagore. As long as we are able to search for our
spiritual roots, values and understand our own identity with its unity with God, it will be possible for us to get rid of the shackles which separate one human being from another.
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