The Genius of Dnyaneshwar -Part 2

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 38–39 Geeta Chapter 6

Chapter 47

India The idea, the icon1, the idol and reality

Why is India in such throes2 of poverty and ignorance, corruption and maladministration? Is she merely dysfunctional with a residual semblance of hope or is she in a state of unmitigated3 disaster and doomed forever? And why is she in this state? Do the roots of her condition lie buried in the three philosophies that were born on this continent? Are these philosophies obscure, too abstract and based on unproven, even irrational mysticism4? Are Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism responsible for shaping the current minds in India, which has brought such misery to her inhabitants? And are they pessimistic5 and cynical6 and view the affairs of the world as futile?

Do they discourage work ethic, wealth, worthy causes and worthwhile living?

It would be silly to write an essay in answer to these questions, if it was to be based entirely on the reflections of the author of this book. More to the point and prudent would be, to analyze the life of Shrikrishna, the author of the Geeta, which is by far the most important and popular philosophical document that India has to offer and which combines or at least touches all three philosophical streams mentioned earlier. In this connection, all superlatives would fail to describe two cogent7 and compact verses that Dnyaneshwar narrates in his introduction to the sixth chapter of the Geeta to describe Shrikrishna. And this verse has no connection with the Geeta herself but is more an offshoot of Dnyaneshwar’s thinking of the Indian philosophical streams. The verse runs like this Work, wealth and charity Realisation and detachment A certain maturity …740 And on top Spiritual bliss8 Are hallmarks9 his

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Men call him God Because of this …741 Notice the order. Work or karma is the foundation. Then comes wealth followed by charity. The word charity here does not only mean giving away wealth as a donation but has a wider base, as in ‘being of a charitable disposition’, ‘understanding one’s fellow men’ and as in ‘an attempt to forgo somewhat one’s ego and self-interest’ or ‘in committing time to social causes’, of ‘being an activist or an interventionist to promote social harmony’ and lastly to ‘share information and knowledge’ so that others can be lifted out of their ‘state’. The historical Shrikrishna was all this and more.

What charity does is to expand one’s horizon and break through a certain selfish confinement. As the horizon expands, barriers fall, and time shrinks. The wholeness of this ‘whole thing’ is realized.

And as this wholeness dawns, detachment rises from the self and about the self, and brings man closer to himself and to the spirit of things. This togetherness brings a certain calm (as opposed to an anxiety characteristic of individuality). This ‘calm’ in religious or philosophical terms is called bliss. After all, religion as a word is supposed to have originated from two words ‘Re’ and ‘Align’. This alignment is with the rest, everything else, the whole thing, and it is recreated from a state in which man considered himself separate from others.

It is the transition from work to wealth that most of us are familiar with and are bogged in. It is true that wealth does not appear to come proportionate to one’s work. When it is said that happiness is not related to wealth, it is called a cliché10, even more, it is branded as ‘humbugging the poor’. But the verse under discussion trashes11 this argument simply because Shrikrishna is shown to have striven for wealth and succeeded. One of the most popular icons of eastern religions and philosophy is no ascetic12, nor is he poor, nor retired to the forest, or shown to don mendicant’s13 clothes. Shrikrishna is or was not only a person, but an idea, and this idea has six attributes: work, wealth, charity, realisation, detachment and bliss.

What if a man is not wealthy? Or not wealthy enough? In any event, what percentage of people in this world think or realise that they have enough? And to take a step forward, is charitable disposition a function of wealth or affluence? Is money a prerequisite to realise the importance of fellowship and then sever one’s ties from the mundane14 and ordinary pleasures? Or is it the other way round?

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Is greed the greatest adversary15 of detachment? And lastly does an intelligent animal like man need to be like a racehorse alternately treated with a whip (fear of sin and hell) and lured by the winning post (heaven) to run? Can he not run and also rest his mind when his body runs? On the other hand, if indeed there is no God (who created this world) and this world of night and day, and the seasons, and cosmic cycles had an incomprehensible character of their own, does man have to conclude that he can rest on his haunches till his cycle is complete?

This essay is fashioned dialogically16 as indeed are all three Indian philosophical systems (with their several sub-systems) in order that a particular view is not laboured excessively. The original question was why is India in such an awful state? This can now be enlarged to include, ‘when her most popular idea, icon and idol was and is Shrikrishna?’ And notice the last part of the verse under discussion And on top Spiritual bliss Are hallmarks his Men call him God Because of this 17 Notice the ambivalent tone about the existence of God. It is man who calls him God in his own wisdom. Does a man like Shrikrishna elevate himself to Godhood because of these attributes18, or does God give these attributes to exceptional men so that they can lead by example? Theologically19 or rationally these attributes continue to hold on to their strengths and guide man on a certain path. This path is not one of abdication20, indolence21 or irresponsibility, nor is it of religious dogma22 or nihilism23. And if all this is so crystal clear why does a man do what he must not and why do civilisations descend to such depths with India being a current case in context?

Indeed why? And what happened to the then Egyptians who built the pyramids? And to the Greeks who gave us such robust rational philosophers? And the Mayans who vanished like a puff of smoke leaving their temples in ruins? And the egalitarian24Arabs with their astronomy and architecture? And Great Britain and its great sweep of an empire? And whither the United States of America?

It would be in the fitness of things that an Englishman answers this question, because it is they, the English and the Scots, and the Irish with their language and literature, with their scientific temper and their liberal democracy who have shaped modern thinking.

Toynbee (English historian, 1889–1975) seems to have concluded

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that the rise and fall of civilisations can be explained, rationalized and intellectualized up to a certain point but are not entirely encompassable in their ambit25.

Work wealth and charity Realization and detachment And that certain maturity On top spiritual bliss Are hallmarks his Man calls him God Because of this This may be a universal message But It ebbs and tides From time to time At different places And different times And thus nations For some reason unknown Fall and rise …742 1.

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icon – a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration throes – intense or violent pain or struggle, anguish unmitigated – absolute, complete mysticism – contemplation and surrender of the mind followed by absorption into the ultimate reality; mystic = one who follows this practice; mystical order = a particular sect with a specific method for such a mystical practice pessimistic – with a tendency to take the worst view of things cynical – sceptical, mocking cogent – convincing, logical, forceful bliss – perfect happiness, great joy hallmark – a distinctive feature, especially of excellence cliché – overused phrase trash – criticize severely, discard, expose the worthless nature (of an argument or a thing) ascetic – one who practises severe self-discipline and denies himself all forms of pleasure mendicant – one who lives only on alms, beggar mundane – ordinary, routine, dull adversary – enemy dialogical – based on a dialogue ambivalent – coexistent, opposite feelings attribute – a quality

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19. theological – (from theology = the study of the nature of God and religious belief) 20. abdication – give up 21. indolence – laziness 22. dogma – a principle or set of principles, a belief or a doctrine laid down by an authority which others are expected to accept without argument 23. nihilism – the rejection of all religious and moral principles, (extreme scepticism) 25. egalitarian – principle of equal rights and opportunities 25. ambit – scope, extent

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 40–70 Geeta Chapter 6

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Chapter 48

Spinoza’s Brahma1 Emotions, passions, will and reason

If there is one philosopher who has most profoundly dealt with the subjects which form the subtitles of this chapter, it is Spinoza (1632–1677). His family came from Portugal but Spinoza was born and raised in the Netherlands2 where as a young man he was excommunicated 3 from his Jewish faith on account of his unconventional views about God. Durant, (1885) in his book ‘The Story of Philosophy’*, (Simon and Shuster, 1926, New York), deals with Spinoza in the most endearing manner, with the help of some of the most exquisite4 prose written in the English language. I snatch, perhaps rather crudely some salient points of Spinoza’s philosophy that he put forward in almost a mathematical fashion and around which Durant wove his prose. What inevitably follows is a bit of both Spinoza and Durant.

1. Of all the actions that occur because of our will, the action to survive or live is basic, instinctive and the most fundamental.

Inversely, the basic desire to live, constitutes the core of our will and is not free 2. It is in the nature of things that man loves himself 3. He also tries to attain happiness and in the process, oscillates5 between pleasure and pain 4. These oscillations are emotions and passions but passions are mere passages and emotions mere motions 5. Passions and emotions are good and bad not in themselves but only as they increase or decrease our power (to live well) 6. Thought should not lack the heat of desire nor desire lack the light of thought 7. Instincts are magnificent as a driving force but very dangerous as guides 8. A passion ceases to be a passion as soon as we form a clear idea of it

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9. ‘Intellect’ is nothing but a series of ideas and the ‘will’ is a series of actions 10. Every idea can become or becomes an action unless intervened by another idea 11. The more the mind knows the better it understands the forces and the order of nature and thus liberates man from useless things 12. He then rises from the fitful pleasures of passion to the high serenity6 of contemplation7 13. Men who, under the guidance of reason seek what is useful to them, desire nothing for themselves, which they also do not desire for the rest of mankind 14. To be great is not to be placed above humanity and be ruling over others but to stand above the partialities and futilities of uninformed desire and to be ruling oneself.

To summarise, the harnessing of instinct, passion and emotion with reason, thought and intellect and increasing one’s potential (of power) over oneself and as a consequence for the well-being of society should be the aim of a man. Such a man, says Spinoza, has risen. It so happens that the Geeta (and therefore the Dnyaneshwari) describes such a man and calls him a ‘yogi’ (from the root ‘yuj’, as in to harness). And as Spinoza would have it, ‘such a man desires nothing for himself that he does not desire for his fellowmen’ leading to sublimation8 of the self. This then is the ascetic9 as well as the yogi of the Geeta. A yogi because he has harnessed his emotions by way of reason. Reason tells him that his needs are shared by the world, and therefore by reducing his needs, he becomes an ascetic.

He, the yogi, knows that his interests are best served by serving the interests of everything and everyone.

Here is what Dnyaneshwar has to say about an ascetic and a yogi The yogi at work and the ascetic Are the same They are somehow called By different names In the Brahmic* world They are just different words In fact their work and worth Is the same Like a man has a name And also a pet name Their destinations are the same

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It is just that By way of what appear As different ways To the same station They finally came …743 * It is interesting to note what Spinoza has to say about God (the idea of Brahma in the Upanishads). For example, neither mind nor matter is God but the mental and molecular processes which constitute the double history of the world, these and their causes and their laws are God. All events are the (mechanical) operation of invariable laws and not the whim of an irresponsible autocrat10 seated in the stars. God has no free will but only a certain nature. Men love to believe that God breaks the natural order of events for them but the philosopher knows that God and nature are one being, acting by necessity and according to an invariable law, and it is this invariable law which he will rever11 and obey. God has neither free will nor any purpose. He acts according to his nature. God therefore does not specifically care for man and though a good man loves God, he (the good man) cannot expect God to love him. This was not just blasphemy12 but a very severe attack on the Judae Christian dogma.

One wonders what befell seers who expounded the Upanishadic13 theory in their time, nearly 1600 years earlier than Spinoza.

Water might be filled In different pots But it is the same Different not …744 A yogi’s worth is his work He does not care About wealth and worth Like the earth Which with élan and ease Grows plants and trees Without noticing the fruits Nor the future seeds …745 What comes his way And what custom lays He will work To make his day Not in him to sway With what is to happen Or what may …746

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If what custom lays And reason says One was to change Then something else Would engage …747 Why give up What instinct, reason And custom tell And then on top Take on something else …748 Karma without tire The ritual of fire* By a natural way Will bring that ‘certain state’ …749 * Ancient Indian literature has laid great stress on the five basic elements – earth, water, fire, air and space and in some subsystems of that literature, fire (energy) was considered more proximate to Brahma than the rest (space was not created and air had not yet formed).

That the yogi and the ascetic Both are one Is the theme of scriptures Every one …750 When the ascetic Loses desire and wish Yog comes Within his reach …751 Of course all this is easier said than done. The metaphysics14 of the Upanishads and ditto Spinoza show us the truth but not the technique, the steps, the method. Education is important and so are logic and theory but practice makes (or at least attempts) to make man perfect. The Geeta is more versatile in this respect because as she evolved she included within herself several technical subsystems.

She does not explain them in detail but touches on them and Dnyaneshwar enlarges their scope. He employs the metaphor of a hill to explain how a man can reach the yogic stage in steps. What is interesting is that Dnyaneshwar mentions briefly the system of

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Patanjali which employs breath control, postures, and the technique of meditation15 (see Chapter 12). As the popular adage goes, ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’. The Patanjali system is a synergetic16 body mind analogue17.

This is how the metaphor runs If you want to reach This yogic peak Karma as a means You must not miss …752 Notice the emphasis on an active life.

First come rules and restraint They are the easy steps Then comes the trail Of controlling your breath …753 What follows is steep And what you view Is a broken precipice18 Watch your mind Which must retreat …754 The mind in retreat is a mind emptied of worldly turmoil.

You cling to the rocks With dispassionate nails Intelligence will fail But the spirit will endure Determination will prevail …755 Notice that intellectualization is not important. Passion transforming into determination is what will help.

Then comes a state Where the breath Is in perfect coordination Where there is Reflection, meditation, contemplation And the mind is gathered In intense concentration …756

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This is what follows You the subject That thing the object Will merge as one And your efforts Will disappear and eject And a state you will beget Where there is nothing to do or get …757 Notice the mention of restraint and rules in one’s conduct as a prelude to the actual ascent on the metaphorical hill of the yogic state. Notice also the mention of control over breathing (see Chapter 12). In a later stanza, there is clear indication that once reason has outlined the course of action, it is the spirit of the person which will prevail and that too dispassionately. The culmination comes when the mercurial mind is in the state of intense concentration and a world of objects perceived by the yogi as a subject dissolves. There is nothing left to get and yet the yogi goes on. And in this state, the yogi is described as follows When assaulted By pleasure or pain Or when tempted By the sensorium19 To the result of his work and passion He is oblivious Realised as he is He sleeps Yet works with perseverance20 …758 In the Dnyaneshwari, at this point, to connect to the next verse in the Geeta, Arjun poses the following question. He is surprised and inquisitive as to Who gives these yogis This exquisite poise21 …759 And Shrikrishna, the divine Lord (!) gives the following answer in the Geeta which really is the crux of the non-theistic thinking in this world. Says he

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You make or break yourself You are your friend or foe Yourself …760 Dnyaneshwar adds, in the monistic , non-dual, Brahmic scheme of things When asleep with ignorance Dreams of Life and Death come And when man wakes To the idea of permanence Realisation comes Telling man That there is ‘that’ The only real one …761 Indeed, to visit Spinoza again ‘God has no free will, only a certain nature and is not an irresponsible autocrat seated in the stars’.

And lastly, it is nature and our own nature that we must recognise to live well.

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Brahma – from the Sanskrit root ’brih’ = to spread or expand. Brahma is a term used to denote that singularity from which the universe came to be Netherlands – Holland excommunicated – officially excluded (as a punishment) from a religious group exquisite – extremely beautiful or delicate oscillations – fluctuation, vibration, move to and fro serenity – peace and calm contemplate – to think profoundly and at length, to ponder, reflect on something sublimation – altered to a refined or purified state ascetic – severely self disciplined and denying all forms of pleasure autocrat – dictatorial ruler reverence – feeling of deep respect or admiration for somebody or something blasphemy – irreverent, sinful, wicked, irreligious Upanishadic – of the concluding portions of the vedic literature metaphysics – the branch of philosophy concerned with the first principle of things, including abstract concepts such as being and knowing meditation – reflection, pondering synergetic – from synergy, the combined effect of two or more things, processes that exceeds the sum of their individual effects amalgam – a mixture or blend precipice – a very steep side of a cliff, mountain or rock sensorium – the sensory apparatus including the system of nerves perseverance – persistence, steadfast pursuit poise – stable state, balance, composure monistic – a system of philosophy which assumes a single principle in the universe

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 71–107 Geeta Chapter 6

Chapter 49

The Silkworm and the Bird

It is an enchanting1 world this, yet it can be very confusing. To put it in practical terms, in a given place why should the same event produce different effects on different people? For example, why does the result of a game of cricket produce different emotions in two different sets of populations? The problem here is not with the world or with the game of cricket but with the people who perceive these things through their senses. To paraphrase Whitehead (British American philosopher mathematician, 1861–1947), this universe is a monotonous, repetitive movement of atoms and waves and it is man who gives it shape. The sound of a nightingale is nothing but waves; it is man and the poet in him who fancifully writes odes2 to the bird’s music.

What would this world be without its sounds and colours, without snowcapped mountains, the blue surface and the dark depths of the ocean? What charm would the world have without sunrise and sunset, the seasons and without the sky etched with twinkling stars?

And what would life be without love, affection and passion?

As a well-known poet has penned the words of a lover When you are not mine My every thought is haunting you And when you are mine I miss the wistfulness3 of wanting you Indeed both, to part and then to yearn, fulfil us. Lovers cannot take a stand as an Upanishadic4 philosopher might take that there is no need to embrace anyone because everything is after all ’that one thing’. But history tells us that even philosophers love and hate and are known to embrace and give vent in other manners to their emotions. To carry the Upanishadic doctrine forward, each man is God, that ‘amalgam5 of body and spirit’. But this philosophy also avers that each man is his own philosopher. And this philosophical man never says ‘he is sad’. Instead, he says that ‘what is happening

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to him is called sadness’. This is not verbal jugglery nor a neat trick.

This is an art, and an intelligent approach to the world of sensations.

A sad man is a bundle of emotions but a man who distances himself from his own emotions is neater than when he is bundled up. He is cleaner in spirit in this world of matter which evokes sensations.

We can be and are roused by emotions towards a goal, but having been thus aroused, emotions need to be set apart so that the ideal can be achieved without emotional hindrance6. Emotions are natural.

To overcome them, then harness them and then use them is not unnatural but beneficial, not just in the practical sense but mainly in the spiritual context. The flame of the spirit though eternal seems to flutter when accosted7 by emotional winds. As Dnyaneshwar has said, avarice, greed, passions, emotions, lust, all of them sit at the same table as the spirit, a table laid with a feast offered by the world.

But the spirit watches as emotions waver, then savour and (may) ultimately wallow8 in this sensorial9 feast. Man, like his spirit, must be watchful as emotions play out their part. The Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari reiterate this principle in this section but have now started to offer the baton to man so that he can start to run on his own. Here are the verses by Dnyaneshwar With pride in himself And reliance on the senses Man harms himself …762 When pride is forsaken He cannot be shaken The Brahma10 ‘itself’ Becomes self …763 Several instances are given wherein man by his actions loses his freedom, his joy of living by disconnecting himself from his spirit.

To cite the example of the silkworm, its cocoon and then its emergence as a butterfly or a moth The silkworm and its cocoon11 Its secretions and silk Can cause its doom …764 A man who puts Shades on his eyes

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And turns blind When fortune smiles …765 A man gone insane Says I have been stolen From myself …766 Of this man What can one say When by a sword in his dream He says, he is slain …767 Dnyaneshwar then describes a contraption used by trappers to catch birds (mainly parrots). It had a revolving tube mounted on a hinge, on which the birds inadvertently sat. The weight of bird would rotate the tube on its hinge, making the bird topsy-turvy and the bird would be so confused that instead of flying it would cling to the tube, for a very short time unable to fathom its new position.

The trapper would then catch the bird before it could fly.

The tube turns and swings On its hinge The bird goes topsy-turvy And cannot think That it can fly Or attempt a fling It draws its chest, twists its neck But to the tube it clings And even when wrenched12 To the pipe it clenches With vigour and firmly clings …768 The silkworm, which is destined to become a butterfly and fly, stuck in its secretions and the bondage of silk (of its own making) or a bird which has been free to fly, stuck to an overturned tube (circumstances of fate) are metaphors on how one gets trapped in this world. Flying represents the spirit and its freedom, the silk the secretions and the tube the exigencies of the material world.

And therefore, When you are trapped By the body and its senses

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You are drawn away From your spirit, your essence …769 The more you are drawn By your senses You become Your enemy yourself When you are guided By the essence You are your friend And father yourself …770 When passions are thrown apart And the mind is won by far God is not someone else It is you yourself And not very far …771 Gold becomes gold When cleared of its blot And when the sensual world is lost Brahma need not be sought (God is already got) …772 Dnyaneshwar adds that space is everywhere and it does not have to move to merge with the rest of the space. Assuming that a certain amount of space is enclosed in an empty pot, when the pot breaks, space automatically merges with the rest of the space. In the same manner, when the sensual world and pride (in oneself) are broken through, the all-pervading Brahma appears(!) In fact, it has always been there but was hidden because of one’s fixation to one’s pride and one’s world of senses.

Cold or hot it may blow Pride or disgrace might come in rows Pleasure and pain Are ignored …773 The world is lighted As the sun rises and moves

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He is that Whatever accrues13 …774 He continues to glow and lights up his surroundings whatever the circumstances.

The sky is not pricked By needles of rain Nor is this yogi By pleasure or pain …775 When he looked at nature And its myriad features He realised that this wondrous nature Could be just a conjecture14 That it may have sprung From he the creature …776 Therefore, What is false and what is true What is part and what is full Futile arguments Fallen through …777 The world and his body He has won And with the Brahma Becomes one …778 And with ease The body is won …779 And for him, Big or small Are neither or none He is a yogi Surely one Though of the body With ‘that one’ …780

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A mountain of gold or ordinary dust A diamond worth this huge earth Or a nothing stone of trivial worth Are all the same …781 Friend or foe Kith or kin15 Or the enemy within Good or bad Man or beast Whatever breeds Cloth or sack Of whatever weave A common streak …782 This he knows Such realization when it grows Heaven and earth are mere shows Such a man when you praise and know Religion and spirit in you grow …783 For this man The sun has dawned Never to set Creature and nature Are put to rest Such discretion16 When comes to vest17 Feelings fall Of he and the rest He by himself And perfect …784 Verse 776 is crucial in this segment. What man sees, perceives, analyses are after all his subjective impressions. This is not to deny that there are no objects outside of him in this world. There are certainly a variety of things which impinge18 on man’s mind. What the Geeta and Dnyaneshwar are trying to point out is the unreliability not of the objects but of the impressions that one gathers about them.

The word ‘conjecture’ in the verse is crucial. It is human judgement that is the focus of attention in the verse. To divide the world of

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objects into good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, small or big, desirable or undesirable, part or full, may be a practical necessity for survival but equally true is the fact that the senses will not necessarily take you to the best alternative. In a later verse in this sixth chapter in the Geeta, Dnyaneshwar states that what is good for the mind or the body is usually not the first choice that man makes.

Genuinely desirable alternatives are not usually a choice of what is called ‘desire’. The philosophical doctrine19of the fallibility20 of the sense organs is used to drive home the point that man must judge the outer world with care and not be driven by emotions. Verses 774 and 784 are also in the same vein. Man must be like the sun.

The sun does not know darkness, he lights up wherever he goes.

This lighting up in man is about that reality in which both man and the world of men are both fallible to a certain extent. Therefore the second line in Verse 774, where man sustains himself through the so-called vicissitudes that the world imposes on him. The sixth chapter that is under discussion is about ‘mind games’ or the games that the mind is prone to play. What follows in the Dnyaneshwari is some loving chatter between Shrikrishna and Arjun before yogic discipline is unveiled. But more of that later. Let us first read through some chatter in the next chapter.

