Santh Jnaneshwar:Yogishwar meets Jnaneshwar

Om Jai Sai Ram! Verily to him who is blessed with a Sadguru, the world is naught without the Sadguru! The world and everything in it is a manifestation of Parabrahman who is none other than the Sadguru! Only the Sadguru can help a dullard like me cross the ocean of Samsara and attain him! I beseech the Sadguru to help me in singing the glory of the earlier incarnation of Panduranga, Santha Jnaneshwar, who is one with the Sadguru. Like the lamps of Dwarkamayee which he used to light and drive out the darkness, I beseech the Sadguru to drive out my ignorance and my 6 enemies namely sleep,nap,laziness,fear,anger and procrastination. I beseech my Sadguru to help me sing his glories in this blog.

About 700 years ago, in the plains of the Deccan, there occurred a confrontation. This confrontation was fabulous. It was as miraculous as it was unbelievable! People were stunned and it resulted in a big tidal wave of spiritual upheaval. It was a miracle of miracles. If there was a emperor among miracles, this was it! It's beauty is hard to describe, no less understand completely. I beseech my Sadguru to help me understand it's purport and write this post. For it was during that time that people in India spoke of a great Hata Yogi. He was said to be the king of Yogis and had earned the title Yogiraj (King of Yogis). Several people worshiped him then as they do now. His name was Changdev. He was a Hata Yogi who had already lived for 1,400 years. He had mastered a technique to rejuvenate his old cells and grow new ones, so say the Yogis. Although modern science may not accept this picture and those with the scientific temperament may reject this idea, the records of those days do indicate the presence of this great Yogi over several hundred years. Several are the temples dedicated to him in the region of Vateshwar. However, it is not to prove his existence that I write this blog. It is obvious that he did exist as his Samadhi is there in Puntamba on the banks of the Godavari. Changdev had also attained the bhuta siddhi (Control over living beings) and hence was considered a yogi par excellence and a legend in Yoga and tantra.

Now though Changdev had these fabulous powers accumilated over aeons, spiritual illumination had still eluded him. He patiently waited for it to dawn upon him, and it did in the form of Lord Jnanadeva!

As the brother and sister saints travelled, their popularity travelled faster than them. When the brother and sister saints reached Ale in the district of Pune, the buffalo Jnana breathed it's last. The local populace built a Samadhi for the buffalo that had chanted the vedas and had brought the haughty brahmins of Paithan to their knees. One can still see this Samadhi in Ale. Now Changdev came to hear about the greatness of Jnanadeva and his brother and sister saints. He heard of the miracle at Paithan. He was astounded. He wanted to know if there really existed such divine incarnations. He wanted to know if there were yogis who were greater than the yogiraj he considered himself to be. With this in mind, he decided to write a note to Lord Jnanadeva. However he was in a fix. As he was much older than Jnanadeva, it was not possible for him to think of a right way of addressing him. Addressing him respectfully would be not right as he is much older than Jnanadeva. Addressing him by name may be wrong, because he indeed may be the great yogi that people say he is. Confused, he thought long and hard. Then he thought to himself "Let me send this blank note. Let us see if he understands my intent to test him and answers accordingly!" So saying he sent a blank note.

When the saint family received the letter, muktha bai opened it and was puzzled! She said "Dear brothers, who is this who sends us a blank note! What does it mean?". Then Nivritti, the eldest answered "It is Changdev, the great yogi, who sends us this note! He was perplexed as to how to address us, so he sends a blank note. He has lived for 1400 years and yet he has not achieved enlightnment. Jnanoba, please reply to him and assist him in his spiritual quest". Lord Jnanadev replied " As you order Gurudev!" and started writing an letter to Changdev! This letter was not just meant for Changdev. It was meant for all the spiritual seekers, the scientists and the Yogis of the world. It gave guidelines on how to use yoga sadhanas or any sadhana (achievement) in life to move onto our ultimate destination which is oneness with Parabrahma! This letter was later elaborated into a book by Lord Jnanadeva and has come to be called Changdev Pasasthi. It consists of about 65 ovi which were sent to Changdev.