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enchanting – delightful ode – a lyric poem addressed to a person or a thing wistfulness – a feeling of sadness, vague or regretful longing Upanishad – the concluding portion of the Vedic literature amalgam – a mixture or blend hindrance – a thing or person that restricts or hinders accost – approach and address wallow – roll in mud, excessive indulgence in pleasures sensorial – related to sense organs as opposed to reason Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the universe evolved cocoon – a silky case made by larvae of silkworms wrench – to tear apart violently accrue – to allow something to collect over a period of time, to accumulate conjecture – a guess kith and kin – friends and relations discretion – prudence, tact, ease, to avoid unfavourable effects vest – a garment covering the upper part of the body, worn for a particular purpose 18. impinge – make an impact, have an effect 19. doctrine – a set of beliefs or principles 20. fallibility – capacity or capability of making a mistake

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 108–151 Geeta Chapter 6

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Chapter 50

Poetic Chatter (!)

As mentioned at the end of the last chapter a very important part of the Dnyaneshwari (and not so much of the Geeta) is to follow in the next chapter. What we have here is a poetic interlude before ‘yog’1 is revealed in its more mystical2 form. This section starts by describing a person who is Brahma3 incarnate and it is the Lord’s (Shrikrishna’s) description in the words of Dnyaneshwar. Here is what is said The elder amongst seers4 The light and the lamp In the eyes of the visionaries Because of whom * The universe comes to be With the sound of Aum** A huge cloth was woven But was not enough To drape even once Even one Of his qualities extraordinary …785 * The words ‘because of whom’ do not quite fit the ideas described in the Upanishads5, which envisage that the world came about without any reason or design. But the verse is constructed to accommodate the laity6 who feel comfortable with the idea of a creator who creates something. ** Please see Chapters 1, 16 and 104.

The superlatives continue The moon and the sun are lit By his inherent brilliance And his actions Sustain the world and its performance*

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Even the thought of his name and description Will dwarf the sky Who could describe him A futile effort not worth a try …786 * Here again the Upanishadic doctrine is transgressed somewhat in that nothing performs.

What follows is an extraordinary group of verses in which Shrikrishna descends from his avuncular7 role to that of a dear friend, very taken by Arjun’s keenness to learn and absorb what he (Shrikrishna) has to offer. What is more, an idea is put forward that for any exchange to occur, the theory that everything and everyone is after all one (the Brahma) must be put aside. Some of the latter verses are very unusual because they describe love between men (Shrikrishna and Arjun) in some rather delicate (!) poetic words. Here is how the verses go in Dnyaneshwar’s words If this universe and everything Is Brahma ‘that one’ Then how can there be A dialogue one to one And to redeem this situation He (Shrikrishna) held seven* layers of love Of silky linen Between himself and the other one (Arjun) So that love could blossom Yet Brahmic union is not broken And words can be exchanged one to one How else can vision Sustain love And fulfil the need Of loving interaction Or how can one embrace With love, that other one If they were already merged As one How will, what is in his heart Overflow into the other one Thus helpless Shrikrishna embraced The other one

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Only with words His friend The so-called, other, another one. …787 * It is difficult to understand why Dnyaneshwar mentions seven layers though they may represent the seven sentiments of language (Please see Chapter 72).

The mention of vision (in a verse) soon after may also imply that the seven layers were seven colours.

The verses continue Arjun becomes An idol of Shrikrishna’s love As love poured Followed a veritable precipitation The frenzy and anticipation Of an elderly sterile woman Become pregnant What of philosophy, what lessons The war is forgotten Arjun watches as Shrikrishna’s Love and affection Dance before him in exhilaration8 Why should he be shy When he is so full of this loving sensation And how can he tire When he is so filled with this obsession Arjun has become the very mirror Of Shrikrishna’s adoration9 And has come home to His friendship, love and affection …788 Dnyaneshwar hails Arjun A fertile field For the seed of devotion Just a notch below Surrender and sublimation10 So much so That the Lord himself Busies himself with Arjun’s description …789

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And Dnyaneshwar then adds a fascinating metaphor of a happy marriage A wife when she dotes on And serves her man The man in turn Treats her with respect and élan11 It is she who receives More praise than the man …790 The hint here is that being a devotee is more praiseworthy than being God. Therefore Dnyaneshwar says In the event I think I should Sing odes to Arjun This devoted man For whom the formless took form To appear as a perfect man (Shrikrishna) But he too succumbed And became Arjun’s fan* …791 * Fan – the author apologizes for using modern slang.

Dnyaneshwar ends this section by saying Lo and behold The lord of the universe Who gives birth to all Is so captivated by Arjun’s love And is held in its thrall12 …792 And then he (Shrikrishna) says There are signs That he is pregnant With a desire for that destination The seed of detachment and asceticism13 Is growing within him And drawing my attention …793 Then those who have come to listen to Dnyaneshwar exclaim Of what beauty these words Elegant and magnificent

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Like lilting musical notes Win with their sound and tone Marathi might be considered a ‘native tongue’ Yet she paints the sky With colours resplendent* …794 * Notice that Dnyaneshwar avoids individual colours.

This here inspiration Is like moonlight soft Tender and cool Helps and hastens lotuses to bloom As they feel and feed On moonlight and its caresses Which is sublime, comforting and cool …795 And about these words Even in the stoic14 and the detached hearts These words inspire a desire To know, to aspire But these rousing words having roused Will also douse the fire of desire To know and to understand …796 Reverting back to the story between Shrikrishna and Arjun, and referring to the verse (787), Arjun says to Shrikrishna I am not deserving Of this your enormous affection But to my need If you give some attention That will suffice For me to rise to, even touch That Brahmic15 destination …797 It is from here that a particular yogic discipline will be unveiled in the next chapter.

1.

2.

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yog – from the root ‘yuj’, to harness mind and body like in ‘yoke’ mystical – having hidden meaning or spiritual power Brahma – from the Sanskrit root ’brih’ = to spread or expand. Brahma is a term used to denote that singularity from which the universe came to be seer – a prophet, someone who has supernatural insight

264 5.

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Upanishads – the concluding portion of the Vedic literature laity – ordinary people as opposed to priests avuncular – like an uncle, kind and friendly especially towards a younger person exhilaration – a feeling of great happiness or excitement adoration – worship, idolise sublimation – altered to a refined or purer state élan – dash, verve thrall – to be under an influence asceticism – a state of severe discipline and denial of all pleasures stoic - calm, philosophical, showing great self control in adversity Brahmic – related to Brahma beyond this world of senses

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 152–331 Geeta Chapter 6

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Chapter 51

Alternate Pathways ‘The Kundalini’

How do alternate systems of medicine survive in the face of the huge attraction man has for the modern system of medicine (called in the past Allopathy1). Huge amounts of money have been invested in research and development of newer drugs and biotechnology by the practitioners of modern medicine and it would be idiotic for anyone to even mention that this investment has not borne excellent fruit. The beauty of the modern system is not only its rationale2 but also its firm conviction that all its advances must be based on provable, objective, experimental evidence. True, some of its advances, notwithstanding scientific scrutiny, have proved to be disastrous, true also that the system has fallen prey to rank commercialization but then an accident of say five aircrafts in a year when millions of people fly safely in the same period cannot and should not shut down the flying business altogether. In fact the endeavour must be to investigate the accidents with the aim to improve safety. That is what the modern system of medicine does.

And to the charge that the system is commercialized, one need only say that what is at fault is human nature, not the drugs or techniques that the system employs. Man is clever but not necessarily wise and his intelligence and prudence are victims of his greed and avarice.

All this apart, there is enough incontrovertible3 evidence that modern medicine has improved the quality of life, that people live longer because of it and people understand what is health because it is modern medicine that has established rational parameters to judge health.

But there is a fly in this otherwise sterile ointment.

Notwithstanding the justifiably imperious4 dominance of the modern system of medicine, several alternative systems of medicine survive, even thrive. People will swear by these systems, occasionally swear at them, yet will try them despite the systems’ total lack of objectivity or experimental proofs to sustain their rationale. Some time ago a

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prestigious British medical journal set out to investigate if a certain homeopathic medicine was effective for a given condition and ended in a no-win no-loss situation. The matter was, in cricketing parlance, ‘drawn’. There certainly was some smoke here, yet the fire was not visible.

Take the example of an allergic disorder (called the bastard of modern medicine by one of its notable practitioners) in which an allergen (in some people) causes a certain reaction leading to a symptom complex. Modern medicine has developed substances which neutralize this allergen to give relief from the disorder.

Homeopathy tackles the same disorder quite differently. First of all it identifies the personality of the individual who suffers from the disorder and then treats the personality rather than the disorder, by a substance which is specific for that personality. Alternatively, or in addition, it might use a substance which produces a symptom complex of that disorder but uses it in a very small quantity to alert the personality to what is coming. In short, in its own way, method or thinking, homeopathy bolsters the subject or its immune 5 mechanism to ward off trouble. Here the focus is ‘self’, not the enemy. The idea is to immunize oneself rather than attack the perpetrator6.

This brings us to the field of immunology7 which is now at the centre of so much investigation. Who would have imagined only a quarter of a century ago that major emotional upheavals in women would lend to a higher incidence of breast cancer due to depression of their immune systems? Or even further that our bodies produce abnormal, potentially cancerous cells throughout life but they are destroyed by our immune system to keep us healthy and that only when our immune system fails that cancer grows in our bodies? This is at least one of the ways in which cancer takes root.

And who teaches the immune mechanism the art of recognizing abnormal cells? The thymus gland in the upper chest in early childhood has been identified as one of the teachers. And what role does the brain play in all this? Not much is known in the form of an answer. To go one step further, would a man paralyzed from his neck downwards be more liable to develop cancers because he is cut off from the brain somewhat? No statistics are available in this regard though it is true that the brain is still connected to the body via numerous chemicals via the blood vessels, even when the body is paralyzed.

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This discussion is now veering8 towards the key question, how federal9 is the human organism? Or is the human body tightly and dictatorially controlled by the brain or even the heart to cite two major organs? When William Harvey (English physician 1578–1657) demonstrated the mechanism of the circulatory system, it was simplicity itself. A pump (the heart) receiving impure blood, getting it oxygenated through the lungs and then pumping it out again. For any tissue to survive or thrive it needed an artery and a vein, one to bring in pure blood, the other to take away the impure. That was the basis on which plastic surgeons cut skin flaps and moved them.

Till one day it was shown that a skin flap could survive without an artery, just hanging by a vein. Soon afterwards work was published to show that a nerve alone without an artery could also sustain skin.

And it soon became apparent how all this was possible. Both the vein and the nerve carried a web of very tiny blood vessels around it, called capillaries which were neither an artery nor a vein, just a fine network of very tiny vessels running along their (vein or nerve) length. True, this web derived its flow from the heart but what was also revealed through some intricate work on hydraulics was even more interesting. A computer-generated model showed that the capillary bed has a to and fro (ebb and tide) flow within it, and that at any given time this flow is not unidirectional and that this ebb and tide depends upon local pressures. The capillary bed therefore, had a certain autonomy10.

That brings us to the autonomic nervous system, a well charted but not so well understood system. This system runs close to all the blood vessels and the regular somatic11 nerves, nerves which are under the control of the brain via the spinal cord. The control implies that if we want to move our arm we can do so via the somatic nerves supplying the muscles of that arm. The autonomic nerves are different, for example, they control the acid secretion of our stomach and are not under our direct control. Conditions which we perceive to be stressful can automatically increase our acid secretion, blood pressure, pulse rate, and the rate at which we breathe via the autonomic nervous system. Notice the words ‘which we perceive as stressful’. The perception of stress varies. What might appear very stressful to some might produce no stress in others. It is the brain which decides how stressful the situation is and the autonomic nervous system comes to be put in a higher gear. Stress is thus perceived centrally and produces peripheral effects. It is true that the brain can be taught not to pull the trigger too quickly, or

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unnecessarily by psychotherapy (a sort of education which modulates12 perception and actions). But conversely, can the peripheral autonomic nervous system talk to the brain and tell it to slow down, relax, and rest? Can the stirrings within a nation influence the prime minister? Can the flow be reversed? Can we gather ourselves, so to say, pack up our body, and approach the brain and suggest to it that there is nothing left to stimulate, that it can rest, and become a sort of consciousness without being conscious of the body, where matter falls and only the spirit endures? It is often said that a light catnap is very invigorating in between bouts of work. To put it somewhat crudely, can we teach ourselves to roll back our body and put the brain in the state of a light catnap when awareness is not lost yet you are unaware of what goes on? A state when you are around yet not around as in light sleep?

A friend pointed out when this material was read to him that it was little more than idle musing13. He obviously has no time to be idle or to muse, and is happy in his present (strait) jacket. Thanks to those who can be idle (in a manner of speaking) and will also muse, jackets have known to change and improve man’s condition. And the change need not mean that the jacket has always got to be new.

Some of our older ideas were not so bad after all and in fact have been erroneously left behind by a world which has become a huge sensorial14 anarchy15 thanks to the media and the pressures that are generated by commerce, on which the media thrive and which the media promote. Ordinary physiological rest now has a premium.

In order to rest, one now needs to go on a holiday and also remind oneself when on that holiday, that ‘this is rest’. Man forgets that there is a limit to which a creature can tolerate an assault by sensations because there is also a limit to which a creature can respond. The autonomic nervous system might be autonomic but is not inexhaustible.

In the event there has always been a need, and more so now, to deal directly with our autonomic nervous system, a system not only consisting of nerves and blood vessels but also of cells, all of which play a crucial role in sustaining us. As Schrodinger (Austrian physicist and Nobel laureate 1887–1961) has it in his book What is Life each cell has a brain of its own and also a mind. We need to reach out to those millions of brains instead of depending on the big brain located in the skull. True, this reaching out can be done by suggestions emanating16 from the big brain but once the flow starts, the flow can and does become automatic and in turn may modify

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the impulses from and to the brain. It is a clever, laudable deception, a deception healthy for the big brain as well as the small brains.

The respiratory system is unique in this respect. It is under dual control, autonomic as well as voluntary. When confronted with a fearful situation we first gasp (involuntary) and then pant17 (also involuntary). Even otherwise when we breathe it is involuntary.

But unlike the heart rate which we cannot increase or decrease by a command, we can voluntarily reduce or increase our respiratory rate and its depth. This then perhaps is the chink in the door that opens into the world of the autonomic system and that is probably why all yogic18 practices advise man to concentrate on his breathing to gain access to our internal milieu19.

In this connection the message that a certain system from amongst the Indian philosophical pantheon20 (the yogic school of Patanjali, please see Chapter 12 ) gives is this. The peripheral stirrings in the body and its mind (which incidentally is probably distributed all over the body) can be modulated in a manner so as to 1)* influence the nervous circulatory and endocrinal21 systems 2) * which will give an exalted22 state of rest to the whole organism and 3) leading to a complete shedding of what we call ordinary consciousness 4) and might also lend to a sense of beatitude23 where the body disappears (!) and resembles an eternal flame which is what this universe is, notwithstanding the solid (?) matter which envelops it. While it is true that Dnyaneshwar picked on the Geeta which was the most modern of the religious texts of his time, his own antecedents24 in terms of his upbringing, belonged to an entirely different and mystical25 school (please see Chapter 3). This school taught that the body was divided into various meridians26 in an ascending order, rising from the perineum27, to reach the brain and that the system was based on an energy source convoluted like a spiral, pointing towards the perineum at the lower end of our spine. It was as if this body was weighed down by its weight by gravity, had become deadened to this energy source and was trapped in the mundane28 and the ordinary world of matter. The idea, as taught by this mystical school, envisaged that this spiral (Kundalini29) energy source could be activated, made to turn around, to ascend the successive ladders of the meridians like in a game of snakes and ladders, to reach the seat of consciousness, the brain and thus convert the whole body into a state of pure consciousness. The body as we know it thus came apart. The matter withered30 (figuratively) and the subatomic flux31 came into its own and shone by itself. The consciousness thus

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achieved did not have any objects to encounter, the mind melted and whatever might have been ‘man’ and man’s awareness of himself ceased. This was not a state of subject (me) and objects (that and they) but where all had become one.

Of these, the first two (indicated with a *) have now been happily and somewhat fashionably accepted by clinical scientists. The word ‘fashionably’ is not used in the derogatory32 sense but only conveys a reality of the modern world where good ideas (old or new) have to be accepted by the stars and starlets who occupy so much of our mind space because of the media. These two are now collectively herded under the title of ‘therapy through biofeedback technique’.

It is a happy conversion of an otherwise interventionist33 attitude of modern medicine to one of ‘search of what is within’. There is also another positive aspect of the return of this ‘scientist pilgrim’ to the basics because now through his efforts verifiable clinical proof is being offered for this method of soothing the autonomic systems which the seers of the past had evolved through their ‘musings’ without offering what we justifiably call verifiable documented proof.

What bothers the modern scientific mind is the third and fourth point in the earlier paragraph where man sheds his body and burns like a flame within a world of objects but casts away his mortal physical coil. The self is lost because the objects around do not come in the purview of this flame. It is an odd situation where the subject (self) is lost because the other (objects) things are not perceived. That part of the self which depends on the world for its existence is lost.

The self is aware/unaware because the mind is fallen. It is sort of aware of itself but not the rest, because the rest is not different but self itself.

Is this poppycock34 or insanity? The talk of a charlatan35or the musings of a fool? Kelkar (1900–1986) and Mangrulkar (1910–1986) who spent the better part of their not-so-well-to-do existence compiling a critical edition of the Dnyaneshwari, without any grant (later published by the University of Mumbai [Bombay] with an erudite36 introduction by Sarojini Vaidya, a former head of the Department of Marathi and Krishna Shriniwas Arjunwadkar, a scholar) categorically state that they failed to find a person who had successfully practised this mysterious technique, where matter dissolves and man shines like a flame. Yet as this is being written, scientists in California at the Salk Institute’s Clayton Foundation laboratory for peptide biology (report by Vithal Nadkarni in The

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Times of India dated Sep. 8 ’02) have discovered an autonomic pathway between the brain and the testes independent of the normal pituitary-testes hormonal link. As expressed earlier in this chapter, there is smoke yet the fire is not clearly visible. And if Dnyaneshwar is to be believed there is more to the perineum than excretion, procreation and sex.

For many reasons there was great temptation in the mind of this author to completely omit all the verses on the subject of Kundalini (the reversed coil in the perineum considered the seat of enormous autonomous power). For a start, they appeared to defy conventional logic, they were full of obscure terms, they showed an end result which was exotic37, improbable, weird38 and which cannot be proved and lastly during the course of the verses several repugnant39 unsavoury40 descriptions occur which repel the reader. The very foundation of the system begins with a foetid41 gas that is normally expelled from the anus being obstructed voluntarily. It is this gas with its putrefying42 powers, which will ascend the body to reach our normal breath and on its way completely putrefy, digest and dissolve the fleshy and bony matter in man.

Why would Dnyaneshwar, who never even once as much as trespasses43 the bounds of decency and decorum44, who adheres to the Geeta yet so beautifully complements it with his own thoughts, who argues both for the transcendental God as well as sympathises with God in the form of an idol, whose ornamental poetry never completely leaves the territory of philosophy, choose to include this obscure45, complicated, somewhat repulsive subsystem of Indian philosophy, which cannot be proved, within his body of work? There must be a reason, a reason which we must seek yet may not find.

And it is for this reason so that we might find something in future and because we must not pick and choose from a complete work as per our current fancy, that these verses are included here. As Hamlet says to Horatio in the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, ‘there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy’. And to paraphrase Feynman (US physicist and Nobel laureate, 1918–1988), ‘I would treat with skepticism any out of hand rejection even of things like witchcraft as a technique or science.’

The light banter or even an occasional aside by great men need to be taken seriously. In our case, Dnyaneshwar writes on this mystical practice at such length, in such detail and with so much enthusiasm that it would have been unfair to delete this part of the Dnyaneshwari from its present English translation.

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There is also a final twist to this tale. Throughout the sixth chapter, though Shrikrishna elaborates on Yog, as in harnessing the mind and the body together, to achieve a better quality of life, talks of moderation, meditation46 and of reining in the body from temptation, he barely even as much hints to this particular form or practice where the body is dissolved into a sort of flame. Dnyaneshwar himself later categorically emphasizes that this practice is unsuitable for a large overwhelming majority of mankind. Yet Dnyaneshwar takes off on six verses (10,11,12,13,14,15) in the sixth chapter of the Geeta which touch upon a technique of concentration and meditation in a particular sitting position, but which are nowhere near what Dnyaneshwar will elaborate. It is not even certain that this particular technique was existent at the time of the historical Shrikrishna.

Perhaps Dnyaneshwar was under too much pressure from his guru Nivrutti and their tradition, to forsake an opportunity to detail this technique. But enough of this analysis. Here is how the verses go.

This path is the seed and the tree Of a motivated life At the roots of which Asceticism47 thrives And of which Shankar* God Is the pilgrim main And along which many a yogi Also came Who in crisscrossed routes In the direction of the sky Started their climb And thus this route Is settled and paved And become easy to climb Enlightened seers48 too Choose this route So that to their destinations They arrive ... 798 * Shankar: An important God in the Indian pantheon, in charge of the dissolution of the universe. Brahmadeo is the so-called creator and Vishnu the third in the triad, runs the world. Shrikrishna according to tradition is the incarnation of Vishnu.

This then the route Where hunger and thirst

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Are forgotten And so are day and night And even if you were To lose your way If not deliverance Heavens are in sight ...799 This is a journey Where you start to the east And arrive in the west And where the mind Is in a state of rest Where the journey becomes The destination itself ...800 And to give you more details Of this mental journey You need a proper place Where peace dwells And asceticism swells, with vigour And a place which You are not inclined to vacate ...801 Where saints have spent Their lives And a tranquil mind Is strengthened by courage And thrives And meditation itself Teaches your mind And as experience arrives It garlands the inner space Such is this place That even a non-believer Is a convert and induced This path to embrace And a casual traveller When he encounters The ambience49 of this place From his world of passion His steps retrace

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And those who stay Are jolted so That in them Asceticism awakes Where men living in luxury Give up all that is worldly And settle peacefully This place so ethereal50 That Brahma51 appears to the eyes Crystal clear But this place Must not be too far travelled By those who for no reason travel But travelled only by genuine seekers And where real pilgrims settle Where trees are dense and thick And they bear fruit And even their bark, sap and roots Are soft, succulent and sweet to the tooth ...802 Where there is water aplenty And even when the monsoon breaks Water preserves its purity And where springs bubble And make musical sounds pretty ‌803 Where the sun is mild And the wind quiet Roams in soft waves ...804 The place should be quiet Where animals do not In numbers migrate An occasional nightingale is welcome Swans and peacocks will do But bumblebees must not buzz And parrots should not talk Sought they are not ...805 There can be a temple Or a monastery nearby

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Which you can barely espy52 Lest they in your vision pry53 And then you choose a spot And try And experience is gained By and by ...806 If your mind can stand still And if it does You are now ready to sit ...807 Place velvety grass in a line On this grass place Soft deerskin with a shine And on top, folds of muslin very fine The seat must not be too high Lest you tilt And a trough54 avoid For it may be wet silt55 ...808 Then focus your mind Away from distractions And remember your Guru So that your ego will soften With sublimation56 Noble thoughts will spring And surround your mind Passion and lust are forgotten The senses lose their spine The real self will become One with the mind The body will hold The wind within Contains itself A new feeling enters Within the self Motivations fall aside And withdraw themselves Thoughts collect and drown And composure emerges ...809

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Sit with your legs crossed The right heel under and the left leg on top The right heel between The anus and the roof of the phallic57 shaft It then presses that spot Follow by gently lifting your back The ankles alone then support the lot The body becomes a pole, a flag And the foetid58 air is blocked ...810 Concave dishes of pink palms Are fitted on the left leg And by this action Shoulders somewhat project And with the spine erect The head fits and rests ‌811 The upper lids tend to droop The lower spread and become a scoop ‌812 Eyes are partly opened Partly closed Vision is doused But inward it does browse59 ...813 To see the outside If you choose The sight falls On your nose ...814 To see figures or forms Or scan the sky To look east or west Those desires are put to rest ...815 The throat deflates And forms a cleft And the chin drops In that cleft

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The apple60 flattens And becomes the chin’s mate ...816 The tummy slackens And becomes flat And a new vigour Fills the heart ...817 Thus composure and repose61 Cast a shadow And the mind within Becomes fallow62 ...818 Ideas disappear Mind stops its dither63 And the mind and the body To peace they come Hunger and thirst Are forgotten ...819 The breath trapped near the bottom With a smell which is rotten Begins to growl and slowly crawl And starts its upward trawl64 ...820 65

It attacks phlegm and bile Breaks walls of bones An edifice of tiles ...821 Clumps of oil and fat It forms into a slake66 And all the tissues in the body It breaks ...822 The sinews67 are loosened Joints pried open ...823 This breath rich in enzymes Renders the body and its water Into a veritable slime ...824

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It brings out disease Then the next moment Puts the body at ease ...825 The subject is thus touched by fear But he must not worry Things are getting into proper gear ...826 With all this And the heat of the foetid breath The Kundalini awakens Electric, erectile a golden coil This little saffron baby of a reptile Layers of fire in an orderly pile Wakes up, turns its head And starts its march To heart and head ...827 A sprouting of the seed of light A meteor68 on its fiery flight The sun arriving with all its might ...828 69

With ease and ĂŠlan She unwinds herself And near the button* Stands erect ...829 *belly button

Hungry over time Piqued by the heat and shine Opens its mouth And is ready to climb ...830 It sucks all the air Below the heart And sprouts flames With jaws apart It tears and swallows flesh Part by part

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And does not spare Even the heart ...831 It enters the soles and arms And does the same to nails and palms Whatever is fleshy All is sucked Skin and bones Are snugly tucked Marrow and bones Too are sucked And in all this Hair roots are burnt And body’s metals Are then gulped ...832 The body is hot and dry Like an Indian summer ready to fry ...833 She now pulls in The upper breath Which meets within With the foetid breath ...834 The Kundalini scolds The two breaths apart And orders them to quickly depart ...835 At this stage Up she throws And on this vomit The real breath grows ...836 The body cools, strength returns The pulse stops, the air is gone The body shines Brightness dawns Covered by skin The brightness then Sheds the skin Clouds disperse and the sun shines

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A diamond sprouting on marble smooth An evening sky, with a colourful sheen ...837 Moist autumn noon An orchard soft And in bloom Peace poured as an idol Tree of joy grown tall Brightness astride a throne The very organ of the soul ...838 The body emits This divine glow The God of death Bends and bows ...839 Old age withdraws Youth is lost And the child of the past Is again recast ...840 So like a child But mighty as man And brave at heart ...841 A joyful tree Of Gold in spring Nails grow new Like tender petals Fresh and clean Teeth arranged Like diamond rings ...842 Hair grow like tiny buttons Rubies in rows spread like atoms ...843 Palms and soles Like flowers red Eyes so clean You cannot forget ...844

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Eyes like pearls Force their shells Then take a peek From their shells The whole wide world They scan and seek ...845 The body wears a golden tone But the body is light Like the wind that rolls The earth and water Have taken a flight ...846 He can clearly see Beyond the sea Walk on water Without wetting his feet Rides horses Of wind and breeze Comes to know What an ant will think And thoughts from heaven Listen free ...847 The Kundalini then Hand in hand With vital breath Of the wide vast sky Ascends the steps She who sheds The seed of this world and life Brahma’s resplendent Sign Has given birth to the breath of life Which enters the heart And gives the soundless sound (Aum) But where is the mind Not around to hear this sound Only in the heart It echoes and rebounds ...848

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Then the sky Echoes this sound *But the sky on this sky Awaits this sound And she offers this sky The divine sound Now reduced To just the vital breath A lightning flash Sprouting light Now a flame, then out of sight Everything dissolved With all their might ...849 * The two skies, the temporal sky which we can see and the sky beyond.

The body is now very fine The plantain stem bereft of skin Earth in water, water in steam Fire doused in a heart sublime Then this breath becomes divine ...850 Then dissolves into primal sound* Water from the river via the clouds Along the rivers to its origin bound Duality70 vanished in this Brahmic ground Language grammar word and sound Are nowhere to be found The last frontier of the sky Is not around Nothing left to know and feel Thoughts and words do not hound Motivations lose their ground ...851 *Please see Chapters 1, 16, 104

This then the so-called reason From which shapes and things arise Limitless beauty without a mind Youth of a special kind ...852

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The beginning and end Of the beginning and end ...853 To summarize 1. There is a source of hidden energy located at the root of our back and in the perineum, which we are not aware of.

2. That this is portrayed as being a small snake with its head pointing towards the coccyx (the last small bone of the spine).

This creature (!) is normally in a somnolent71 state (sleeping).

3. That under circumstances explained in the verses, with the help of the blocked foetid air which is forced to rise towards the heart, this snake-like Kundalini (coil) wakes, turns, rises and dissolves all matter in the body.

4. This leaves behind the utter primal energy in the form of the vital breath (!) (not air in the conventional sense) which is synonymous with AUM, the primal sound (please see Chapters 1, 16, 104).

5. Man thus dissolves and merges with Brahma, poetically described as being able to walk on water, hear from the heavens, understand what the ant thinks, ride horses of air and see beyond the seas, his being and becoming the universe itself.

While transferring the verses into English, the phases through which the transformation takes place have been blurred on purpose, because the Kundalini transcends several layers in circles or meridians which have complicated names and have intricate functions not easily understood even by the author of this book.

As the reader can surmise, the verses and the technique told therein are beyond not only of understanding but also beyond imagination and belief. But Dnyaneshwar has narrated these verses and they are found in all the editions of the Dnyaneshwari and therefore could not have been eliminated from the translations.

Dnyaneshwar is aware that these verses and the technique that they describe is not practical even for the initiated, leave aside the common man. That is why he immediately starts to make amends and puts these words in the mouth of Arjun, our protagonist72 who is in a state of bewilderment73.

All this is great and well But in my mind It fails to ring a bell ‌854

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Give me something That I can swallow Or easily follow …855 And Shrikrishna immediately offers solace.

Says Shrikrishna, For the rarest of the rare This technique reserved And even amongst the rare Few come to win and deserve …856 But then Your ultimate aim is liberation And if you practise moderation Stay away from temptation Stay within some regulation You too will achieve liberation …857 The die is thus cast. Shrikrishna reverts to a modest, simple, practical behavioural technique for a happy successful existence. The exotic verses of the Kundalini technique are, in a manner of speaking, consigned73 to their place and Dnyaneshwar who started this diversion, himself reins in his diversionary tactics to get back to earth.

The sixth chapter of the Geeta will now be commented upon in a normal useful frame. More of that in the next chapter.

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Allopathy – the treatment of disease, with drugs which have effects opposite to the symptoms rationale – logical basis incontrovertible – indisputable imperious – domineering, overbearing immune (mechanism) – related to a living organism’s ability to resist biological (mainly infective) aggression with its cells perpetrator — a person who commits a crime or does something wrong immunology – a branch of medicine dealing with the immune system of an organism veer – turn federal – of several states in union but with independence in internal affairs autonomy – control over one’s own affairs; independence somatic – related to the body (not to the mind) modulate – regulate, adjust musing – reflection, deliberation sensorial – related to sense organs not to reason or intellect anarchy – disorder

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emanating – originate, issue (from) pant – breathe with short, quick breaths yogic – harnessing mind and body in a balance by breath control and postures milieu – one’s social environment pantheon – the deities of people collectively (used here for philosophical systems of a people) endocrinal – (system) of glands which secrete in the blood directly as opposed to say a gland which secretes into the stomach exalted – lofty, high, inspired beatitude – supreme blessedness antecedents – preceding circumstances mystical – inspiring a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination meridian – any imaginary circle passing through fixed points perineum – the region of the body between the penis, and the scrotum mundane – dull, routine Kundalini – a coiled snake-like energy source in the perineum of man wither – become dry and shrivelled flux – continuous change derogatory – showing a critical or disrespectful attitude interventionist – favouring intervention poppy cock – nonsense charlatan – a person falsely claiming a special knowledge or skill erudite – learned, showing great learning exotic – strange, unusual, bizarre weird – strange, queer, incomprehensible repugnant – extremely distasteful, unacceptable unsavoury – disagreeable, unpleasant (to taste, smell, feelings) foetid – smelling unpleasant putrefying – from putrefy = go bad, fester, decompose trespass – to enter somebody’s land or property without their permission decorum – polite and decent behaviour obscure – hidden, not clear meditation – reflection by way of thinking and pondering asceticism – abstaining from pleasures and comforts seer – a prophet, a person who sees (visions, future) ambience – the atmosphere of a place ethereal – highly delicate Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the world evolves, and which sustains the world espy – catch light of pry – look or peer inquisitively trough – a low point of depression silt – deposit sediment (brought by a water channel) sublimation – altered to a refined or purified state phallic – of the phallus, the male genital organ, penis foetid – faecal of faeces, solid excreta browse – skim, run one’s eye over Apple (Adam’s) – projection in the neck of the voice box (in man) repose – place (trust) in fallow – uncultivated, left unsown

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63. dither – hesitate, trouble 64. trawl – a fishing term, where a net or hooks follow a boat in the act of catching fish 65. phlegm – thick viscous mucus from the respiratory tract 66. slake – disintegrate by chemical combination with water 67. sinews – junction of muscles and bones where muscles get attached to bones 68. meteor – a small body of matter from outer space, incandescent due to friction with atmosphere 69. élan – charms, delight 70. duality – the philosophical supposition that the universe is constituted by two things, e.g. mind and matter 71. somnolent – sleepy, drowsy 72. protagonist – the main person in a drama, story or a real event 73. bewilderment – from bewilder = perplex, puzzle, mystify 74. consign – hand over, send

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 331–389 Geeta Chapter 6

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Chapter 52

Back to the normal and the traditional

If an answer is to be encapsulated, based on the Upanishads, to the question ‘What is life?’ the following can emerge. There is ‘this thing’ called Brahma (from the Sanskrit root Brih, to mean to spread), a timeless thing, without any attributes1 or qualities on which life as we know rests. But the life that we know and see is only a sign or an appearance. Real life is Brahma itself, the basis and substratum2 of everything in this universe. But Brahma is very fine, elusive, ever-present yet not apparent (like the activity within an atom).

It is from the signs of Brahma that man needs to explore Brahma.

For that matter, the whole of nature itself can become an investigative platform from which man can train his vision to envision3 Brahma.

Let us take man as an example. What is man but a bunch of organs that perceive (sense organs, for example, the eye) and a set of instruments that execute (for example, the limbs). But there is the mind in between where the senses arrive before execution can take place. And it is the intellect that decides what kind of an execution will take place. Emotion intervenes no doubt and so does instinct but in the combination of these three, intellect can supersede or should supersede in man who has become over years and years of evolution, a part of civilised society of his own making.

It is this hypothetical4 conglomerate5 of organs, mind, intellect, emotion and instinct which feels hungry, thirsty and greedy, it is this which loves and is accepted or rejected. It is this which feels ‘up and down’, grows old and dies. None of this happens to that thing called Brahma. It is these changes and the fluctuations in the ‘body mind intellect’ trinity that seems to alienate6 itself from Brahma.

Brahma is forever serene7 and steady.

If a man feels burdened by the depths of despair8 alternating with peaks of pleasure yet if he wants to lead a steady life, if he wants to savour pleasure as a witness rather than as a participant and wants

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to be insulated9 from despair even as it surrounds him, he must imitate and then try to meet Brahma.

What Dnyaneshwar is now about to relate is how to go about trying to meet Brahma and to prove that this meeting is not all that difficult. He avers10 that no great penance11 is needed nor any exotic12 difficult practices for this purpose. What is needed is for man to be aware of what the body, mind, intellect, emotion and instinct are up to. If you can observe in your mind what goes on in your mind more than half this battle is won. It is true that man is a complicated animal, capable of both good and bad, but simple as it may seem and it is, there is a regulatory mechanism built in him which is capable of a course correction. Unlike a lower animal, man is both instinctive and rational13. The two, the instinctive and the rational need to meet to achieve what may be crudely called the ‘Brahmic outcome.’

Eat one must but not for gluttony 14 and rest one must but indolence15 must not become a way of life. What is life without passion and emotion? They are the ‘given’ in this life. But passion and emotion must not so overwhelm man so as to be counterproductive to society and more importantly to man himself. As Dnyaneshwar puts it at a later stage the tides of passions and emotions overflowing from the mind must not fill the shores and the creeks of our limbs and cause harm.

Moderation is the looking glass through which you must watch the passion-plays exhaust their passion. Watch how passion converts to desire and avarice16. That is when you should withdraw ‘like a turtle withdraws its limbs.’ Let the body and mind throb and hum but not be drowned in noise, nor allowed to convulse. And as Dnyaneshwar would have it, all this does not need the power of a superman. In fact, this is the domain17 of a common man set to become a superman. All that it needs is patience, practice and a desire for willing participation. As Dnyaneshwar will put it in his verses, this practice is not the preserve of a few but the territory of the proletariat18. When man withdraws his sensorial19 tentacles and refuses to swallow prey after prey for pleasure, then come quietude and a certain fortitude20. There is a feeling of being in control. Your body and mind are no more the victims of your body and mind.

They oscillate21 with a certain rhythm, just enough to steadily forge22 ahead but not in a manner which will make man run, lurch, fall, rise and run again. It is a quiet, peaceful rhythm, which is akin to Brahma.

One feels one (with ‘that thing’). You participate yet watch, you are an actor and the spectator as well, you both play and cheer, you

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bowl and bat, score and save goals at the same time. The game is thus won before it begins, also when it is being played and when it is about to end, because in this game of chess you are both the white and black pieces, and as in bridge, you become the dummy and contribute points but the hand is played by that declarer who is also you.

Here are the verses Even for a moment If a man is detached From the sensorium23 And his body and its parts Deliverance he deserves As his reward ...858 You too will surely deserve What you think is reserved As a preserve Of only the few So said Shrikrishna To encourage Arjun anew ...859 The principle is simple Those who do not keep Their life simple And are drowned In their senses ample This liberation they will not sample ...860 Those who swear Only by their food And are sold to laziness And sleep for good Have no chance to savour This deliverance that is The ultimate good ...861 Too much pleasure is bad To deny all pleasure Too is bad Eat what you need

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Neither too little nor too much That advice you must heed ...862 Control the words that you speak Walk you must according to need Sleep too as you need And awake you are For all your necessary deeds Of balance and happiness These steps are the seeds ...863 These thoughts are your food For your own good ...864 When from outside These thoughts stamp Yogic* happiness comes to camp Without much ado24 and pomp25 ...865 * To harness body, mind and soul

Luck favours those Who toil with tact Deliverance comes to those Who first think then act ...866 That man who works with tact That man who thinks and then acts Is like a sheltered lamp Its flame steady and intact ...867 The mind is not Such a big thing It all boils down To how you think ...868 Even when death beckons When you are mortally ill The tongue will refuse To swallow the bitter pill ...869

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Whatever is good and kind Seems not to suit the mind The problems are In the body and mind Beyond these two *Yog is very easy to find ...870 * Yog – from ‘yuj’, to harness the body, mind and soul.

That is why moderation Is what I prescribe To which you should Heartily subscribe ...871 Then the body will slowly mend And the mind will find That the soul and the mind Are not different But are sides of the same coin ...872 The throne of happiness The mind will ascend And within the soul It will slowly merge and wane ...873 Mountains of sorrow It can bear Will not bother If weapons tear And fire itself It can fearlessly dare ...874 When the mind becomes One with the soul It is beyond Body’s toll On happiness itself It quietly rolls ...875 What is mine What is not

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Is forgotten at last The beauty of Yog* The kingdom of joy A realized mind Moderation will find ...876 * to harness body, mind and soul

Desire and avarice Are children of passion Suffice to put them Out of action ...877 Passion, when it hears That its children are dead And that its call The body will not hear It will by itself Embrace its death ...878 When asceticism26 ascends Turmoil descends Fortified27 with strength Reason transcends28 ...879 When body and mind Are somewhat in hand Thoughts can roam And be allowed to expand They are sure to return Where they began This is what happens When you firmly stand ...880 The tempting duality29 Of the world will fall Your life will light up With Brahma’s call ...881 When the clouds melt In the sky that you see

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The sky surrounds Whatever there be ...882 When your active mind Melts away Brahma and soul Show their sway ...883 By this method simple Motivation crumbles The mystery of Brahma and soul Is solved in measures ample ...884 Once this state is passed The Yogi* remains steadfast ...885 * Yogi who has harnessed his mind and body to the soul

Like salt dissolved in water Stays dissolved, whatever the matter ...886 In this regal palace of unison30 Shines divine joy touched by brilliance ...887 But realise this All this Is like your legs Climbing your back ...888 Up to all this If you are not Let me show you Another track ...889 The drift of all the verses in this chapter, except the last two, is to show Arjun that there is a far simpler method to achieve deliverance than the practice of Kundalini (see Chapter 51). The last two verses (888, 889) hint that controlling one’s mind is also not very easy. In verse 888 Dnyaneshwar mentions ‘climbing on one’s back’ as a metaphor31 to depict the difficulty of curtailing the mercurial restless mind with the mind itself. But all is not lost because Shrikrishna

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immediately adds that there is an alternative available, which he will tell Arjun.

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attribute – a characteristic, quality substratum – a foundation or basis envision – visualize or see hypothetical – assumed, not necessarily true conglomerate – a number of things forming a (heterogeneous) mass alienate – cause to feel isolated serene – calm, placid, tranquil despair – complete loss of hope insulate – detach from its surrounding aver – assert penance – act of punishment to self exotic – remarkably strange or unusual rational – based on reason gluttony – habitual greed and excess in eating indolence – lazy, idle avarice – greed domain – an area under one’s rule, a sphere of control Proletariat – used in this chapter to mean common citizenry sensorial – of the whole sensory apparatus fortitude – courage in pain or adversity oscillate – fluctuate, vibrate forge – move forward, take the lead sensorium – the network of sense organs ado – fuss pomp – show, ceremony, spectacle asceticism – severe self discipline, denying all forms of pleasure fortify – strengthen transcend – go beyond the material world duality (not one) – divided into two, for example – Brahma and the rest of the world 30. unison – agreed, accord 31. metaphor – imaginative use of word, term or phrase

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 390–425 Geeta Chapter 6

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Chapter 53

Familiar territory/(Self) Education

If restraining the mind is like climbing on one’s back, how does one go about this world without falling prey to temptation? And where does temptation come from? From the world, the one that man perceives as different from oneself. And what if the world and he are one and the same? Then temptation does not remain a force anymore because it is not something that impinges1 on you from the outside. And who is to say all this and also to give this instruction?

Shrikrishna himself. And since he is the central character of the narration, also the guru and the repository2 of this knowledge, he does figure in these verses.

To begin with, Shrikrishna puts himself at the centre of the instruction and equates himself with Brahma.

There is no doubt at all That I am present In one and all And everything that lives Is in me One and all …890 He then reiterates the message by advising that this is an irrevocable3 truth for the yogi pilgrim, a person who is going through the practice of harnessing mind, body and soul.

This is how it came about Believe and understand And This is how it came to be a mix That you must grasp and grip …891 Once this is taken care of, this yogi is now

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With all his mind Focused on me Many a thing He may see Yet remains devoted to me …892 With a host of metaphors , Dnyaneshwar elaborates the fact that things and forms have one source and substance.

The lamp and light Are no different Water and wetness Are the same and one Sky and space Are both in one* Many are the leaves But the tree is one The cloth and the thread Are the same and one Gold and the necklace Are no different …893 4

* The sky is an objective entity identified by man while space is the reality, one of the five – the others being earth, water, fire and air.

Once this principle is established, the yogi is now ready for enlightenment.

The night of ignorance Thus withdraws The morn of oneness Comes to dawn He cannot be captured By worldly charms When he realizes my expanse Without an effort he expands The body is around To move and dance But where is he** To dance and prance5 …894 ** ‘He’ here representing his merged Brahmic existence. That is the experience of unity with Brahma from which the world evolved and which is the only truth.

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Then comes the next step when the yogi reaches a stage where he becomes oblivious6 to most things that the world presents.

He sees the world As divine and one Pleasure and pain The sacred and sin Are no different The world and him Become totally one As body and limbs He appears to some But in my thoughts In him, Brahma* has come …895 * that unity, the only truth, the origin, sustenance7 and end of the universe

And then comes a judgement delivered by Shrikrishna.

Shrikrishna adds See the world In yourself And see yourself In this world …896 The difference, separateness, alienation are thus put to rest.

But Arjun is not so easily satisfied. He as usual has difficulties.

He rightly points out that the mind is difficult to restrain or control, and disciplining it is even more difficult. He presents a portrait of this mind.

How where and what Is this mind I just cannot Seem to find …897 Arjun then asks two rhetorical questions about the mind Can a monkey contemplate8?

Can a storm dissipate9?

By itself? …898 Notice the mention of the monkey, made so famous by Darwin (1809–1882), the father of ‘the theory of evolution’. Dnyaneshwar’s choice of the animal is interesting. There is not a person in this world

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who is not both thrilled and intrigued by the way monkeys behave, and the reason for man’s bewilderment10 is deep and hidden. He sees his own image in the monkey without quite admitting it, or realizing it.

Dnyaneshwar continues. The mind he says Reason, it tortures Determination, it devours11 When its hand Steadfastness12 offers The mind shakes it But in a moment, disappears …899 Arjun in the words of Dnyaneshwar elaborates further. In the mind or because of it Discretion13 loses its way Pure joy is rendered Into a passion play Sit steady and contemplate A man may But the mind drags him In four different ways …900 When restrained Amuck14 it runs And restraint For it Is mere games and fun …901 And Arjun helplessly laments Such is this mind How can I get hold of it Which I cannot even find Equanimity15 and peace How will I find With this mercurial mind …902 But Shrikrishna persists. It is true he says that The mind is mercurial But asceticism16 and application Will render it less fickle17 …903

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And puts forward a theorem There is this peculiar thing About this mind It is susceptible To a certain grind In some way if exposed To this ascetic grind A Liking and interest In it, it will find …904 He/ Shrikrishna agrees that If asceticism and application Are missing A steady tune The mind will not sing …905 And elaborates If not subject to rules And by pleasures alone It is ruled If from birth It is not splinted18 By method or rules It is bound to wander And play the fool …906 And then Shrikrishna gives an instruction. He says Follow some basic rules And watch the results As they unspool …907 Moderation and these yogic rules* Are the best possible tools Over the mind To reign and rule …908 * a way of life, to harness body, mind and soul

Thus this section of the Dnyaneshwari sort of ends because Arjun is going to ask a most intriguing and vexed19 question after these verses. About them and their answers in the next chapter.

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impinge – make an impact, have an effect repository – a person regarded as a store of information irrevocable – irreversible, unalterable metaphor – imaginative application of word, term or phrase prance – raise the forelegs and spring from the hind legs oblivious – unaware sustenance – nourishment, support contemplate – survey with eyes or mind dissipate – cause to disappear or disperse (cloud, vapour, fear etc.) bewilderment – utter confusion devour – eat hungrily or greedily steadfastness – firmness discretion – prudence, tact, care amuck – run wildly in uncontrollable violent anger equanimity – mental composure asceticism – abstinence from all forms of pleasure (for a spiritual or religious reason) 17. tickle – inconstant, fitful unstable 18. splinted – secured (as in broken bones, tied) 19. vexed – problematic

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 425–497 Geeta Chapter 6

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Chapter 54

Rebirth (!)