Changdev received the reply of Lord Jnanadeva and was astounded by the wealth of spiritual knowledge in it. He could not understand the contents completely. He decided to go in person and meet Jnanadev. He however did not go just like that. To prove his prowess to the saint family, he rode on a tiger with a poisonous cobra for a whip. People saw this wondrous sight and hailed him as "Changdev Maharaj ki jai". Several people out of curiosity decided to follow him to see what happens when he meets the saint family.

Meanwhile, the saint family were sitting on an old dilapidated wall and talking to themselves when they heard the great commotion. Now please pay attention and listen to what happened, for this was indeed a fabulous event. Such events happen only once in hundreds of years and they occur to bring the unrighteous to the path of the righteous and to restore dharma. When the saint family heard the commotion, Sopan asked "What is this noise dear brothers and sister? It seems as though a crowd is headed this way and a big one at that! What can it be?". Again Lord Nivritthinath replied "Oh dear brothers and sister, the legendary yogi of whom everyone speaks of, the one who sent us the blank note is coming to our very doorstep. He rides on a tiger and holds aloft a poisonous cobra for a whip. Let us go and welcome him". Lord Jnanadeva then said "Indeed brother let us give him a warm welcome. But why get down from the wall at all? The wall will take us to Changdev! Listen o wall! Please take us to Changdev!" No sooner had these words been spoken, the earth shook beneath their feet and the lifeless wall trembled. It started moving slowly and became free from it's foundations. It then started flying in the direction of Changdev and the people who were following the Yogiraj. The people who were chanting Changdev's name stopped midway. For a moment there was silence. All the people including Changdev were spell bound. Changdev started talking thus "What wonder is this? There is little doubt that Lord Jnanadeva and his brothers and sister are divine incarnations. For how else can they move a lifeless wall? I, through extreme penance and austerities for 1400 years have only accomplished bhuta siddhi (Control over living beings), but Lord Jnanadeva, with his divinity can make lifeless objects like the wall move! This makes me very happy indeed! I know that enlightenment and spiritual illumination are very close to me. And they are coming to me in the form of the saint family on the wall."

No sooner had the wall landed, Changdev climbed from his mount, and shedding tears of repentance fell at the feet of the brother and sister saints who were much younger than him in age but more advanced than him in spirituality. He cried to Lord Jnanadeva thus "Oh master! Please forgive me! You are the true Yogishwar (God of Yoga) and Jnaneshwar (God of Knowledge), why I know that you are Panduranga himself and hence you are Sagun Brahma (God with form). Please accept me as your disciple and give me what I have been waiting for these 1400 years (enlightenment). " Lord Jnanadeva was moved, he asked Changdev to get up and hugged him affectionately like a father hugging his son. Then he spoke to the yogiraj thus "Oh Yogiraj, do not worry! The fruit of all the penance of 1400 years in reach of you now. It had been divinely ordained that the youngest of us, i.e Mukta is to be your guru. In submitting your ego to the youngest of us, you will instantly reach that state of eternal bliss which you have been seeking all along". So saying he blessed Changdev.

Then Changdev went to Mukta bai and said "Oh mother, please accept me as your disciple and bless me with enlightnment". Muktha told Changdev "Oh Changdev, for spiritual progress, your aim must not be to accumilate miraculous powers. They are but of no use for progress. Your aim must be Jnana (Knowledge) and your path must be that of devotion. If you follow this, you will very soon realize the state of eternal bliss". Changdev humbly bowed to Mukta and took her advice seriously. Thus within a short span of time, he experienced the state of eternal bliss and with tears flowing from his eyes, he danced in ecstacy.

Thus ends the story of that great confrontation between a powerful Yogi and a Jnani who was a divine incarnation. After Changdev's submission to Lord Jnanadeva, the fame of Lord Jnanadeva spread in all four directions like a forest fire in a dense forest in summer, when the wood is really dry.

Thus, I reverently bow before Lord Nivritthinath,Lord Jnanadeva, Lord Sopan and Mother Mukta bai and to Lord Changdev that legendary Yogi who finally became one with parabrahman.

Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari!

Shree SatChitAnanada Sadguru Sainath Maharaj ki Jai!

Bow to Shree Sai! Peace be to all!