What happens when a tree dies in the forest? It falls to the ground and later gets buried as wood from which coal forms, and then years and years later, maybe several thousand years later, oil comes to flow. All three, wood, coal and oil, are combustible and used as a source of energy. But how does the tree acquire this energy? From the sun, by its rays, by way of chlorophyll, which somehow traps this energy to produce things useful for the tree’s survival and growth. What happens when wood, coal and oil are burnt? There is maybe ash and a certain gas. Is the energy thus lost forever? No, it is not. It assumes another form. Does all this energy survive? It seems not. Every act of transfer of energy means a certain loss which is called entropy. It seems, because of this entropy, everything is running down a bit. Even our sun is running down and according to some, the whole of this universe is running down, losing its energy.

Even though surrounded by this entropic state, nature does regenerate by feeding on itself (because entropy is small and slow).

The autumn leaves that fall to the ground are fodder for future growth. Man collects such material from his garden or kitchen to grow plants. Animal and human excreta are considered excellent fertilizers. But here the word fertilizer is a bit of a misnomer1. It does not fertilize like a sperm does. The fertilizer is a source of energy, a facilitator2 for germination. It is for this reason that the earth is called a biosphere3. The economics of the earth’s living wealth is slow, ponderous4, seasonal but also simple and sure. True she suffers calamities, a storm, for example, is sudden and devastating. On the other hand, a river changing its course over hundreds of years might lead to desertification. But even in a desert, life continues to lurk, adapt, even thrive. Nature is abundant but it also has simple rules. It abhors5 waste, except by way of entropy. It is both cyclical and rhythmic. Whichever way the universe might have come about, by design or accident, man imagines that it has a

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beginning and an end. The universe, in his mind is a fascinating show, curtains up and then curtains down. What is debated is, are there many shows of the same thing, one after the other? And even further are there many different shows occurring simultaneously at different places?

All this is not leading to a sly and pseudoscientific6 justification for what in popular thinking is called rebirth. The idea, that some archduke in Austria when he dies is reborn as an aborigine7 in Australia because he (the duke) was cruel to his servants during his reign8, is just not a viable proposition. The entities called duke, Austria, aborigine, Australia and servants and for that matter cruelty are not recognized by nature. They have been artefacts9 and superimpositions created by man in his own mind, that too for a few thousand years against the background of millions of years of nature that we are only now beginning to unravel. As has been said rather harshly nature does not care. As a well-known poet has said, ‘nature, so careful of the species yet so careless of the individual’.

Indeed it is true that man disturbs nature and its balance on the earth. But the earth is a very tiny speck in this unimaginably huge cosmos. To imagine that there is an active intelligent God, who when the arrow of time falls or the curtain falls, will judge men and women, decide their fate, heaven or hell, and put a few on parole (or in purgatory10), sounds interesting. This scenario once built in man’s mind may even reform him but it stretches the limits of credulity11 when we realize how vast this universe is and how self-centered this idea is. The wicked faithless questions, has God created man or has man created God, rear12 their heads when such arguments are fashioned. As the cynical13 atheist14 might say the bodies of the Austrian duke and the Australian aborigine will help grow grass in equal measure in the same graveyard. But even that might be wrong.

The duke is likely to have a casket of more seasoned and highly varnished wood, making it difficult for grass to sustain on the duke’s nitrogen. Even more pertinently, the two might not or cannot have the same graveyard, not because of the distances involved but because of their social strata. Even in death, leave aside during life, men may not be equal. Just imagine nature looking at such trivia. It may want to care but it cannot. In the well-known scene from Hamlet (by Shakespeare, the great English playwright 1564–1616), the gravediggers toss around the skulls and speculate which belongs to the lawyer and which to the litigant. That scene is a parody15 of what nature thinks, if it can.

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It is not the intention here to be flippant16 and frivolous17 about life and death, subjects that are so vexing18 to a man’s heart. To imagine that we are dead because we cannot move, breathe, think or feel is to question the very fundamentals of nature. The worms and maggots19 that inherit our body after we are buried are not fools.

They feed on us because there are energy bonds in our corpses that continue the natural cycle. Life is not synonymous only with a living animal. Life is all around us during life and death. Such are the limitations of our sensory apparatus that we perceive only a little bit of this life even during our life. And whatever little we perceive, influences us. Such is nature’s chain that we cannot but be proud to be a part of the whole. We think we hum our own tune but it is only a very very small bit of the grand musical soiree all around us.

Nothing dies. It only changes, modifies, transforms and evolves.

And according to the Mundak Upanishad, this change or karma has been with us ever since the curtain was lifted from ‘Brahma’, ‘that thing’ for the show to start.

It is left to the exceptional amongst us to think of life and death beyond the ordinary ideological confines. What is the mind and how is it different from the soul? The mind is a biological contraption, the soul its sustenance20. What happens to all the pain and pleasure that man perceives? When it bothers this biological contraption called mind it results in a dysfunctional21 man. How does this dysfunction influence man’s environment? Influence it does but the influence cannot be quantified. And what of man’s intellectual activity which discovers and describes arithmetic, biology, calculus, democracy, e=mc2 22, forensics23, gravity, history, ions, joules24, kinetic engineering25 laws, money, optics, plague, quotients26, revolutions, socialism, tea, university, varicose veins, washing machines, Xerox and zoos?

When these subjects are taught with due diligence27 and by a method in a classroom, they are picked up by students with a certain speed. But it is worthwhile to remember that when we spend our lives outside a classroom, nature too, involuntarily, teaches us. It may lack due diligence and method but teaches us it does. Nature is not a taskmaster. It leaves you to your own. It does not care. And most importantly, many great discoveries are made by individuals who attended nature’s classrooms rather than the didactic28 tuitions in formal schools. These individuals have a presence, a certain aura29; to be ushered into their presence gives you a certain sense irrespective of whether they are philosophers or playwrights, scientists or

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sociologists. They unravel the kernel bit by bit of what this is all about. The question is how do these unusual people come about?

How are these exceptional ornaments mounted on the laws of the average? True genius is ninety nine per cent hard work and only one per cent ability and hard work is distributed evenly up to a point but what about exceptional ability? What happens in the thermonuclear hive, also called our genes, that produces these keen students of nature? A chance happening is abhorrent30 to nature and science as well. A mutation31 might appear automatic, but it too must have a reason, and it can only come from a certain environment.

What is this thing that produces these unusual people? Let us link all this to a crucial verse in the Geeta that Arjun, the epitome32 of an ordinary self-centered but intelligent mortal, asks of Shrikrishna the teacher, not in a formal classroom but on the backdrop of what he thinks is his dysfunctional world.

Arjun asks With faith in his heart And with yog* as his Technique and art If a man departs …909 *a method to harness body, soul and mind

Sensorium33 he conquers Yet is a bit far From deliverance And if he was to die …910 What will happen to this man Only you can tell What, how and why …911 Like a cloud without water Appears out of season Will he vanish From our vision …912 Shrikrishna replies A man yearning for salvation34 With yogic method and moderation35 Is sure to get salvation But must now add another station

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Which will be full of joy and fascination …913 Heaven he might get But heaven he would rather forget …914 Then He is born on earth In wealth and without any dearth36 But that too for him Is of no great worth …915 Then he is born again In a family that refrains From every worldly gain …916 Rich in scriptures37 is their education Their only aim is salvation Brahma their destination Their codes filled with discretion38 Cuckoos singing In joyous divine fascination …917 This man born thus Like the red sky Precedes the sun Age he will defy This unusual son …918 It has often been said that Dnyaneshwar was describing himself in this verse. After all, he narrated his extraordinary magnum opus39, the Dnyaneshwari at the age of eighteen.

Him all knowledge greets Anointed* as he is With what Gurus would normally teach With that realization He is ready and neat …919 * Please see Chapter 18 for a full explanation

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Such is his anointed* vision Hidden submerged treasures he envisions …920 Efforts are not needed for him Meditation40 comes searching for him …921 *See Chapter 18, Guru for full explanation of ‘anoint’

He is God on the yogic throne A portrait of asceticism41 Finely honed42 This worldly world he has gauged Up to its very bones The way of yogic life His lamp has you shown From a crowd of yogis He is the one Out of pure joy Having grown …922 Travelled as he has Over years and eons43 And the experience of bygones The kingdom of discretion He adorns Thoughts as clouds From his mind have gone The mind thus rendered, lost and forlorn44 Like the clouds merge in the sky anon45 With the Brahma he merges And is also born …923 Karma and its worldly ways Or armed with knowledge In this worldly fray46 Or penance to hold the world at bay All these ways Are no match for this yogic sway …924

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These verses of Dnyaneshwari are almost similar in content to the original verses in the Geeta. There are some more verses towards the end of the sixth chapter in the Dnyaneshwari, which are not translated here because they are not germane47 to the subject of rebirth, which is under discussion here. And they involve the usual chatter that Shrikrishna and Arjun indulge in after the main subject is over.

Let us summarize the relevant verses.

1. A man who practises yog but dies prior to release, deliverance or to obtaining the Brahmic state*, first ascends(!) to heaven (an exalted48 earthly state) and there spends time proportionate to his earthly yogic pursuit.

2. Then he descends (!) to the world again and is born in a wellendowed family (endowed with wealth and/or education).

The wealth gives him leisure to practice yog. Even better if he is in a family given to virtue, knowledge and scriptures.

3. It is here on this earth, as man, that he transcends49 the worldly world of pleasure and pain to attain the Brahmic state*.

4. It is also hinted that beatitude50 or the Brahmic state* arrives notwithstanding the absence or presence of information and knowledge.

5. To describe the Brahmic state, Dnyaneshwar uses several expressions used earlier while describing the awakened Kundalini in the chapter ‘Alternate Pathways’. (See Chapter 51.)

6. The Geeta herself states that in this yogic state, the mind is emptied (the sky free from clouds) of thoughts after the body and mind are harnessed and brought in consonance and then merges with the unseen ‘real reality’ or ‘that thing’ or Brahma and is beyond a) Karma (worldly action), b) Dnyan [from IndoEuropean roots Gn, Dn, (to know) as in information or knowledge] and c) penance51 to achieve extraordinary worldly abilities. * Brahmic state – a transcendental state beyond the material world.

The sixth chapter thus ends with Dnyaneshwar writing extensively on elaborate pathways (Kundalini, see Chapter 51) and then discussing somewhat sketchily, the origin of exceptional men capable of achieving the Brahmic state. The question of rebirth as a whole is not addressed and a theorem is introduced to suggest that the world of thought, behaviour, attitude, virtue and the ability to concentrate, does not arise de novo52 but is carried in some people by virtue of antecedents53 buried in time.

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As a species, we reproduce via our bodies which are not identical but set to a type. The human body has evolved over a million years and has adapted to also reproduce evolved features. This ‘life’ of a thinking, virtuous, social, attitudinal54 creature has been short, maybe ten or twenty thousand years. The Geeta is suggesting, even categorically stating, that this world of thought and ability is not being newly created each time but a lot of it is appearing as a result of a certain cause or a certain circumstance. What she means is, when a child is born, it has inherited a civilizational quality which has given that child a certain ability. A life given to the pursuit of pleasure and steeped in hedonism55 on the one hand and that of moderation and a minimum of dysfunction56 on the other, will have a bearing on future births. Probably here lies the answer to Toynbee’s (British historian, 1885–1975) dilemma as to how civilizations fail*.

Bertrand Russell (British philosopher, 1872–1970) has said that moderation, hard work and a disciplined society lead to prosperity, which in turn leads to liberalism and indiscipline, anarchy56, chaos and doom. That then is the general picture. Here Shrikrishna is taking up exceptional individual examples. In either case, there is a lot of speculation. Perhaps time will tell if these speculations are right or wrong. * See Chapter 47, ‘India’.

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misnomer – a term used wrongly facilitator – one who helps make things easy biosphere – the region of earth and atmosphere occupied by living organisms ponderous – laborious abhor – detest, to feel hatred and disgust for something, especially for moral reasons pseudoscientific – pretend to be scientific aborigine – an aboriginal inhabitant reign – rule artefact – a product of human art or workmanship purgatory – the condition or place for spiritual cleaning credulity – a tendency to believe things too willingly or readily, gullibility rear – get up on its hind legs (as in an animal) cynical – mocking atheist – one who does not believe in God parody – an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect flippant – not showing a serious or respectful attitude frivolous – lacking in seriousness, carefree and superficial vex – cause to feel annoyed or worried, irritate maggot – larva of a fly

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20. sustenance – nourishment, support 21. dysfunctional – functioning abnormally 22. e=mc2 – the equation in physics which equates energy as mass into square of speed of light 23. forensics – medical knowledge applied to legal problems 24. joule – unit work of energy named after J. P. Joule (English physicist, died 1889) 25. kinetic engineering – engineering related to energy 26. quotient – result of dividing one sum by another 27. diligence – careful hard work, steady effort 28. didactic – intended to teach, in particular having moral instruction as an ulterior motive 29. aura – distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to be generated by someone 30. abhorrent – hateful, detestable 31. mutation – genetic change which is inherited 32. epitome – a person or thing that is a perfect example of a quality or type 33. sensorium – network of sense organs (eyes, ears etc.)

34. salvation – deliverance, save from calamity 35. moderation – fair, avoiding extremes 36. dearth – scarcity, want, deficiency 37. scriptures – Vedic texts, religious literature 38. discretion – prudence, tact, care 39. magnum opus – a great large work of art or literature 40. meditation – reflecting, pondering or thinking on a subject 41. asceticism – severe self-discipline and denial of all forms of pleasure 42. hone – sharpen 43. eon – a very long, indefinite period 44. forlorn – sad, abandoned, lonely 45. anon – soon, shortly 46. fray – conflict, quarrel 47. germane – relevant 48. exalted – raised in rank or stature 49. transcends – goes beyond 50. beatitude – a state of blessedness 51. penance – act of punishment of self 52. de novo – anew, starting again 53. antecedents – past history 54. attitudinal – reflecting a certain view of life 55. hedonism – the pursuit of pleasure, sensual self-indulgence 56. anarchy – disorder

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 1–51 Geeta Chapter 7

Chapter 55

The external world From within to without

In the modern age, what are the ten most common things that parents tell their growing children?

1. Early to bed and early to rise 2. Play you must but come home on time 3. Don’t be dejected by failure but keep on trying 4. Don’t rest on your laurels when success comes 5. Avoid food that is tempting 6. Avoid too much television and computer games 7. Look after your things 8. Try and sit quiet for sometime 9. Do not hanker1 after every little thing (that friends possess) 10. Be polite to others and try to understand them These rules can be broadly divided into parts. Some refer to the upkeep of the self, there is also an element in them of how distraction should be avoided and lastly there are rules concerning relationship between self and others.

How and from where do parents derive these rules? Particularly when they, the parents, were no different when they were the same age that the children are? Adulthood and marriage bring about a certain sense of responsibility. Part of this is to do with being a grown-up. But also while growing, they draw certain conclusions (from life) and in a large majority of cases these conclusions are arrived at with the help of the religious texts, texts which always seem to be in the background. True, God dominates these texts, true also that the person of God performs miracles and there is plenty of mythology dispersed all over (these texts). But there is a meaning and a method to this mythology and there is also an agenda in its narration. The idea is to improve man through messages that sometimes verge on threats with fear lurking (and working) in the background. Some messages are forthright, others are woven in stories or parables2 and are subliminal3. Paradise is on offer and so

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also perdition4. Pictures are drawn of heaven and hell and material gains (in this world). Man turns to these texts for sustenance5, to lift himself from depression and a sense of doom. Less often he learns to be humble while riding on the wings of what he deems to be success.

What else is Arjun if not a child and what is Shrikrishna but a parent? But the comparison is not entirely apt. Arjun is a strong, fully developed man suddenly gone weak, a methodical man gone berserk6, an intellectual gone maudlin7 and a finished product gone dysfunctional8 and bad. This is not a second childhood. There is so much time to mould a child. Here in Arjun’s case the matter at hand is urgent and has the potential to produce dire9 consequences. What Arjun is going through is a micropsychotic10 episode in which his perceptions and judgments have gone awry11. What he needs is cognitive therapy12. He is aware but has gone amnesic13. And the therapy is to be delivered by a friend, a counsellor, a teacher, a Guru (see Chapter 18) or God, as some may call him. What surprises the author and may surprise the reader is that except for a few intricate details couched in philosophical language, what Shrikrishna tells Arjun is not vastly different from what parents tell their child. Here is what has been said so far in the first six chapters of the Geeta.

1. That Arjun does not preside over birth and death and in the course of his duty, (as decided by a certain social order) killing in war is a legitimate act.

2. That the word ‘death’ is not factual. Things only appear to live and die. Life and death are phenomena like waves on water. They crest and lapse. Water remains.

3. ‘This water’ (in the simile14) is ‘that thing’ or Brahma which is immanent (within) and transcendental (across and through) and in everything in this world for all times.

4. That man is distracted from this truth.

5. And the distraction occurs because he is fascinated by the waves rather than the water or ‘that thing’ or Brahma which is not obvious but must be remembered at all times.

6. The distraction is in the form of emotions like love and hatred, avarice or greed, misplaced kindness and a host of other feelings. The emotions form in the mind, via the sense organs and the body follows, with actions.

7. What is needed is to harness15 the mind, to yoke it, so that it does not stray away from the truth. That is what yog is. A mind thus harnessed and yoked is the mind of the yogi. The

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body then quietly follows the same (harnessed) pattern.

8. The ‘yog’ can be practised by focusing on your karma or duty without any expectations or rewards. It another sense karma is a continuous chain of events unleashed at the time of creation of this universe. It is inexorable16 and unavoidable. Of all the animals, man can modify karma to an extent but cannot eliminate it. This karma in a civilized social setting evolves from mere instinct to a certain code or duty.

9. Yog can also be achieved by reminding oneself of the nature of ‘that thing’ and the nature of all things. This contemplation is the background of the aspiring yogi’s mind as he goes about in this world. Ideally therefore, all human activity is contemplation of the ultimate truth (of the cosmos) and also ‘work ‘ in this world (in man’s own setting).

10. A man is also helped on his way to the yogic state by a behaviour marked by moderation17, for example ‘take what you need do not fall prey to greed’. The rule applies to all desires. Contemplation18 of the ultimate truth can also be intellectual or meditative19. Meditation in certain postures eliminates distractions, quietens the mind, and allows you a certain sense which makes you feel one with the rest of the world. This oneness is what this cosmos is all about.

Meditation is contemplation (with inaction) rendering you fitter for unfettered20 action.

It is true that Shrikrishna does interpose himself as ‘Brahma in person’ in this elaboration. To be precise and fair, all of us come from Brahma, Shrikrishna included. But he is the Guru in this narration. For those disposed to theistic21 tendencies he is God. To those who are not, he is using the expression ‘me is Brahma’ for convenience, to make the tuition easy for the listener.

The idea of giving this summary here is to indicate that the part of the Geeta, which deals mainly with the self and yog is now coming to an end. From here on, the external world and its ramifications will also be included in the narration, though ‘man’, ‘self’ and ‘yog’ will also inevitably figure because Geeta is addressed mainly to man.

This is how the verses go Shrikrishna says to Arjun, in the words of Dnyaneshwar The ‘yog’ as a method Now that you know Everything else And realization itself

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Like a diamond on the palm I will show …925 Because remember The world and its working You must know Only then Realization comes In its tow With realization Senses wane Like a boat ashore Does not sway Thoughts retrace, logic fails Even comprehension Does not dwell …926 To merely know Of the how and what Of this world Realization is not To assume thus Is an ignorant blot …927 Realization is that by which Ignorance is banished Science is demolished With a few words of which Desires relinquish And the speaker quits The satisfied listener remits22 That secret I will now teach Only one in tens of thousands Desires this …928 Million brave soldiers An army make But of blood and gore

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When it comes to take Only one amongst them The throne ascends Of a milliom or more of faith Only the rare can partake Of this realized state Across the river Of this world in spate …929 Adds Shrikrishna before he goes into detail, and says No ordinary matter this Heavy and grave it is …930 He then switches to the first person singular ‘I’ as denoting ‘that thing’ the Brahma Listen my prince This world is of eight things And these things Are like shadows Cast by body and limbs And these shadowy things Cause the universe And make it tick By my illusionary23 tricks …931 Water, fire and wind Earth, air and mind Intellect and ego All eight come to bind And by my nature create this grind …932 This nature of mine Makes dull things shine Living things thrive The mind becomes a hive With pleasure and pain Intellect comes to drive And such is the ego That it holds the world In a trice24 …933

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This nature Of mine Very subtle and fine When with matter joins Brings about a veritable mine Of a variety of coins Different stamps for different coins But in essence the same coin Different values for different coins All in my nature, me, and mine …934 Then back to the mint Go these coins Melted and smelted Are these coins And appear again As new coins …935 This world of names and forms Is nature’s norm It is not from the rays That a mirage forms But it’s from the sun That the mirage is born …936 It is I who send Things from birth to death The beginning and the end In me everything rests …937 What is seen and ceases to be seen Whatever is and has been *All that is here is strung on me As rows of gems on a string …938 * From Radhakrishnan’s ‘The Bhagvadgita’, Harper Collins, India, New Delhi, 1993.

The wetness of water The touch of the gentle breeze The sun and the moon

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And their light Is me …939 The earth and its earthy smell The sound in the sky that comes to dwell The sound called Aum* That breaks from Brahma’s shell Is me …940 * See Chapters 1, 16, 104

The manliness that is man The ego that makes him do and can That thing in him Is me …941 The light covered By the shell of a fire Its lustre brilliance and splendour Is me …942 All animals of every kind In this world you will find Their diets of different kind Food, grass, water and wind And the life in them that you find Is me …943 That which In the beginning From the sky comes to sprout Then this worldly appearance It comes to mount And that which the final flood Comes to drown Is me …944 The penance25 of the penitent26 The sharpness of the intelligent Is me …945

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The power of the strong And the motivation in him That controls the throng Of emotions Is me …946 Surrounded by temptation That which allows concentration On ethical27 regulations That lamp which identifies distractions Helps him to salvation The clinging creeping tree Of motivation Surrounds him yet cannot Deter him from salvation28 This manifold force that is man Is me … 947 Whether man is destructive or productive Protective or constructive All this in man Comes from me …948 Notice how the accent shifts in this section. First he (Shrikrishna) avers that the study of science or the structure of the world, is the first essential step before full realization can be achieved.

Immediately after that he passes a judgement that understanding the apparent nature of this world is not synonymous with ultimate knowledge. That knowledge, ‘that thing’ is deeper, it is everywhere but not easily found, and is attainable by very few. He also admonishes29 and says that (the study of) science when equated with the nature of reality is in fact tantamount to ignorance. It is only then that he describes some facets of man and his world and posits30 ‘Brahma’ (in these verses alluded to as ‘me’) as the essence of everything.

What follows in the next chapter is the relationship of the manifested world and Brahma.

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar perdition – punishment lasting forever, even after death, eternal damnation sustenance – nourishment, help berserk – mad, deranged maudlin – weakly or tearfully sentimental dysfunctional – functioning abnormally dire – calamity-like, dangerous psychotic – in common use mad, unhinged (micropsychotic – for a moment, for a short time) awry – crooked (not straight), askew, unsound cognitive therapy – treatment for improving understanding (of reality) amnesic – forgetful because of partial or total loss of memory simile – compare one to another harness – to hitch inexorable – continuous, oppressively constant moderation – fair, avoiding extremes contemplation – survey with eyes or mind meditative – from meditate = to focus or concentrate on a subject unfettered – from fetter = shackle or bond; unfettered = free theistic – concerning the belief in God remit – cancel illusion – deception, delusion, false impression in a trice – very quickly or suddenly penance – act of punishment to self to rid of sin penitent – the one who has undertaken penance ethical – the subject of morals in human conduct salvation – deliverance, save from calamity admonish – warn, reprimand posit – position, place

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Chapter 56

Ancestry Mine but not me

The last verse in the preceding chapter, which classifies man into destructive, productive and caring, is an indication that the Geeta and Dnyaneshwari are now set to reveal the nature of the external world. The classification cannot be precise in that the three categories are quite wide and do not give any great detail but that detail is to follow in the Geeta at a later stage.

The verses that follow in this chapter will have the Brahma1 in the background and an attempt will be made to establish a connection between it (the Brahma) and the world, as we know it.

Man is a very late entrant on the world stage. If the event of the appearance of the cosmos2, from the time that Brahma expanded, was a year ago, man has been around for less than a fraction of a second. From the early high temperatures of the big bang (a theory currently being propagated by some modern physicists), followed by intense radiation till particles and mass formed, leading to formations of clusters and development of stars, which in turn gave birth to planets, water, and primitive life, it has been a very long chain, (of cause and effect). In the Vedantic3 system of philosophy, at least in some Upanishads4, the Brahma is considered a causeless cause because otherwise there would be no end to a regressive5 or backward reasoning. This chain of cause and effect after the cosmos came about is karma. Man is both a participant and a spectator in this chain. It is when we participate in this chain, that some of us are perceptive enough to observe ourselves and thus present a certain classification. It is our evolution that has allowed qualities to develop in us, as compared to the primordial6 (or Brahma), which defies description (See Chapter 27 and Chapter 48). Physicists cannot predict even today what the constituents of a single atom will do. It is only when the atoms coalesce7 and form a substance, that by a certain law of averages, a reasonable prediction can be given as to how the substance will behave. That is why a substance can be

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classified, tabulated or described with some certainty (but not so its subatomic constituents).

Classification of man also falls under this category. Man’s essence cannot be fathomed but we can observe the sense that he makes. It is all right to claim that Brahma is our ancestor but we cannot assert that Brahma is us. We are from ‘it’ but not ‘it.’ The chain is intact but it is long and tenuous. If Brahma was to speak in the first person singular to its great great grandchildren (that is us), it could easily and happily say ‘you are mine’ but ‘you are not me’. Too much has happened in the intervening period for complete identification to be possible. A thing that sustains us cannot be construed by us to be us. As Dnyaneshwar has it in a later chapter, when a king holds a kingdom together and by extension his subjects, a subject cannot announce that he is the king or as the king might say to his subjects ‘you are mine’ but ‘you are not me’.

This rather difficult to comprehend relationship, between the Brahma and the manifested world, is explained first by a verse about a dream. Here this verse is explained before it is reproduced.

1. Dreams are a reflection (in a way) of our waking experiences.

2. But wakefulness is not subservient8 to our dreams. It keeps its independence (in what we call sane or normal people).

3. Relatively speaking, dreams are more transient than our waking experiences.

To conclude, the Brahma keeps its independence at all times. It is the universal consciousness, the permanent wakefulness on which are built our lives and as compared to the omnipresent9 everlasting Brahmic consciousness, our life and its experiences are dreams.

This is how the verses go What you see During the day You dream at night But when you dream During the night Wakefulness is out of sight …949 To elaborate the material transformations from the Brahma over eons, 10 Dnyaneshwar cites several examples, with a certain chronology11 The seed is soft within And hard without

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And from the seed Comes a tree But the bark of the tree Is hard within And hard without That is how All this comes about The world is mine But not me …950 The transformation of the softness of the interior of a seed into the tough hard bark of a tree is what is on view here. Dnyaneshwar then uses the five basic ‘things’ in this world to further explain the transformation. Says he, clouds are not the sky, nor water the clouds, the lightning that flashes is not water and smoke follows the fire but it is not the fire. He further says that fire is responsible for making an earthen pot out of the earth through a process of baking. The verse says The earthen pot and the earth Might seem the same But when the pot takes on Form and shape They are the same Only in name …951 Taking the example of a pearl which forms in water, here is what Dnyaneshwar has to say Pearls form in water By tough whorls of matter And such is this matter That pearls resist water …952 It is this transformation that alienates12 the products of the Brahma through its nature. The situation is described by Dnyaneshwar thus The eyes covered by dross Water covered by moss …953 The eye cannot see the truth when covered by dross and the moss masks the reality of water. Not only that, Dnyaneshwar also suggests that appearances are equated with the truth, leading to confusion.

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Dreams become the truth Clouds obscure the sky Masquerading13 on the sly …954 It is then reiterated that Whatever lives on earth Are my limbs and me They come to live on this earth By my nature and me …955 Then comes a long verse divided in several parts where the emergence of the cosmos with its flow of time is portrayed as a river in which man floats, lives and dies, unable to cross her except under certain conditions.

Shrikrishna echoes what Brahma would say Vast and deep My nature’s river Difficult for man To cross and conquer …956 14 It is born from a small crevice Of a huge precipice15 With the first sign of intent and motivation She gathers force Starts to roar And time as we know begins …957 As the five elements Melt and meet Showers set in The river twists and turns And with time and in her tide Life as we know begins …958 Such is her force That once on flow It defies all and subsumes16 Creative motivation and destruction Or peaceful sublimation17 And washes away

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From the mind Rules and regulations …959 She twists and turns With every mode That comes to be called life And she swells With every act that thrives And on her, pain as well as pleasure Float and dive …960 Life is but trash18 On her water Entangled in streams of pride Floatsam19 of pleasure and pain Undulating with waves of passion And at the bottom There are pits and holes Of birth and death …961 She is filled with whirlpools of ignorance And giant fish of confusion Who swallow and gulp discretion20 All intelligence and knowledge Pedigree21, wealth, scriptures22, education And scholarship fails Youth, strength and passion Are of no avail Because life will allow Pain, pleasure and confusion to parade And as old age invades The mud and muck of death Come to trap and pervade23 …962 But these waters can be crossed And parted With ascetic24 arms Armed with mature counsel When you unload your pride

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And realize what she is And what is self …963 In the original, the river is called the river of Maya25. The word Maya means a trick, an appearance, or an illusion but when used in the context of creation in general, it is considered as the hidden potential of creativity of the ‘that thing’ called ‘the Brahma’. The very word Brahma comes from the root Brih, which means to spread or expand. In philosophical parlance, since Brahma is the original truth, all subsequent phenomena26 are subsidiary to this everlasting omnipotent 27, timeless Brahma. In comparison, this world of appearances, names, forms, the element of time, the qualities that objects tend to gather, are less real than Brahma. Maya, altogether therefore means a certain creativity, which by the subtle nature of the Brahma produces this world. The adjective subtle is important because Brahma cannot have any attributes. It is not as if Brahma decides to do anything. All this just comes to happen. But for man, these changes and appearance become ‘all that is’. He is therefore mesmerised by this show (Maya also indirectly means to mesmerise) and the thrust of the verse is to tell the reader that unless man disconnects himself from this mesmerised state, he cannot perceive the truth. To disconnect is to become an ascetic with the help of a Guru (mature counsel Verse 963) so that one can see the world for what it is worth. Verse 962 rules out pedigree, knowledge, information, education or scholarship as helpful in crossing the river.

Discretion is important but it tends to be swallowed by confusion and ignorance (also in Verse 962). The other verses allude to the speed with which our life seems to pass and how death is at our doorstep. Pain and pleasure and our acts do not help us to cross the river. They in fact become a part of the river and our actions seem to swell her (the river, Verse 960). There is a mention of the three principal characteristics of man in Verse 959 which do not seem to play any great role in overcoming the river of life. This river in the same verse is shown to overcome and overwhelm rules and regulations imposed by man and his nature. Only two things survive in this flux28, discretion and asceticism. They can part the waters. In a later description, Dnyaneshwar is to say that this river can be crossed without crossing it because it is not real and all that one needs to do is to remind oneself that it is unreal (in comparison to Brahma). But for that man needs to be detached from this flow of life yet be a part of it.

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Brahma – from the Sanskrit root ’brih’ = to spread or expand. Brahma is a term used to denote that singularity from which the universe came to be cosmos – the universe as a whole in order Vedantic – from Ved=knowledge, sacred knowledge, scriptures of Hindus to Vedanta=Ved+Anta (end), the last of the scriptures From the root ‘vid’=to know, related to video, vision etc.

Upanishad – philosophical texts towards the end of Vedic literature which discuss creation, reality etc (please see Chapter 3) regressive – tending to return to a former state primordial – existing at or from the beginning, primeval coalesce – come together and form one (whole) subservient – subordinate omnipresent – present everywhere at the same time eon – long periods of time, indefinite chronology – arrangement of events in a certain order alienate – cause to feel isolated or estranged masquerade – appear in disguise, assume a false appearance crevice – a narrow opening or fissure (especially in a rock) precipice – a tall and very steep rock face or cliff subsume – include sublimation – from sublimate= transform into a purer form trash – rubbish flotsam – floating wreckage discretion – prudence, tact, care pedigree – a recorded line of descent of a person or animal etc. scriptures – Vedic texts, religious literature pervade – spread throughout ascetic – one who abstains from pleasures and comforts Maya – enchantment, illusion, unreal apparition, the hidden potential of creativity phenomena – event, happening, occurrence omnipotent – having great absolute power flux – constant change

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 101–134 Geeta Chapter 7

Chapter 57

‘Not him but me’

At the end of the last chapter, it was revealed by Shrikrishna that this river of life, a trick, or a maya1 can be crossed, if first, pride is unloaded, and then ascetic2 arms are used under the guidance of a Guru (mature counsel). To unload pride is to become very light, ascetic arms imply that temptations are automatically avoided and the supervision by a Guru ensures that the mind does not go astray.

Dnyaneshwar now step by step lays down the prelude and the actual act of crossing or bypassing the river. He says 1) unload pride 2) avoid worldly distractions 3) give up passion and desire 4) give up the feeling ‘of self’ entirely and subsume3 it in ‘that thing’ or ‘Brahma4’ or in ‘Me’ (in this instance Shrikrishna, who is the Guru or the mature counsel) 5) and thus get detached from the results, effects, rewards or retribution5 arising from one’s actions.

If man does not follow these directions and dicta6, he finds himself unable to achieve what he is set to do. Dnyaneshwar uses a variety of examples to explain how. Here is how the verses go.

Can an ant Climb a hill Or will the ill get well If they have their fill Can a good man Change the wicked Can the fish digest The hook with its bait Can a greedy man Let go of wealth

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By the timid Can a goblin7 Be tamed Or Can the calf of a deer Gnaw8 through its net …964 Shrikrishna adds Only a very few Who are fully devoted to me Can cross this river Because their minds are free …965 And how does this man who is free (in his mind) think? He is oblivious9 of the world at large and its distractions and therefore unaware of the river.

In his thoughts The river is not She has neither This side or that At any given spot He has the river crossed …966 The river is abolished from his mind and therefore the question of crossing her does not arise. At any given place the man is dry.

He is not soggy, heavy and bogged10 down with passion, lust, desire, anger and expectations. He is gotten wise to the river, aware and therefore not ignorant. But if he is engulfed by pride then all the above follow, because then the ‘I’, the ‘me’ or his ego comes to occupy center stage. The real ‘I’, the real ‘me’, or God, or soul, or Brahma, or Shrikrishna, or Guru appear to vanish from his mind.

Says Shrikrishna in the words of Dnyaneshwar Pride comes to haunt I am forgot When in their minds I am not They forget Vedic11 thoughts And shameless and naked In their wanton12 acts For eons13 having craved* and forgot* The human form that they have got

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They bring everything to nought Have baneful14 thoughts And in passion and pleasure They come to rot …967 * According to the theory of rebirth, to be born in the human form is a culmination of several cycles of births, in other forms

In a careful description, Shrikrishna classifies men who come to devote themselves to him in four distinct categories.

One when he is faced with adversity The second seeks me out of curiosity The third seeks me for power and pelf15 The fourth presents his pure self …968 To him (Shrikrishna), all are the same because they are created out of him and he knows every one has his own considerations but says Shrikrishna It is the fourth Who wants and does nothing He is the real thing He knows and thinks That in this world of things There is light And there are shadowy things And beyond that light There is nothing The light is everything And except me And that light He thinks of nothing …969 Shrikrishna adds, in Dnyaneshwar’s words, about this devotee To the ignorant A crystal may shine Like mere water But no matter I marvel at this crystal And its lustre16 …970

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Dnyaneshwar then explains this real devotee with a metaphor17 of the wind and the sky When the wind is moved It appears to be around But when the wind is still And as if dissolves In the sky There is only the sky That is how When he serves and prays Only then He appears to the human eye …971 Dnyaneshwar explains further When the divine light Shines in his inner eye His body falls and the soul is alight That is how and why …972 But Because he thinks Beyond the body and mind He does not become Of any special kind …973 All come to me In their (own) light But this one I love With all my might …974 Many a man will tie up Their cow for her milk But it is her calf That naturally gets her milk …975 In body mind and breath The calf knows nothing else

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This my mother Is all that it will say …976 Says Shrikrishna I like them all Who come and pray to me Bit it is he Who like a river into the sea Without turning Merges into the sea Whose heart blossoms With love for me Becomes one with me And is nothing else but me …977 Shrikrishna says he is my spirit and Dnyaneshwar returns to an oft-repeated theme and sequence in the next verse He hacks18 through a forest Of desires and passions Eludes trees and shrubs Of anger and emotions In the company of the pious He trails on a path of virtuous actions Avoids shortcuts of temptations Having walked all his lives* Barefoot** without expectations …978 * According to the theory of rebirth, to be born in the human form is a culmination of the cycle of births. ** Unshod, all by himself, without any contraption, the bare self, no rituals

Not a hint in his mind Of rewards and retributions Thus having passed the night Of bodily limitations He is welcome to the dawn Of his Guru’s adoration19 And realization bathes him With a gentle sun’s radiation And in his mind’s eye Rises that sublime20 realization …979

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Whichever way he turns He sees only me And if his head is still Then too He sees nothing but me …980 Like a pot drowned in water I surround all his matter And inside me Him I hold and gather …981 This is how Shrikrishna describes the ideal seeker. What follows in the next chapter are not so ideal devotees who to all intents and purposes seek God but in fact only seek the material world through their various Gods.

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maya – a trick, enchantment, illusion ascetic (adj.) – characterized by the practice of severe self-discipline subsume – include Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the world evolves and which sustains the world retribution – punishment dicta – formal pronouncement goblin – a mischievous ugly dwarf-like creature from folklore gnaw – bite, nibble oblivious – unaware bogged – to be stuck (as in mud) Vedic – of the time of the Vedas wanton – unrestrained, deliberate and unprovoked, unruly, random, motiveless, sexually immodest and promiscuous eons – (from aeons) – an indefinite and very long period of time, an eternity baneful – troublesome pelf – money, wealth lustre – brilliance metaphor – imaginative use of word, term or phrase hack – chop, slash, cut adoration – worship, idolize sublime – pure, refined

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 135–205 Geeta Chapter 7

Chapter 58

He not me

Is God the general manager of this world? Or after the current fashion, a CEO1 come to run a corporation? Perhaps this universe is his private limited company with a variety of angels, prophets, sons, daughters (less frequently) and ‘avtaars’2 to whom he has relegated powers and therefore privileges, to manage the day-to-day affairs of this universe. And does he perform miracles from time to time to remind man of his (God’s) power and ability?

These questions can be construed3 as heretical4 or branded as an atheistic5 tract but have to be asked, to reveal the reality of how the majority of us have come to view that difficult-to-describe entity, called God. What does one pray to God for? Or why does one pray at all? Does one pray for wealth, power, material happiness, for one’s children or for a disease-free long life? Or is prayer like an insurance policy, just in case something was to go wrong? The question as to why one prays at all, is more logical because then alone can we find an answer to this thing called devotion. Is it because man feels weak, humble, powerless, that he runs to God? Or our ancestors having run in this manner in the past, the present generation is now so conditioned to that running that it continues to run in a variety of ways? And lastly does one need to locate oneself in a particular spot to pray and while praying does one need an intermediary6 who shows you the technique and the ritual? And does that intermediary have to be in a certain garb7, in some cases half naked, in others cloaked in ostentatious8 liveried9 robes, either with a completely tonsured10 head or with a beard, not to mention a variety of caps? If man is a product of God, either produced in one stroke or by a process of evolution, if God is everywhere by his nature and if God is full of mercy, love and knowledge, why do we have to remind him of our existence and our needs? As per the classical Indian philosophical question if one is in the sea, why pray for salt?

Or to invert the well-known English adage if you are that thing called

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coal, why go to Newcastle11? All in all, man prays to God in two different ways. In the vast majority, the prayer is to obtain something for oneself. In a much smaller minority, the prayer is in the form of ‘God you are mine’ or ‘God I am yours’ or in more rational12 terms, ‘I am a product of ‘‘that thing13’’ temporarily transformed into a person soon to go back into “that thing”.’

If ‘that thing’ or ‘Brahma’ or ‘God’ has no qualities, attributes, form or shape (according to the Vedantic14 Upanishadic15 school), then in order to become one with ‘that thing’, man, with a variety of qualities, the potential of the mind and senses included, must forgo these qualities in order to address ‘that thing’. To unburden oneself of greed, avarice, lust, anger, hatred, violence, passion, and to live within one’s needs, which are the products of this world, is a prerequisite to merge with ‘that thing’. In fact once these burdens are removed, you become ‘that thing’. To be a person with what nature has fashioned, yet be a witness to that person is the art and technique of this merger. To ask from God tantamounts16 to an exchange and a certain separation and therefore duality17. To ask for something while praying is to distance oneself from God. He might give you what you want, but what is given, is not himself.

The verses in this chapter are a discourse on the subject of devotees who seek, not God, but something from God for themselves. But like in most religious texts, there is an inherent flaw in this presentation as well. When Shrikrishna equates himself with ‘Brahma’ or ‘that thing’ to facilitate conveying philosophical information, an impression gathers, that he is ‘that thing’ the ‘Brahma’, an assumption that flies in the face of this fascinating philosophy. The person of Shrikrishna almost surreptiously18 gets elevated to the status of the Greater God, as compared to other lesser, mortal, false Gods in man’s mind which is so easily lured by a heirarchy19. Philosophy thus surrenders to a silly rivalry. In the mind of the author of this book, that certainly must not have been the original intention of the narrator, Shrikrishna or the compilers of the Geeta in the later centuries. It is on this background that the verses need to be read by the discerning20 reader.

Devotees of many kinds With expectations in their minds Come to me But these expectations Turn them blind …982

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With hopes for rewards Desire enters their hearts And the lamp of realization Is doused21 from their hearts …983 Thus with darkness all around To them I am near yet so far Then with different Gods all around They pray to them With all their hearts …984 Tempted by this world Helpless with greed Their work, words and deeds Are not worthy of any heed …985 Each God has a different ritual Technique, ceremony and décor22 Yet it is I Who fulfils wishes In whatever way I can …986 These rituals and rites23 They continue to do And over time somehow Because of me Things to them do accrue …987 But they don’t have Me in their hearts And what they get Vanishes and departs …988 To whatever God they pray That God they beget …989 Their technique, ritual and devotion Brings the world in their grasp

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But it is nothing but a dream Come to haunt and clasp24 …990 My world is deathless and immortal In which they are immersed and drowned But here too they clasp their mouths Yet pine for water in their pound25 …991 When one can fly High up in the sky The higher you fly The greater is your joy …992 Why be trapped in a cage And await that wishful mirage …993 Why put a measure on me When there is no end to me And when I am hidden Why say I am risen When I am perfect Futile are rituals and sects …994 But the Maya26 of this world Has turned them blind And even the brightly lit world Does not help To see me in their minds …995 What is that thing In which I am not Is there a place Where space is not …996 What is that Which the wind does not touch Without its wetness Can the water touch …997

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Whatever has lived and gone Is nothing but me Whatever lives today Is also nothing but me And whatever is to come Will be no different from me Nothing is born, Nothing ever dies All that is Remains with me ‌998 When I am forever and filled In this world full of life How can I be different From this world and its life ‌999 Dnyaneshwar, then, in a very long verse does sound a warning When a body weds Cruel insolent27 pride A girl is born Called desire And when she comes of age She mates with hatred What can come of this union But duality discord and dissatisfaction Can fortitude survive thus And firmness and rectitude28 endure Can discord ever have hope Intoxicated with frustration It wallows29 in a house Filled with perversions30 And thorns and shards31 are spread On the road to salvation32 And thus a path is set To damnation and perdition33 Then insolence breeds further And is infused with sin And these men on this road Are flagellated34 with spears

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Of sorrow and gloom And are forever doomed …1000 On the other hand, says Dnyaneshwar Those who hack35 through throngs of thorns Of perverse ideas And are shorn Of all sins Then run with virtue In great form Escape old age and death The two great robber barons …1001 Then Brahma’s36 fruit Drips, ripe and mature Life fills with satisfaction Sublime37 and pure The spirit rises And forever endures Karma by itself Withdraws and abjures38 The mind dissolves And loses its lure39 …1002 Adds Shrikrishna, in Dnyaneshwar’s words I provide the capital For this fascinating trade Discord and duality utterly fade ‘All in one’ comes to prevail …1003 When the thread of life Is about to snap And the vitals of life Thirst and gasp Even those who watch Are shocked and sapped …1004 But The rattle of Death Whatever that be For those who are

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Merged with me They are not shaken Because of me …1005 As can be seen from these verses, the art of detachment from worldly rewards, is the ever-recurring theme in the Geeta. Here, in the seventh chapter, it is juxtaposed40 with the character of the devotee. Though not directly stated, it is hinted and obliquely conveyed, that any devotion that aspires for, or demands worldly rewards, is inferior to that devotion which recognizes that the essence of this cosmos41 is shapeless, formless, very fine, not perceptible but timeless. The world therefore, when viewed on this background radiation42, to use a modern term in cosmology, becomes more tolerable and takes your mind to a state where victory and defeat, reward and retribution43, pain and pleasure, all products of this world, can be taken in one’s stride. It is also hinted that God, whatever that is, has no inclination to classify devotees in order to grant favours one way or another. That devotee who understands Brahma and its evolution and therefore practises a certain lifestyle is not special, says Shrikrishna. To the Brahma, nothing is special.

It so happens that those who aspire for certain things, over time, fulfill their aspirations (maybe through several births). Those who aspire for the material world get it. Those who aspire for the spiritual too attain what they want. But when the attainment of the spiritual essence dawns, then birth and death have no meaning (Verse 1004), such a spiritual person is not rattled by impending (so-called) death (Verse 1005).

The next chapter in the Geeta will deal specifically with definitions and descriptions of Brahma, the universal soul, ‘Atma’, the individual soul, the body, and the connection among these three.

Arjun is set to ask about this detail but prior to that Dnyaneshwar writes several verses which describe Arjun’s mental state. These verses are extremely difficult to translate in a manner suitable for the modern minds, particularly those not well-versed in Marathi or Sanskrit. An attempt is made nevertheless. Here is how the verses go Arjun was so mesmerized44 That he lagged behind And the outstretched palms of his hands Somehow missed The meaningful and flavoured

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Words or fruits (about Brahma) Falling from the swaying joyous tree (Shrikrishna) Which from his hands slipped Landed on his ears And entered the aural45 pits Such was their effect That Arjun was further hypnotized46 Like a pregnant woman, ravenous47, with an appetite For these fruits, neat and sweet And so satisfied was he with this desire That he mocked heaven And his heart was tickled sweet Thus he grabbed these fruits With hands of reason Clean and neat And put them to his thoughtful mouth And tried to eat With intentions called teeth But he could neither swallow nor bite And realization came to him That these words Were images Stars twinkling in water Arranged in rows, straight and neat And were beyond intellectual feats Then to Shrikrishna the lord He beseached48 That your words Have me so mesmerized That through you alone Can this situation be redeemed49 ‌1006 Then Dnyaneshwar adds Not only will this situation Be helped and redeemed But in Marathi, not in Sanskrit It will be helped, solved and achieved ‌1007

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar CEO – Chief Executive Officer avatars – incarnations (of God) construe – interpret heretical – unorthodox opinions, godless atheistic tract – godless pamphlet or small pamphlet intermediary – one who meditates garb – clothing (of a distinctive kind) ostentatious – showing off liveried – from livery = a distinctive clothing tonsured – complete or partial shaving of the head Newcastle – a city in the United Kingdom, well known for coal deposits rational – logical ‘that thing’ – used to denote Brahma Vedantic – from Ved + ant. Ved = old Indian philosophical and religious material, from the root vid, to know. Ant=end, to denote the last of this literature Upanishadic – a part of Vedant. A dialogical philosophical system, up=near, nishad=sit, denoting a pair in discussion tantamount – equal in effect to something duality – two-fold situation surreptitious – done secretly, stealthily hierarchy – a ranking system ordered according to status or authority discerning – showing good judgement or insight douse – throw water over, extinguish décor – decoration rite – religious act or observation clasp – hug, hold, grasp pound – from pound lock/ a side reservoir of water Maya – a marvel or illusion of /in the world insolent – arrogant, insulting rectitude – moral uprightness, correctness wallow – to roll in mud, excessive indulgence in pleasure perversion – wrong application, turn aside from use shards – broken pieces of clay, glass, metal, etc. salvation – deliverence perdition – punishment lasting forever after death flagellate – flog, scourge hack – cut, slash, chop Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the world evolves sublime – pure, highly refined abjure – renounce on oath, swear perpetual absence from lure – tempt (temptation) juxtapose – place side by side cosmos – the whole universe in order background radiation – radiation found while looking into the distant cosmos, supposed to be from the beginning of the universe, from the singularity (Brahma?) retribution – punishment, in revenge mesmerize – cast a spell aural – of the ear

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar 46.

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hypnotize – capture the mind of a person ravenous – hungry beseech – to ask in an urgent begging way redeem – save, rescue

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 1–58 Geeta Chapter 8

Chapter 59

In the Classroom

If there is didactic1 tuition in the Geeta, it is here at the beginning of the eighth chapter. So far Shrikrishna has addressed Arjun in the utilitarian2 manner, invoking philosophy to suit the occasion and to address Arjun’s topical questions. But no more. Arjun is quite direct in his questions in this section and as if seizes the bull by its horns and almost demands that certain terms be defined and explained to him. These terms form the kernel3 and lay the foundation of the Upanishadic4 philosophy.

Here is what Arjun asks What is Brahma (a) And what indeed is karma (b) What is this spirit(c) and the soul (c) What is the body (d) and its role What is life (e) as we know And what is that fire (f) That sets the whole thing on a roll …1008 The terms that are actually used in the Geeta are given below with their meanings: (a) Brahma – from the Sanskrit root Brih to mean to expand and later form the universe. An infinitesimal5 dense point, from which, by an expansion, the world forms and manifests (as in the big bang theory). (b) Karma – the sequence of events that follow the above, for example, radiation, particles, mass, stars, planets, water, life, man, society. This sequence will continue up to a limit and then fold back on itself (similar to the theory of involution and evolution in modern science). (c) Spirit and soul – spirit as in universal energy as the basis of activity all over. Soul as in an individual (for example, in man), Atma as in self, Adhi to mean over and above, therefore Adhi

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Atma in Sanskrit (also written as a compound Adhyatma). (d) Adhi Bhoot – Bhoot derived from the root Bhav in Sanskrit, to mean birth or production (by implication will also die, as in mortal); the prefix Adhi meaning over and above.) (e) Jeev or Adhidaiva – That entity6 based on the universal spirit, via the individual soul with a finite individual intelligent emotional (and possibly locomotor7) existence and an ability to perceive. Locomotion need not be present and yet the entity might have a jeev, for example, a tree. (f) Adhi Yadnya – Yadnya, from the root yaj, to mean to be charitable, to synthesize, collect, organize, unite or coordinate, or to offer to God or Goodness or Godliness. (Also please see Chapter 36, meanings given as per Pandit Satawalekar, Sanskrit scholar and an authority on the Geeta, in his Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, published by the Swadhyay Mandal, Pardi, 1987). Life is thus depicted to be an integrated8 affair of give and take, as in metabolism9. The word yadnya, to literally denote a ritual fire (around which people congregated10 for the process of give and take). The word fire in this verse is the metabolic fire in a living organism as also the universal fire or flux11 of energy.

As these questions are asked and are about to be answered, Dnyaneshwar interposes several verses of his own, in which he states that Shrikrishna, being the lord himself, already knows what Arjun is going to ask The lord was ready with answers Before Arjun could think and ask The nursing mother surely knows Before the baby cries and asks …1009 Or Unaware is the needy But the feast is prepared and ready …1010 Dnyaneshwar also compares Shrikrishna to the mythical 12 inexhaustible milch cow (kam dhenu, kam –desire, dhenu-cow) and Arjun to her calf. He portrays Arjun to be sitting below a wish tree (kalpa tree) and resting in a house made of Chintamani. The word Chintamani is in two parts, ‘Chint’ as in to think or aspire and ‘mani’ as in a precious stone. According to tradition, the possession of such a precious stone endowed man with the ability to realize

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whatever he wished. Dnyaneshwar also narrates a story, in which, a cruel king when killed by Shrikrishna attained liberation not withstanding his villainy13 because the killer (perpetrator) was the Lord himself (Shrikrishna). Says Dnyaneshwar, When you think Of Shrikrishna in your heart Shrikrishna himself Becomes your heart …1011 14 And mentions the benevolence that is the Guru When the Guru is pleased There is nothing That cannot be realized …1012 But more to the point are the answers that Arjun gets. Says Shrikrishna about Brahma This mortal withered15 pot of the world Filled to the brim (with Brahma) Brahma never ever once Drains or drips Always in place and prim So fine and miniscule16 it may seem That it would appear to be nothing But nothing it is not It is all And every little thing …1013 When things take life and form It (Brahma) is not informed Life and form shall elapse17 But Brahma does not lapse18 …1014 By its own and on its own It is the perpetuum19 Man’s soul and spirit Are its essence in continuum20 …1015 On the origin of this universe, Dnyaneshwar basing his verses on the Geeta, has the following to say When clouds crowd a sky One wonders how and why

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Why forms and shapes Cloud the Brahma No one knows how and why …1016 That the beginning of this universe is steeped in mystery is admitted in the last line of the above verse. Dnyaneshwar follows it up with more On this Brahmic foundation Is cast a certain reflection And from and in this reflection Begins a huge creation Germination of life is a part of this production All this so full of variegation21 And one wonders about its roots And its motivation …1017 Notice the stress on, and ambivalence22 about, the purpose and motivation. Also note the spontaneity and mystery of creation. There is also a tacit23 rejection of the idea of a personal motivated God. The choice of the word reflection alludes to a primary reality more (!) real, than the reflection. The onset of life as we know is a later event and the variety that our senses perceive (variegation24) is indirectly blamed, for our distraction as well as the wonders that our mind spawns about creation. Dnyaneshwar continues, What can be that Where purpose or desire do not act Is it nothing, a nought But the world is And its acts which you see Are karma for a fact …1018 That the cosmos need not have come about, nor is it a necessity for Brahma to be clouded by this reflected creation, and further, the creation having happened, that it will lapse into the unlapsable Brahma is the sum and substance of the following verse.

It is in the sky That clouds melt and form And it would appear that To form, melt and form Is the norm But in fact not to form

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Is the norm But sometimes it so happens That elements gather and form And a body is thus born And when the elements disperse Then it is said Gone is that man Who had a form …1019 Dnyaneshwar continues and defines our life Between the time That a man is born and then gone Life reflects in man It rules the body The elements, the whole clan25 Dreams of pleasure and pain Man is prone and able to scan Because in fact he is asleep With ideas of me, mine and my clan This is called a living man …1020 Then Shrikrishna in the passing, but inevitably, refers to himself in the first person and equates himself with Brahma All this is Brahma or me Call it by whatever words You have got Like when gold is tarnished by a blot It is gold yet it is not When the blot is perceived and removed And gold is sought It is gold itself which is got …1021 Later in a comprehensive verse, Dnyaneshwar sums up the whole situation The mortal coil, the life there is And the fire within Are mere names, for the same thing When ignorance falls and realization unveils That all these are ‘that thing’ Comes to be revealed …1022

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And in the end Dnyaneshwar is back to his favourite themes of asceticism26, yogic27 concentration and physical postures as aids to the above realization With asceticism as fuel A fire is lit The senses glow And then are spent The body forms a canopy28 Over a yogic seat Of the earth itself As the eyes close And Vedic29 hymns30 reverberate31 Mind and breath under restraint A smokeless fire crackles Of realization itself Perception32 is gone The perceptor falls And only ‘that thing’ The perceived remains On call …1023 At the end of this section of the Dnyaneshwari, Arjun is shown to be blissfully33 happy with what he has been taught. Shrikrishna compares his own feelings to that of a mother, happy that her child has been fed, or that of a teacher who basks in the glory of his student!

Dnyaneshwar says that it was Shrikrishna, the teacher who was filled to the brim with all possible happiness at this juncture and Shrikrishna the teacher is set to continue, in a voice that is soft and melodious and in a manner that is loving and direct.

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didactic – meant to instruct utilitarian – designed to be useful for a purpose kernel – the central, the nucleus Upanishadic – the last and the most evolved part of the Indian Vedic philosophical system, conversational in nature. The word literally means ‘sit here by my side’ (to interact).

5. infinitesimal – extremely small 6. entity – thing 7. locomotor – related to motion 8. integrated – combined 9. metabolism – chemical process in a living organism resulting in production of energy 10. congregate – collect

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar flux – continuous change mythical – about imaginary stories or legends villainy – wicked act(s) benevolence – kindness withered – become dry or shriveled miniscule – very very small elapse – pass by lapse – decline, degenerate perpetuum – eternal, everlasting continuum – a continuous sequence variegation – multicoloured, spotted, dappled, flecked ambivalence – coexistence of two different feelings tacit – understood, implied mortal – subject to death clan – a group with common ancestry who share a strong common interest asceticism – severe self-discipline, denying all forms of pleasure yogic – from yug, meant here to denote a certain physical position to contemplate canopy – an overhanging cover, a roof Vedic – to denote a group of Sanskrit scriptures from the root vid, to know hymn – a song of praise (usually) of God reverberate – echo repeatedly perceptor, perception, perceived – the perceived is ‘that thing’ or Brahma in which everything merges and is one blissfully – in utter perfect joy

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 59–90 Geeta Chapter 8

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Chapter 60

Reasoned Speculation/God as a technique*

Those who aver that speculative metaphysical1 philosophy touched by mysticism2 and wrapped in a religious cover is humbug are also philosophers. Even without religion and bereft of mysticism, speculative metaphysics is anathema3 to these philosophers whom Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), British philosopher called philosophers of the mathematical party. I wonder what Russell might have said today after observing the progress that quantum physics4 has made and the strides that cosmologists5 have taken to reach via their telescopes into the farthest and deepest part of the history of the universe and compared the beginning to the idea of a singularity (Brahma)/, then the beginning of karma (the cause and effect chain)/, the evolution that followed/, of matter in general (the elements)/, the beginning of life/ and perception/ and later intelligence followed by a certain social order/, a sequence mentioned in one of the Upanishads6. Shankar Namboodri (AD 788– 820), the great Indian philosopher, is on record to have said that this universe could not be ‘man centric’ for had it been, man would not have evolved so late. All this of course is not in defence of the Upanishadic system of philosophy but in defence of philosophy in general where the disciplines of science, arts and humanities must meet and integrate.

To divide philosophers into categories, is to take sides, and then question the very syncrestic7 nature of philosophy. But Russell, after all, was like any other man, however profound he might have been.

Even Shankar Namboodri who gave us the great monistic8 doctrine (the monistic word has been used without any better on offer) wrote hymns9 for idol worship, and said that men in active life had little chance of ultimate realization. He also believed (somewhat) preposterously 10 that the caste system was valid because the * An expression borrowed from the writings of Osho alias Rajneesh (1931–1990), an Indian philosopher (also branded a cult figure)

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scriptures alluded to it. Unlike Russell who was satirical11 and uforgiving in his description of every preceding philosopher, Shankar Namboodri based and justified all his philosophy on the scriptures that had been handed down in the oral tradition over centuries. He was incisive and sharp but traditional. He justified his reliance on the scriptures by asking a rhetorical question, ‘what prevents me from relying on the scriptures as the only truth when mathematicians rely on premises such as two plus two equals four’?

Said he, ‘what indeed is two and what is four, if not some premise’12?

But let us leave the sphere of great men and concentrate on a simple question. Does life, that thing for which man has so much love and attachment, sometimes become a burden? Does an electron, a photon or some such fancy particle that physicists speak of feel such a burden? No one knows but the evolved material called man is certainly known to be burdened. The vacillation13 between pleasure and pain at least in some degree leaves no one untouched.

What then must man do to go beyond this vacillation? The mathematical party of philosophers would probably advise to carry on by analyzing the causes of emotions, face them with confidence with or without recourse to the psychological sciences. In their eyes any unproved basis for the phenomenal14 world of emotions would not be considered as a part of the solution even when that basis was outside what is popularly called religion. The non-mathematical philosophers who view man slightly differently would be more liberal. They could, for example, not criticize taking help of the idea of a personal god, might even support it or be even more charitable to speculative philosophy which successively reduces man to that unfathomable essence ‘Brahma’ (see preceding chapter) and advise man to see emotions in their proper perspective. In the process, if the advisor is considered god, so be it. Man is inclined to a thing called god by his nature for want of a better and readymade useful option.

This is how the verses of the Dnyaneshwari go, with Shrikrishna equating himself in the first person singular as (the) Brahma Those who are aware During their life Of the glow within And also at their death Are asleep deep within a recess Of this glow and promise

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And turn oblivious15 to the senses And from whom the scab of elements (the mortal body) Falls and peels And thus the sensorium16 is banished …1024 When during life The body loses its meaning How can death torment When the fire within Is realised as me and my being And in the deep recess Where he lives Nothing moves nor stirs When death announces Its coming …1025 This realization is an image Poured out of that feeling Of an identity with me And has been cleaned and washed in the sea Of a total unity with me …1026 What happens to a snake That has cast off its skin When clothes are shed In the summer’s heat What happens to the body within And will water in a vessel break When the vessel itself breaks When the vessel is In the water deep …1027 If there is such a thing As death It only takes the mortal17 coil If one is aware and sure Of ‘that thing’ which pervades And exists in every little thing Why would one fret18 and roil19

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When the occasion is set To again merge with me …1028 It is usually given That the thing that man thinks As death’s bell rings Man becomes That very thing After all what else can man dream Except of things That he thinks Before he sleeps …1029 What occupies him During life That alone he remembers When he dies And it is that he becomes After what he thinks Is and was his life …1030 That is why Of me you must think See me, hear me, Talk about me Everything done Is about me and around me This habit about ‘me’ Will last you through your life And death then cannot envelop thee What is this war What of your sword, bow and arms What mortal blows, what of death What fear can you have Remember I am the key …1031 I promise this, have faith Practise this (technique)

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And if you fail Then get angry with me …1032 Harness your mind To this technique Remember, even a cripple Can a mountain climb Soon you will forget your mortal coil And join with that thing Like the river that roars And pours into the sea But does not look back and see …1033 That thing which is Without a shape and size Older than the sky And smaller than an atom in size And with the touch of which The world moves and becomes alive That which gives birth to all And the essence of all that is By which logic fears for its life Can such a fire be home to mould20, termite21 or lice And can darkness envelop light And to the ignorant There may not be any value to this light But this knowledge, this spirit Is a mountain of particles Of sun’s light Without the use of eyes For the enlightened It is within their sight The kind of daylight That cannot be set Or can be doused22 By any kind of blight23 …1034 1.

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metaphysical – from metaphysics=the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of existence, truth and knowledge. mysticism – contemplation and surrender of the mind followed by absorption

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar into the ultimate reality; mystic = one who follows this practice; mystical order = a particular sect with a specific method for such a mystical practice anathema – a detested thing or person quantum physics – a very small quantity of electromagnetic energy cosmologist – those who study the universe and the order therein Upanishads – the last and the most evolved part of the Indian Vedic philosophical system, conversational in nature. The word literally means ‘sit here by my side’ (to interact) syncreticize – attempt to unify or reconcile different schools of thought monistic – where it is stated that a single principle is behind this universe hymn – a song of praise (usually) of God preposterous – absurd, contrary to reason satirical – sarcastic, humourously critical premise – theory, surmise vacillation – from vacillate = move from side to side, waver, oscillate phenomenal – related to an occurrence, a happening oblivious – unaware sensorium – sense organs (eyes, ears etc) mortal – subject to death fret – worry, brood, agonise roil – make turbid by agitation mould – a growth of fungus termite – small insects douse – to throw water on, to put off (as in a light) blight – harm, destroy, spoil

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 91–151 Geeta Chapter 8

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Chapter 61

Death Approaching

What happens to a person who realizes that he might be dying or is just about to die? This is not about people who die almost instantly with gunshot wounds or in traffic accidents or about people who undergo medical procedures, little aware of what is in store for them as they are anaesthetized. This is about conventional death, when man has grown old or is riddled with an incurable disease, when the body, which has been the vehicle for all his mental and emotional activities is about to fall, and when he can well imagine that with the fall of his body, his mental and emotional life will end. Funnily enough, there is very little information available on the subject, not many write on the topic, partly perhaps because their minds are not quite their own, beset as they are with a once-in-a-lifetime situation!

Socrates (Greece, 469–399 BC), the father of Western philosophy, according to Plato (427–347 BC), his successor welcomed the permanent sleep that he was about to enter and also speculated on an afterlife in which he anticipated to meet a lot of his erstwhile1 friends. But such stoicism2 is probably an exception rather than the rule. Most people struggle through the phase before death and the struggle, though of varying degrees, may not be a happy one. Man is too used to the experiences of his life, the people surrounding him, some of them wedded and born to him. Generally speaking man comes to depend on what the senses bring in and what the body and mind do in response.

The question is, can a person train himself to be aloof and detached from this world of senses and its aftereffects, and can this training help him in his final hours, ‘so to say’. ‘So to say’ because the Geeta says that the body and the mind of an individual are temporary phenomena3, that there is no such thing as the final hours, in fact there is no such thing as minutes and hours when one views the cosmos in its true perspective. It is because man clings to the feeling of ‘me’ and ‘mine’, and it is inevitable that such a ‘clinging’ will

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occur, that the passage to the so-called death might be a source of turmoil4. The Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari, in this section offer some advice in this regard and obviously assume that the final passage is as important as ‘the lived’ life, about which so much has been narrated so far.

The section has two intermingled streams, one in which man is advised to take certain postures, concentrate his mind, practise breath control, and vocalize and articulate the sound Aum (see Chapter 1 , 16 and 104) as the end comes. This method is rigorous, needs lifelong practice and is not suitable for a wasting, weak and dying creature (please see Verse 1044). The second stream admits that all the above is easier said than done. It (the second stream), a psychological one, stresses on the permanence of ‘that thing’ which is ‘everlasting and does not die’ and exhorts5 man to relegate the body and its physical and psychological mechanism to its proper place, the one of a ‘transient make-believe’. This too requires practice and training but does not involve rigour6. Shrikrishna, in the verses that follow, says he (Shrikrishna) does not have to travel to the man steeped in these thoughts because this thought is ‘me’ and therefore ‘I am already with thee’, when the so-called death comes because this thought is already with the dying man. This intellectualization of the ever present (Brahma7) and the ever dying (mind and body) is depicted as the knowledge, that knows no end, is imperishable8, and is the knowledge beyond all knowledge. The section ends with a withering9 string of verses by Dnyaneshwar on the characteristics of the body and its not-so-wholesome mechanism.

For the present, says Shrikrishna, in the words of Dnyaneshwar This then Is that realization and that knowledge Which is the end Of all that is called knowledge …1035 That which is not swept By the wind (of information) Because it is the sky itself …1036 Because if it was not the sky It would have been swept Away and helter skelter Like the clouds from the sky …1037

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This then Which has no objectives or objects* And not tainted And is not prone to wane and perish By futile objects and subjects …1038 But this is The other knowledge Which does not wane10 nor perish Not meant to be pursued11nor perused12 With objects as subjects* And is therefore untainted eternal13 And beyond nature’s relish14 …1039 And those who love This eternal knowledge Abandon the sensorium15 And its vacillations16 Cleanse their bodies of tempting passions And objects and subjects as well …1040 And these ascetic17 men To their very core Desire this ever more Celibate18 and chaste19 Subdue the body and its every pore …1041 * In all normal human dealings ‘I’ sees ‘that’. The ‘I’ is the subject and ‘that’ the object. When it is realized that ‘I’ and ‘that’ are mere interpretations and all things are, in fact, one, the world of subjects and objects disappears.

This knowledge On whose banks Even scriptures** drowned and sank I will now relate …1042 Listen This mind which runs Round and round And is also outward bound Must first be found

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And then leashed to the heart To sit quiet Without thought and sound And this will happen When the senses are bolted And are locked in a pound20 Like a man with his limbs broken Cannot stir and is rooted to his ground …1043 ** The earlier Vedic scriptures, steeped in rituals

Says Shrikrishna That when death beckons in the end To the question that you may ask Yogic posture and breath control Would be an impossible task How can I use, to fend21 From the throes22 of death When the body is bent Pleasures are spent The mind is about to be rent How and what will I suspend So that I can say Aum* The sign that you have sent …1044 * the universal sound (see Chapters 1,16 and 104)

Shrikrishna says the following in answer With desire relinquished31 Senses banished Instincts vanquished And me in your heart Hunger and thirst vanish and wane I will be with you On that date This promise I make …1045 That men like you Should think of me At death And then I hasten To their doorstep

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Is not how it shapes I serve them happily as a servant At their death I’m already with them So that they are saved the torture In the end Of their death …1046 And lastly comes a bunch of very sharp, and flagellating24 verses about the nature of the physical body. *The raven’s25 gain A garden of trees full of pain Birth of strife and strain Harbourer of death and its games The supply that sustains Sadness and shame …1047 * A raven’s gain/ a portion of the funeral meal left exposed for crows to pick at and eat. In the western culture as well the raven is viewed inauspiciously when it makes an appearance on certain occasions.

Origin of wicked thoughts Where fruits of sin are bought And is ignorance itself Without a semblance of a discreet26 thought Binds man to self A grotto27 of power and pelf28 A veritable disease itself …1048 Food for death Of ambition and avarice29 The very breath And a highway Of great breadth Of birth and death …1049 Filled with delusion30 Dripping with suspicion A cellar31 teeming with scorpions …1050

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A tiger’s den A whore’s32 affectation for gain A machine consecrated33 For pleasure and pain ...1051 A demon’s compassion Cool draught of a poisonous potion34 A wheeler-dealer’s* invitation * a cheat

…1052 A leper’s embrace Softness of a poisonous snake A trapper’s* musical refrain35 To trap in the end But to first find and trace …1053 * a sound produced by trappers to attract animals

Felicitation and welcome To the foe, the wicked and the mean A dream within a dream Shrub and foliage36 Grown out of a mirage and its stream …1054 To end, Shrikrishna avers When in your heart You have me This wretched body Will never adorn thee …1055 The last verse implies that a rebirth in a traditional fallible37 human body may not happen if man follows the Upanishadic38 doctrine39 and distances himself from the material world even as he remains active. The verses about the mortal coil, the body, and its ramifications are extreme to say the least. But one has to open any contemporary newspaper to know that every word of these verses is embodied in what is now called ‘news’. Perhaps, it has been the same in the past but never got so widely reported.

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erstwhile – former stoicism – great self-control in times of adversity

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phenomenon – a happening, an occurrence turmoil – violent confusion, agitation exhorts – urges or advises strongly rigour – severity, strictness, harshness Brahma – that from which the world evolves (and in which it) lapses imperishable – permanent withering – scornful, intended to make somebody feel silly or ashamed wane – decrease in power or vigour pursue – follow peruse – read or study eternal – everlasting relish – great liking sensorium – the system of sense organs vacillation – from vacillate = move from side to side, waver, oscillate ascetic – a person who practises severe self-discipline and denies all pleasures celibate – committed to abstention from sex or marriage for religious reasons chaste – pure, of virtuous descent pound – a place of confinement fend – ward off throe – violent pain associated with death or childbirth relinquish – surrender, give up, resign flagellating – flogging raven – a large, glossy bird like a crow, with a harsh cry, feeds on carrion (dead of animal) discreet – prudent, tactful, careful grotto – a picturesque cave, especially one made artificially pelf – money, wealth avarice – greed delusion – false belief cellar – room below the ground in a house, used for storage whore – prostitute consecrate – ordain, devote to a special, especially religious purpose potion – a liquid medicine, poison refrain – recurring musical stanza foliage – leaves fallible – capable of making mistakes Upanishads – the last and the most evolved part of the Indian Vedic philosophical system, conversational in nature. The word literally means ‘sit here by my side’ (to interact) doctrine – a principle of religious or political belief

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 152–203 Geeta Chapter 8

Chapter 62

‘Zero’ and ‘Old Light’

The cricketing expression ‘he latched on to the catch in a flash’ and the ordinary expression ‘all was over in a flash’ are in fact deeply steeped in the theory of relativity.

Man has instinctively known since ages that when things happen very very quickly, time as if stands still. The faster the event, the lesser is the time and the faster you travel, the greater is your competition with time. And what travels fastest in the world? Light.

And what happens when you travel at the speed of light? Time crawls, shrinks, contracts and stops. A man riding a wave of light stops ageing because the clock has stopped.

But physics will not allow anything to move at the speed of light.

Everything that moves and accelerates converts some of its energy into mass. A one-kg accelerating object becomes a little bit heavier as it gathers motion. (And when objects start speeding at great rates their mass also increases greatly.) As mass increases, speed is that much reduced if the acceleration remains the same. At the speed of light, the mass of an object will become so huge that it will have to slow down considerably. Nothing therefore, can travel at the speed of light unless that thing has no mass, like a thing called a photon (a creature of physics if it can be so called), which constitutes the light particle or light itself. A photon cannot convert its energy into mass because it has none, and therefore uses all its energy for its speed.

And because it is light itself, time has no meaning for it. It does not age, or change, does not grow old, has no mass, no shape, and no density. Because it does not age, the photon created at the beginning of this universe or the one created recently, is the same today. In our everyday experiences where we judge things by their mass, shape, density and size, a photon is nothing. Yet it is something, even everything, because it is light itself.

On this background to make a statement that light took several minutes to travel from the sun till it hit your eye might sound alright

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but to say that the light that you see from a star is several years old or is older than you are, might be grammatically correct but contrary to what physics tells us. There is no such thing as old light. Light is ubiquitous1, forever present at all times, and presumably at the same time. It is therefore everything and as seen earlier, also nothing.

The reader is referred to Verse 1034 (Chapter 60) in the context of light, part of which is reproduced here But this knowledge, this spirit Is a mountain of particles Of sun’s light Without the use of eyes For the enlightened It is within their sight The kind of daylight That cannot be set Nor can be doused2 By any kind of blight3 Let us complicate matters further. Is there such a thing as a predecessor4 to a photon (the light particle), which is nothing yet everything? What can produce nothing and everything at the same go? When parents give birth to a child, the child must resemble the parents. A thing that is nothing and everything must have parents of the same characteristics. That thing, the predecessor, must be ‘all and zero’. It is formless and formed, variegated5 and uniform. It will depend on what we make of it by our ear, skin, tongue and eyes. But what is its norm? To be formless or formed? Both ‘appear’ to be its norms. When it is formed we say it is born. But it is not in the character of ‘that thing’ to age or to die or to be born.

‘Nothing’ or ‘zero’, as can be seen, has its own peculiarities. Any number followed by a zero is different. You subtract zero from a number and the number does not change yet when you multiply a number by zero the number vanishes. Nothingness is fascinating.

It can be anything, or everything.

Based on the Geeta here is what Dnyaneshwar has to say about that ‘nothing’, ‘anything’ and ‘everything’.

Addressing the issue of the imponderable Brahma6, or nothingness, this section of the verses begins by indicating the impossibility of the material man to become that entity.

Brahma might be at hand But cycles of birth and death

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Man will have to withstand …1056 But there is a rider to this proposition, that a man who is constantly aware of Brahma has a different quality of life as compared to the ordinary. As under Like the dead Do not ache or suffer pain Floods in dreams Do not drown The one who is awake …1057 To wit, the evolved man is immune to the perturbations7 of the ordinary life, and because he is awake (to the only reality, that is Brahma), life to him is a dream, inconsequential in the long run. A nightmare involving drowning just does not bother him.

And therefore These men In their near Brahmic* state Are not encircled By their worldly fate …1058 * non-material state

Then comes the description of ‘that thing’ (Brahma) and its socalled ruler. This really is an oxymoron8 because Brahma as an idea cannot have a ruler. But the conveyance of the idea requires a symbol and therefore this verse.

Of all the worlds And heavens as well The highest peak The very essence Of permanent things Brahma God is the king …1059 And what is the time cycle and scale of the Brahmic kingdom In this Brahmic kingdom When hardly an hour is gone A dozen and more ordinary kings Are born finished and gone …1060

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The comparison continues Four ages of man When done a thousand times An hour elapses In Brahmic time …1061 Then come day and night, a division familiar to man When the Brahmic day dawns The vast universe spawns9 Then the Brahmic night comes on And the universe is withdrawn …1062 Then comes the familiar comparison between the clouds and the sky Clouds in seasons Form and vanish in the sky The world comes to happen And then quietly goes to lie10 …1063 The manifest world Has nothing but forms But in the occult11 All is uniform …1064 That thing on which and from The forms and the uniform form Is beyond the formless And that which is formed …1065 That all this lasts ages Or lasts a little at all Neither or nor it is It is forever and far …1066 Notice the distinction between what is happening or lying quiet, formed, formless or uniform on the one hand and Brahma on the other. Brahma supercedes both and all. ‘It is forever and far’ as in the verse above.

Dnyaneshwar here gives the three standard ‘Upanishadic’ similes of gold itself, a marketable block of gold and ornaments. The essence of milk, milk as an object, and sour cream (curds in Indian usage)

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and a seed, a tree and the essence of the seed.

In a verse that appears a little earlier, Dnyaneshwar says The realized man Forever aware Of Brahma And these different states Is truly aware And forever awake …1067 However one might avoid what is imponderable , the logical man never stops thinking. Physical proofs of ‘nothing’ are ‘nothing’ yet the idea is fascinating, continues to linger and in modern times may be close to some kind of validation13 (with recent physics). As this is being written, the media are flush with news of the universe at its beginning with almost nothing except a range of different temperatures. This is some million years before the stars were formed. A million years before what we call matter (gas included) was to appear. A lot of physics has ebbed and flowed since the Upanishads14 envisaged the Brahma. Dnyaneshwar adds You can rub out What you write on a slate But the thought remains Within your mental gates …1068 Dnyaneshwar continues Such is this spirit’s might That it exists in its own right When the world is not Or forms after the Brahmic night Occult or manifest15 Cannot be it Nor to call it as such is right But it has to have a name For the sake of one’s logical flight …1069 In a further description of what he thinks of Brahma, Dnyaneshwar elaborates on the Geeta with several verses It is Asleep in the mortal city (the body) And does nothing Nor motivates a thing 12

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The body stirs and moves By what the mind thinks The mind is a market place Of this and that And so many worldly things And profits and losses From this Accrue16 to life That thing that lies within Brahma is the king Even when it is asleep Like in a kingdom Citizens work and thrive The intellect thinks And to the business Of give and take The mind clings The senses swing The vital breath sings This Brahmic king Is like our sun On which the world Depends for every little thing Loyal and faithful is this king To nature at large, his queen But even scriptures17 fail to enter His abode’s18 outer ring ‌1070 Note two important points. In the end Dnyaneshwar says the scriptures cannot enter its outer ring. You cannot grasp it, look at it, observe it, and measure it. At the beginning he says Brahma is asleep.

In effect it is a sort of nothing.

Dnyaneshwar describes it further and connects the Brahma and the yogi19 The sky is its canopy20 And knowing this The faithful think That it is The refuge and shelter Destination and station

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Beyond whatever was And now is …1071 It is The greatness of man Beyond pride Joyous kingdom of the ascetic21 The knowledge of those Beyond worldly rites22 To the truly content The only feast Not bothered by what evolves And flies The very love and food Of a faithful life Faith alone will bring it to light …1072 Notice how the idea of Brahma is depicted here without an idol or the person of Shrikrishna. Whatever happens when the life of the faithful is subsumed23 by the idea of Brahma? The faithful as if moults24 within, though the body remains the same. The moulting involves the attitude, the mind, and the mental state. Says Dnyaneshwar of this transformation which is permanent, How can sugar return To cane …1073 When alchemy25 Turns iron into gold Where is the iron left And When gathered from milk Butter is of a different ilk26 …1074 And does one have to travel towards Brahma? Appears not. Says Dnyaneshwar Water cools by itself When touched by a cool breeze Darkness becomes light When the sun is in sight

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And wood loses its woodiness When the fire is alight …1075 There is no travelling involved. Man only tries. Then the cool breeze cools, darkness becomes light, and wood is consigned to that glow called fire when alight.

Portions of the text in this chapter are based on a book The Hole in the Universe by K C Cole. A Harvest book, Harcourt Inc. 2001. San Diego, New York, London 1.

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ubiquitous – seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time douse – pour water, to put off (as in a light) blight – any obscure force which is harmful predecessor – as in an ancestor variegated – multicoloured, spotted, flecked Brahma – from the Sanskrit root ’brih’ = to spread or expand. Brahma is a term used to denote that singularity from which the universe came to be perturbations – the state or an instance of being perturbed (perturb – to make somebody very worried) oxymoron – a figure of speech or expressed idea in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction spawn – produce, yield, bear to lie – to go to sleep occult – not obvious on inspection, hidden, unknown imponderable – unthinkable validation – confirmation Upanishad – concluding portions of the Vedic literature manifest – clear or obvious to the eye or the mind accrue – come as a natural gain scripture – religious laws abode – one’s home yogi – a noun to describe a person who has harnessed his body and mind in such a manner so as to be aware of Brahma, the basic reality at all times, without getting entangled in the perturbations (worries) of the mind-body duality. The root of the word yogi is yuj (Sanskrit) to mean to join or to harness canopy – roof ascetic – one who practises severe self-discipline, denies all pleasure rite – a ceremonial religious act subsume – include moults – renewing feathers (as in to renew life) alchemy – an ancient chemical art of converting base metals into gold ilk – sort or type

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 204–271 Geeta Chapter 8

Chapter 63

Death Arrived

In what manner should the mind be when death finally knocks and envelops man? Should the mind be full of thoughts of the world in which the preceding years were spent? Should it dwell upon the pleasures and pains, the successes and failures that were savoured and endured during the life gone by? After all, was that not what the mind was full of during this life? A verse in Chapter 50 is worth reproducing here It is usually given That the thing that man thinks As death’s bell rings Man becomes That very thing After all what else can man dream Except of things Of which he thinks Before he sleeps But let us return to the original question as to how should a man’s mind be when death finally knocks. Will the state of his mind at his death be of any consequence to his later or ‘afterlife’? And what determines what the mind thinks in the end? Will the mind be clouded or be clear as a clear sky? Clouds are a common metaphor1 in Dnyaneshwar’s verses. A painting and its canvas are also used by him as a metaphor to indicate that man gets involved in the painting and is oblivious to the canvas when he actually observes both together. The nature’s canvas, a clear sky, is pristine2 and austere3, unfathomable4 but all encompassing5. It has a durable quality, is always around, but is usually occupied by some form of clouds. The clouds can be heavy, muggy and suffocating, at other times wispy6, elegantly stringed across the sky in borrowed colours.

They give shade and provide rain, can be laden or light but are always transient and fickle7 in a manner of speaking. They are both

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fascinating and frustrating.

Life too can get laden or light, ominously8 dark or colourful. The clouds are therefore similar to passions, emotions, anger, greed, lust and hatred, and even to possessive love, etched on the pristine Brahmic9 sky. To pass through one’s cloudy life, to recognize the clouds for what they are worth, even to educate oneself that ‘ I am also just a cloud’, etched on the transcendental10 Brahma11 is the art of living and the art and technique of meeting with death. The student prepared with these thoughts, with the help of a guru in a school called life is likely to pass the examination of death with flying colours. And this passage leading to the final liberation is as much a celebration of death as the life led before death. There are only two options, either be cloudy or be clear like the sky as you die.

Both are psychological states, not gimmicks12. One has to be steeped in these thoughts throughout life to emerge triumphant in the end.

This triumph is the triumph of the spirit. As Dnyaneshwar puts it in the verses that follow, clouds are mere phlegm,13, water, wind and bog14 and the soul is the flame which glows.

Let us look at Dnyaneshwar’s verses When death arrives And is in full sway The elements* start To go their way …1076 * elements – earth, water, fire, air, space

Then Will the intellect Not be deluded15 And will memory Not be blinded The mind is deadened And is dead Unless by the Brahmic* idea It is surrounded …1077 *spiritual

When man Is aware and filled With that Brahmic inner glow

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The mind is fresh And on a gentle flow …1078 But when a flame is doused16 By water and wind What can your vision See and find Phlegm fills The body and mind Gone is that glow And so has life …1079 A bog pervades When the flame is doused Life clings To a darkened cloud …1080 The bog and darkness Gather like a cloud Brahmic memories Cannot be aroused …1081 When the moon Is engulfed by clouds Neither is there light Nor is it night A strange eerie17 sight The mind is neither dark Nor bright Throttled by a dreadful blight18 On the border of death …1082 This cloud-filled path Brings you back To earth The other path With that glow Is the well-known path For a realized soul On a gentle flow

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No more The need for to and fro …1083 I show you These different paths To show you What is what What is good And what is not With your interests In my heart …1084 Shrikrishna advises to keep things simple Why enter the water With a boat at hand Or enter a forest And discard a beaten path …1085 The verses are interrupted here for an incongruity19 in the Geeta which in Verses 24, 25 of this eighth chapter states quite categorically that even if the mind is prepared with the Brahmic thought at the time of death, liberation is helped if a man dies during the daylight hours, when the sun is on its northerly journey, and if the moon’s phases are increasing towards a full moon. On the other hand, liberation is hampered if death occurs at night, and even during daytime if the moon is regressing to a dark night and the sun is on its southern subequatorial20 journey. The death of even the great yogis21 cannot be timed to perfection. Be that as it may, the Geeta, ever so inclusive22 of earlier scriptures, yet so pragmatic23 and practical, recovers quickly from this incongruity to state in the next (26th) verse that a yogi, by dint of dedication and practice, attains an understanding of the Brahmic roots and expanse, is released from his mortal coil24 during this life itself and is in a realized Brahmic state. No external forces can now counter this state.

Here are the relevant verses in the Dnyaneshwari related to Verse 26, Chapter 8, of the Geeta There is no such thing As accident or fate At your death

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And The life you lead Is your mate At death …1086 This way or that This season or that Day and night A yogi* remains intact …1087 * a person who has harnessed body and soul

Water knows it is water With or without waves Neither born nor dead When it crests or caves …1088 What methods what paths When the universe itself He clasps …1089 Can space be confined To a pot And then escape When something Breaks the pot No, neither and not …1090 When the body is not his name What earth, what of time and its frame When Brahma is his name Whatever and whenever happens He can see that it is only a game Neither born nor dead All is the same Heaven and earth whatever they offer All and everything wanes25 ...1091 Scriptures26, sacrifices Penance27 and charity All pale Before this Brahmic state

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So said Shrikrishna Who is everything of all there is And the very love and idol Of the Brahmic state …1092 1.

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metaphor – a phrase applied imaginatively to an object or action, symbolic imagery pristine – clean, pure, fresh, spotless austere – severely simple unfathomable – the depth of which cannot be gauged or measured encompass – to surround or encircle wispy – like a wisp or in wisps; not thick or full (wisp = a small thin bunch, piece or amount of something) fickle – inconstant ominously – dangerously Brahmic – adjective, from ‘Brahma’ transcendental – going beyond the limits of human knowledge, experience or reason, especially in a religious or spiritual way Brahma – from the Sanskrit root ‘brih’= to spread or expand. Brahma is a term used to denote that singularity from which the universe came to be gimmick – a trick to attract attention phlegm – a thick viscous substance discharged from the nose or the respiratory system, phlegmatic – not easily made angry or upset bog – wet spongy ground deluded – to make believe falsely douse – pour water or put off (as in a light) eerie – gloomy, strange, weird, frightening blight – any force that indirectly harms or destroys something incongruity – absurdity, contrary subequatorial journey – the passage of the sun from October to March yogi – a noun to describe a person who has harnessed his body and mind in such a manner so as to be aware of Brahma, the basic reality at all times, without getting entangled in the perturbations (worries) of the mind-body duality. The root of the word yogi is yuj (Sanskrit) to mean to join or to harness. inclusive – including the limits specified pragmatic – dealing with matter in a practical rather than theoretical manner mortal coil – body wane – reduce in strength or vigour scriptures – religious laws, religious philosophical texts penance – act of punishment to self (for sins)

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 1–33 Geeta Chapter 9

Chapter 64

Dnyaneshwar as Dnyaneshwar

According to some historical evidence as well as a strong tradition (please see ‘Life and times of Dnyaneshwar’ at the end of this book), Dnyaneshwar passed away at the age of 21 after voluntarily entering a crypt1 and embracing what is known as ‘samadhi’2. Samadhi is not suicide. To embrace samadhi (also according to tradition) is to sublimate3 one’s temporal4 life with the help of a technique in which life ebbs out to merge into Brahma5 by way of intense concentration and a slow voluntary cardio-respiratory cessation in a state of peace. That apart, there is a strong belief amongst Dnyaneshwar’s followers that prior to his ‘samadhi’, Dnyaneshwar read the ninth chapter of the Geeta, because the ninth chapter sums up the preceding chapters and is the very kernel 6 of the philosophy of the Geeta. Shrikrishna himself tells Arjun at the beginning of this chapter that what is being said is the royal and secret road to liberation, which only Arjun is privy7 to receive.

Dnyaneshwar’s introduction to this chapter is also special because it has no philosophical content. It focuses on the interaction between himself and his audience which includes his guru (see Chapter 18, Guru) and several knowledgeable, astute8 and sage-like figures, very well versed in the philosophy of the Geeta. Dnyaneshwar is acutely aware that he is very young but also realizes that he is gifted. This results in humility, modesty, even piety9 towards his audience. Yet he is also brimming with confidence. His audience is his inspiration but he is somewhat overawed by their august10 presence. He knows that fate has ordained11 that he must deliver yet also realizes that without the indulgence of his listeners, he would not accomplish his mission.

The scene and the interaction therein, therefore, are of a genre12 where a boy genius simultaneously pours out child-like feelings of love and respect on the one hand and mature words, phrases, similes13,

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and metaphors14, bordering occasionally on hyperbole, on the other.

This is a genuine outpouring from an irrepressible young genius.

A language, with its syntax15, turn of phrase and its transparent exposition of its own ethnic16 and societal17 mores18, must remain a repository19 for a certain people of their times. The original, narrated in old Marathi, is difficult to translate into modern Marathi, leave alone English. But the effort has to be made because man’s inspiration to communicate has a common streak, whatever the peculiarities of his physical and psychological environment. In the modern context, with the global perspective in mind, we must somehow and somewhat set aside the old Italian sentiment that translators are traitors.

This introduction also has that typical Indian ethos20 in which, the young, however brilliant they might be, make obeisance21 to their teacher and to those who have come to listen (for example, ‘of what worth is a speaker without worthy listeners’?). Here is how the introduction begins, with Dnyaneshwar full of confidence.

Listen here And pay attention To receive as a right With authorization Happiness and satisfaction This I will say Without reservation …1093 Almost immediately after this verse, Dnyaneshwar’s tone changes It is not to brag22 That I ask for attention Of scholars and sages In this congregation23 But I seek attention Out of love and affection …1094 He then compares the congregation to his mother’s maternal home and extols24 it for its loving care.

In my mother’s maternal home Rich and generous as well Every fond wish that dwells Is fulfilled true and well …1095

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It is not only a favourite home but is also well-endowed. Then he switches to the atmosphere that the congregation has created Thanks to your loving sight A wet limpid25 garden has grown And in this wondrous sight Content I stroll and roll …1096 And then evokes a total merger with his audience I bathe and swim in you And your deep waters of bliss26 and joy And if I want to be cooled Why should I be shy or coy …1097 Dnyaneshwar then compares himself to a child and the learned audience to his mother A child with its broken walk And its silly loving babble and talk Is its mother’s happiness and joy Who in the cradle it rocked …1098 Says he to his audience I will falter when I walk Silly might be my talk But receive me with all your heart …1099 He then compares the audience to the son of Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and the arts (see Chapter 17, Saraswati) Why should Saraswati’s son Learn the alphabet from a chart I cannot here play the speaker’s part What with your wisdom and art …1100 Dnyaneshwar then re-enters what by now is a familiar territory of metaphors I the firefly You the sun Yet I show my flame To the radiant sun …1101

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How can I tune The divine song Or cool the moon With my flapping fan What sweetness Can fragrance smell Where will the sea Swim and bathe …1102 And lastly, What is broad enough To fill the sky …1103 Therefore, he adds Here and today Whatever I may say For your attention Worthy of praise Is not likely In my case Yet to the sun I show my flame …1104 He goes back to the vast sea again With a palm filled with water I will pray To the roaring sea Which is water itself …1105 The comparison is between a palm full of water or Dnyaneshwar and the huge sea, his guru. At this stage, Dnyaneshwar draws the image of a child being fed by his father, and the child, in sheer imitation, starts to feed the father. The father, however, much amused and taken aback, opens his mouth to be fed. Dnyaneshwar exhorts27 his audience to treat him like this child. The cow and the calf is another of Dnyaneshwar’s favourite pairs. The calf has just got to nestle the cow, when The cow’s milk starts to drip Even before the udder28 is gripped That is how

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Please look at me I am the calf That is me …1106 To indicate the impossibility of his reaching the levels of understanding that his enlightened audience possesses, Dnyaneshwar exclaims What can season29 the moon’s light Who can straighten the wind’s flight Or What can fathom the sky’s height …1107 Carrying this thought forward, Dnyaneshwar says the following of the Geeta and her superiority over the older ritualistic scriptures Can the sky Be grasped by your arms Yet I try and speak Of her depth and charm(of the Geeta) In her Scriptures30 sleep With folded arms I use Marathi In its rustic form I cannot really Sound a horn (of pride or victory) …1108 But, says Dnyaneshwar Filled with desire Is me To attract attention Of thee …1109 Adds Dnyaneshwar Your kind attention An immortal potion31 Cool as the moon An inspiration …1110 With your kindness as a shower My words will flower

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And in the opposite With indifference and apathy I will wither and dry …1111 The attention you give while hearing Will swell my words with meaning The meaning in turn Awaits speech Both taken together Is that take and give …1112 In a metaphor of the sky as his mind Colourful clouds Will crowd the sky Without your kindness They will melt or fly …1113 Dnyaneshwar then very briefly puts forth a universal truth What worth is a speaker Without a worthy listener …1114 And then adds, addressing his guru and the audience I am the puppet You the puppeteer I am dumb So how can you hear But whatever you wish I will do Now and here …1115 1.

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crypt – an underground room or vault samadhi – sublimation of one’s temporal life with the help of a technique in which life ebbs out to merge into Brahma by way of intense concentration and a slow voluntary cardio-respiratory cessation in a state of peace sublimate – transform into a purer or idealized form temporal – relating to worldly affairs; secular Brahma – from the Sanskrit root ‘brih’= to spread or expand. Brahma is a term used to denote that singularity from which the universe came to be kernel – the central or most important part of something privy – sharing in the knowledge of (something secret) astute – shrewd piety – respect, loyalty

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar august – inspiring admiration, impressive ordain – to issue an official order genre – a kind or style, especially of art or literature simile – compare a thing with another metaphor – imaginative use of word, term or phrase syntax – the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences ethnic – of or relating to a group of people having a common national or cultural tradition societal – related to human society mores – customs, conventions repository – a place where or receptacle in which things are stored ethos – the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations obeisance – deferential respect brag – boast congregation – a gathering or collection of people extol – praise with enthusiasm limpid – clear bliss – perfect happiness; great joy exhort – advise strongly udder – an organ shaped like a bag that hangs between the back legs of a cow, female goat, etc and produces milk season – flavour with salt, herbs etc scripture – religious laws, old religions, philosophical texts potion – a liquid with healing, magical or poisonous properties

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 33–62 Geeta Chapter 9

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Chapter 65

The Guru and his Disciple

Verses 33–62 in the Dnyaneshwari (Geeta Chapter 9) carry forward the theme of the preceding chapter of this book. As Dnyaneshwar’s avalanche1 of verses praising and invoking his listeners’ indulgence2 continues to burst forth, his Guru Nivrutti pulls him up and reminds him of his mission, that of explaining the Geeta to his audience.

Dnyaneshwar picks up the thread but his narration between him and his audience (which includes his Guru) is transferred to another pair, that of Shrikrishna and Arjun. Here the guru (in this instance, Shrikrishna) explains to his student (Arjun), why and how he deserves to be told this ‘royal’, ‘special’ and ‘best of all’ “knowledge”.

Here is how Shrikrishna begins If you should think Why I should part With what is special To my heart It is because I think and know That for sure you will care And use this knowledge With skill and art …1116 Notice the hint that a student has to be deserving, for the teacher to impart his knowledge.

And so, says Shrikrishna Let me play my part Let me with this secret part I wish to put this secret From mine, into your heart …1117

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After all, Shrikrishna says Milk in the breast Is wasted on the breast It is a needy infant Which must suckle the breast …1118 Note the metaphor of a mother and child in the above verse.

Dnyaneshwar then shifts to another example, well known to his lay audience Land tended and cleared of weed Spread and sowed with stored seed This seed is not Lost and spilled …1119 Shrikrishna adds, the matter might be secret and vital but Your mind is pure In thought and desire4 Loyal and free From vicious censure5 So I gift you this For sure …1120 Notice the condition, that he Arjun is free from criticism (censure) of others. In short, his mind is not prejudiced and is free and like an empty receptacle, ready to receive. Shrikrishna then describes how he has been picked or selected from those assembled for the war.

I don’t see anyone Amongst others on view With these qualities Pure and true So this secret Will be given to you …1121 Shrikrishna says further that there are limits to being secretive and a secret must be judicially given out at the right time to a proper individual.

How secret can a secret be Difficult though It may turn out to be This philosophy I will reveal to thee 3

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And worldly things too You will hear from me …1122 Justifying the inclusion of worldly things, Shrikrishna, in the words of Dnyaneshwar, explains thus The pure and the rest Mixed may be Chaff 6 and seed Together may be Chaff will fly With the wind maybe But the seed will settle Wherever it be Such are the thoughts I give to thee …1123 Dnyaneshwar, as is his wont, then narrates several ornamental verses about these valuable thoughts This life tied up in bonds Full of vacillation7 Will be looked at In all its dimensions And that very life Will become full of adoration And sit astride The throne of liberation …1124 The knowledge, which in the city Of learning and education Is endowed on teachers With veneration8 The king of holy knowledge The chief of all secrets The home of religion itself The best amongst the best Death of birth and death From the Guru It appears to generate But is already in your mind in place Will be felt by you At its own pace

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And then grow apace First met on pleasurable steps But once met Pleasure abates As one stands and watches Joy pervades Ease and simplicity itself Once in hand It does not escape And if you use it Does not abate9 …1125 Dnyaneshwar having described the nature of this knowledge, Shrikrishna puts as if a question in Arjun’s mouth and then answers it himself.

Says Shrikrishna, You may ask Logically and out of interest This thing that I call best How and why Untouched was it left Holy, enchanting10, easy to get Utter joy, yet religion itself Which can be acquired All by oneself …1126 Indeed your question Is aptly made But there is a reason For this state …1127 In answer, Dnyaneshwar refers subtly to the variety that is nature, and also to the nature of man by giving examples from the animal kingdom with which part of his audience, made up of farmers, is familiar. The first example is that of a louse11 that lives off the skin of animals. When a louse sits near a cow’s udder Drink the milk it could But will suck the blood It shall and would …1128

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Referring to nature’s cycle of bees spreading the pollen from flowering trees, Dnyaneshwar laments The lotus and the frog Share the bog Wallows the frog In the bog The pollen by the bee Will be hogged12 …1129 Notice the position of the frog at the bottom, the lotus rising from the bog and the bee flying away high with the pollen. Also, notice the difference between wallowing (frog) and flying (bee).

Referring to the unlucky and the wretched13, a verse is penned thus The wretched Has buried gold In his yard Yet wretched he stays And starves …1130 Dnyaneshwar, taking the cue from the buried gold in the yard, concludes, in the words of Shrikrishna Me and religion Are in his* heart But lust, passion and greed Refuse to depart …1131 * man’s

This results in man’s inability to follow the correct but easy path.

Selfishness, inability to perceive the whole truth, fixation to one’s body and the mercurial, unreliable mind lend to the following. (Here the words ‘me’ and ‘mine’ are used in the context of self or man.)

The feeling of me and mine Has them* foxed Life death and life Has them boxed …1132 * men

As the mythical river of maya14 Waned and waxed …1133

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And they are unable to cross the mythical world of make-believe or maya.

After all, says Dnyaneshwar, in the words of Shrikrishna Each is according to his own light Each sees the sun In his own light That it vanishes In the night Or the clouds Hides it from his sight Such is not my meagre15 might I shine forever and bright …1134 What follows in the next chapter is the unravelling16 of the ‘majestic’, ‘royal’, and ‘secret knowledge’.

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avalanche – sudden appearance and arrival of anything in large quantities indulge – to favour metaphor – imaginative use of word, term or phrase adoration – worship censure – strong criticism; disapproval chaff – for example, the husk of corn separated from seed vacillation – to and fro movement veneration – respect, honour and esteem abate – reduce enchanting – charming, delighting, bewitching louse – a small wingless parasitic insect which infests human skin and hair hog – take greedily wretched – miserable maya – marvel or illusion of and in this world (phenomenal world) meagre – lacking in amount or quantity unravel – solve, sort out

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 63–97 Geeta Chapter 9

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Chapter 66

The Stage Nothing ventured, nothing gained

No one from those who come to see a play stays back to see what happens when the play is over and the curtains are down, after the couples have left hand-in-hand, the parents have herded their children out, the critics have left with their pens at the ready and the ushers1 have taken a last round for the sake of what is lost and may be found for the forgetful. The lights in the auditorium, all blazing when people leave, later must be dimmed or extinguished. The curtain is raised up again lest it collect dust, or so that the rehearsals can be done the next day. The wings are adjusted, the props are moved, the handyman checks the levers and switches. The makeup room throbs till the paint is peeled and the costumes are stored.

But there too activity must cease. The mirrors will not reflect nor the fans whirr. The security guard will lock up and will probably leave a lone light on. What will remain, however, is the stage. The stage on which so much happened in a matter of a couple or three hours. Sound and light, joy and tears, victory and defeat, fun and frolic, a world of make-believe for those come to see, fully aware that what they watch, is not real but from time to time they will have lost that awareness. They too will have moist eyes, from the sadness or fun unravelled on the stage. In a manner, the stage sees it all, the performance and the players, the audience and their inadvertent participation. It is the stage which makes it all possible.

Its construction is such that a play can take place. It has a potential for a play to be played out yet will not participate. It is nothing but everything. It is taken for granted but not recognized. Is it a reluctant facilitator? Reluctant it is not, facilitator it may be. To be reluctant or to be eager is not its wont2. It is the sky in which clouds fly, the canvas on which paintings are drawn.

In reality, the stage requires only one actor to get things going. A huge epic might physically fill the whole stage but a monologist3 or a mime4 is capable of doing as much if not more. It is like the play

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between a novelist and a reader. The novelist draws on many characters and constructs a plot but the real interaction is between what the novelist thinks and what the reader interprets. As the mathematicians say, in order to create everything in numbers, only a pair is needed, zero and one. From which, then, everything else can breed. That instant when something enters on the empty stage, the audience gets going. That ‘one’ is to become so many and is to become a part of all those come to see. That the first one becomes two and then three is enough for the stage to be forgotten. The numbers then jumble amongst themselves, to create ideas, thoughts, perceptions and relevant actions. The reality of the stage on which everything is enacted is forgotten. The mind is as if gone to sleep to the reality of the stage, and therefore dreams metaphorically5 only of what goes on the stage. Here, in this chapter, the stage or Brahma* speaks in the first person singular in the person of Shrikrishna or if the author may be allowed this license, also in the person of Dnyaneshwar.

In order to stress that Brahma or ‘that thing’ or the stage is not what is transformed into this world, this is what Dnyaneshwar says Like a seed becomes a tree Or milk turns into curds That I turn myself Into the world Is not true I am The first second and third I have Nothing tried nothing turned …1135 There is no transformation nor does that thing have any motivation.

Based on ‘that thing’ What is frozen And then hidden Somehow comes to happen …1136 This verse alludes to a certain potentiality, which is in turn frozen, hidden and may happen.

Dnyaneshwar then gives a simile Froth is what Water comes to make

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Man and else Come in my wake …1137 Please note that the word wake is applied to water as well as in a ship leaving a trail behind it. To continue to stress that the froth is temporary as well as secondary, the following verse is given Water is water Froth is fake Dreams will dissolve When you wake …1138 To wit, froth is all that you see when you have forgotten the reality of water. In a dream too, you are cut off from reality. The dream does not last when you wake up.

The world that we see appears ‘thanks’ to ‘that thing’. But it is not ‘that thing’ Whatever is Appears in me But I am not In whatever is That you must know And also see …1139 That thing is inscrutable6 and therefore is dark, not in the sense of light and darkness but in the sense of lack of knowledge or ignorance If you think And then try to see In the twilight7* Of your dreams That nothing comes And that nothing goes All that is Is nothing but me …1140 * twilight is known to cause confusion

Then Dnyaneshwar takes recourse to the most commonly used simile in the Upanishadic8 system of philosophy. If there is not enough light (lack of knowledge) then a rope (the truth) can appear to be a snake (falsehood).

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Is it a rope Or is it a snake Is what your mind Will try to make But when you wake (to reality) You will see It is a rope Not the fearsome snake …1141 Fear is an added dimension here, appearances frighten us, truth releases us from fear.

Here are four similes which describe how the manifested9 world comes to occupy our minds.

Earth is earth Not earthen pots But breed they do In the potter’s thoughts …1142 Water is not A mine of waves It is the wind Which has them made That is how They crest and cave …1143 Cotton is not A parcel of cloth The one who weaves It’s his thoughts …1144 10 11 A trinket , a brooch You might make But the shape and form Is for the woman’s sake Gold is gold Whatever you make …1145 In these similes, earth, water, cotton and gold come in succession, the original stuff from which things form. But the crucial words in the verses are ‘potter’s thoughts’, ‘wind that makes’, ‘weaver’s thoughts’ and ‘for woman’s sake’. The original substance remains

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unchanged. Even the perception of waves is human. What appears and is formed is a matter of idealization12.

To elaborate further When an image forms Or an echo rebounds Is it your mind Or just sight and sound In you or around Lost and found …1146 The world of perception is so real to man yet it is difficult to make out where the echo is. The reflection that you see in the mirror is also not graspable nor can it be located. That is the problem with the phenomenal13 world.

That thing or god or Brahma must have a more permanent character.

Those who think That the world is me It is their minds That thus think and see …1147 Then Dnyaneshwar adds When their minds In this manner Cease to think With that manner The world is gone And only me Is left to think …1148 To add substance to this reasoning Dnyaneshwar gives the example of a man who whirls around himself at some speed and feels that the world too is rotating, when in fact, it is he who is feeling giddy. But to come back to the main theme That it’s me In all that happens And all this happens In me Are fanciful thoughts Of thee All this is

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Magic and maya14 That happens to hang from me …1149 To continue, here is a metaphor15 based on a mirage What truth In a mirage Can there be The rays of the sun And the sun itself Can they be different be Everything hangs by me And nothing is else from me …1150 The mirage, the water, sun’s rays, and the sun are a rising cascade approaching the ultimate truth. To give one more example The air and the sky How and why Can they be different be When the air comes to move And sings its tune Only then Can they be different be …1151 This then is the collective description with similes16 and metaphors of the singularity17, the unsullied Brahma, that real state of matter and energy which is omnipotent18, that substrate around which the world appears in which man too makes his appearance. In the verses that are to follow, the nature of the world, the nature of man, nature itself will form the subject of the Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari. But before that a few verses are narrated of the unity of this cosmos.

Ideas and imagination Negation or affirmation19 Disappearance and dissipation20 Such fascination But once you realize What is real and what is not In this sea of contemplation21 Your participation Like a little wave (in the sea)

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In all these manifestations You will experience A single amalgamation22 …1152 Duality that is false and fake Dreams and beliefs that you make Are gone when you are thus awake …1153 How you are When dreams are made That secret I now further state …1154 1.

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usher – a person who shows people to their seats in a hall or a theatre wont – customary habit monologist – from monologue = a long speech by one actor in a play or film mime – the technique of telling a story, etc using only expressions and gestures, no words metaphorical – of or like a metaphor (= the application of a word, phrase, or descriptive term to an object or action to which it is imaginatively but not literally applicable inscrutable – (wholly) mysterious twilight – soft light when the sun is below the horizon (particularly in the evening) Upanishad – the concluding portions of the Vedic literature manifest – clear or obvious to the eye or mind trinket – a small ornament brooch – an ornament fastened to a dress idealize – romanticize, elevate phenomenon – a happening, an occurrence Maya – a trick, the hidden creative potential of Brahma metaphor – imaginative use of word, term or phrase simile – compare one thing with another singularity – the modern term in physics for a thing like Brahma omnipotent – absolutely powerful affirmation – a solemn declaration by a person dissipation – dispersal contemplation – survey with eyes or mind amalgamation – from amalgamate = combine or unite to form one structure

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 98–139 Geeta Chapter 9

Chapter 67

Something out of Nothing

Can you get something out of nothing? And how can one say that ‘this thing here’ is nothing? When you see the moon at night, what lies between you and the moon? First there is air, a little further you might see a passing cloud but as you go higher, air tends to get thinner till it disappears altogether leading up to what is called ‘empty stretches of space’. This space not only appears empty but also pitch dark unless light falls on something in this space. An astronaut in a spaceship, is surrounded by darkness yet sees the stars and the moon because their light falls on his eyes. But how did light travel through this empty space? Man’s imagination being influenced by worldly things had concluded that light travels like waves on water. But in order that the waves of light travel, man had to imagine, that like water there must be a medium on which waves formed and travelled. For centuries, this medium had been called ether. This ether, of course, had to be exceptionally thin for it to not impede1 light like a dust storm does. It had to be there yet not there, thin but strong, elastic as well as rigid, lest it shift.

But once ether was postulated, it had to follow certain rules. For light to travel through it, ether had to be everywhere from wherever light came or to wherever light went. It had to be around all the stars and all the planets. It had to be still and not be influenced by the motion of the bodies (planets and stars) that lie in space lest this motion in the ether influence the flow of light, like a wave is disturbed in turbulent waters. But even if it stayed still, there was something that it could not escape and that was ‘relative motion’, like when you drive a car on a still day yet encounter a breeze in the opposite direction because your car moves. The question was, would this ether breeze caused by earth’s rotation (the earth is a car here) influence the speed of light? Light that went and came back with the breeze and light that travelled across the breeze and then again crossed it to come back. Should they not have different durations?

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Like a man swimming along and across a river. The answer, according to Michelson (American physicist, 1852–1931), who conducted some precise experiments was in the negative. That negation, amongst many more discoveries, finally put paid to the existence of ether. But it was Faraday (1791–1867), an English physicist, not a qualified scientist in the real sense, in fact a book binder’s assistant, who not only bound books but read them, that completely changed man’s concept of what was called empty space.

He showed that an electric current produces a magnetic field around it and that a magnet has an electric field around it as well. And that these fields do not require any kind of medium to exist. Later, it was Maxwell (1831–1879), a British physicist of Scottish descent, who showed that light is nothing but an electromagnetic wave with its own field and force. Of all the scientists in the world, Faraday and Maxwell, changed how man looked at his universe and the empty spaces within it. Man so cognizant2 and infatuated3 by what we call matter realized that the space between what he called matter or objects was the key to the happenings in the world. It was the field which harboured the secret. Energy in whatever form was ubiquitous4 in and outside what we call matter. And even in what we call matter, there are huge empty spaces filled with energy. For example, if we looked at an atom and compared it to a huge auditorium, the electron in that atom (or the auditorium) is the size of a pea. Imagine therefore, the empty spaces in an atom and the fields of energy that occupy these spaces.

But as Einstein was to prove later, energy and matter, are not two distinct or different things. Simply put, energy is convertible into matter and vice versa. But it requires huge amounts of energy to prepare a bit of matter. His famous equation e=mc2 tells us that one unit of matter multiplied by the square of speed of light is equivalent to energy needed to create that matter. In converse under appropriate conditions a radioactive material in a very small quantity can produce huge amounts of energy like in an atom bomb. Matter therefore, to put it in the Indian Sanskrit idiom is an avatar or an incarnation of energy albeit5 in a hugely concentrated form.

Be that as it may, and to put aside this scientific mumbo-jumbo6(!) it is matter that seems to matter because we encounter matter. Who is bothered by why a rose smells the way it does? The fragrance might be some kind of ‘wave-fall’ on the nerves in your nose but it is the rose that is plucked, not the wave. Matter since it got made, has evolved, particularly since it got into the habit of reproducing.

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The living, moving, dying world of ‘living’ matter however recent and however short-lived it might be in the future, (in this instance of man and woman) thinks, asks questions and also answers them.

Why and how a man named Manu falls for a girl called Maya is what this world is about (at least partly). The magic between them is the stuff of most of our literature. The field between them is what crackles and is called love. Man is steeped7 in his own nature and also the nature at large. This is the world of butterflies and basketballs, trees and tea parties, of music and merchandise8, war and wisdom.

What is the relation between matter and energy? Is it the duty or obligation of energy to create matter? Or is it that fields of energy just have a propensity9 or potential to form matter? And when matter forms, if it exhibits a certain design, does it mean that what we call energy thought out this particular design in a premeditated10 kind of way? Does Brahma or ‘that thing’ or these fields of energy, plan and execute a manicured11 garden or is it that they plan a forest which grows and then is asked to wither away in the future? Is there an activist who presides over things and causes things like tides and gets tired by the efforts that he makes while causing tides and then comes the ebb? Read on.

Shrikrishna as usual is in the first person singular here but is quite clear and categorical in his statements. But the more fascinating character in these verses is Dnyaneshwar who mentions magnets and tides. Just goes to show, like Einstein (German physicist, 1879– 1955) or Faraday (British bookbinder turned physicist, 1791–1867) did, that a keen mind, with or without formal education or laboratory facilities can find the truth with sheer inspiration.

Here are the verses Come summer Earth swallows grass And its seed Then comes rain But in the stillness of autumn As time comes to pass Clouds disappear from the scene

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The wind not normally seen But felt by your skin Is swallowed by the sky And goes to sleep (it seems) And thus waves disappear Into the depth of the sea Like dreams drown In a mind Woken up from sleep …1155 Notice the sequence, summer, rain, wind, water and waves. But the sequence is clinched in the end by dreams. The dream state, in a variety of ways, frequently forms a part of a metaphor12 in the Indian philosophical systems. Dnyaneshwar too uses it to indicate that what goes about in the world, is not entirely real, because a certain real thing forms the basis for the phenomenal13 world and that reality remains hidden because of what transpires in this world. The question is what causes the phenomenal world to come about? Is it ‘that thing’ the real reality that is the activist? Could it be that this activist first creates and then withdraws whatever it creates? The answer is very strongly in the negative.

Here is what Shrikrishna says in the first person singular equating himself with Brahma.

That All that there is The world, man, beast or tree At the end, when the cosmic cycle ends Come to devolve14 in me And by me …1156 And that Then I create anew Is not true Let me tell this truth Only to thee …1157 The responsibility for creation or devolution is shrugged off and instead Maya, magic, natural forces, creativity inherent to that thing is juxtaposed 15 between the real reality or Brahma 16 and the phenomenal world. What happens is as follows

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It is maya My nature within It is her deed Like cotton to thread Then the cloth that is weaved Or as in milk to cream That is how this world Comes to be seen Water touches the seed And out grows a tree This is the fashion By which the world comes to be …1158 And does Brahma have to do any efforts for all this to happen?

The answer again is in the negative and explained by the following verses: When a city is built It is the subjects who build What bother Can it be to the king …1159 A man may walk miles In his dream But how tired is he When he finally wakes From his dreams …1160 These things Don’t bother my being The subjects follow a scheme Empowered as if by the king But it is nature, the maya That rules over the scheme …1161 How tired is the moon When the tide rises And breaks through its seams And a magnet is unmoved When filings of iron fling

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To this end or the other As if on an automatic swing …1162 To further elaborate on nature’s autonomy 17, this is what Dnyaneshwar says Man, bird or beast Like a creeper From the earth arise All in nature’s scheme The body is then host To the child, the youth and the senile Or the sky readies for the clouds When the season arrives Or dreams thrive on sleep Whatever is Small or big, dead or alive Are in the nature’s scheme of things Has nothing to do with me Moonlight’s intricate streaks In limpid8 lakes Are not the moon’s doing …1163 The activities of the world, or cause and effect relationships or karma is not the function of the Brahma, they seem to occur on its count, not by it, nor is that thing a part of it. It remains aloof.

A dam made of salt Cannot stop the rushing sea All karma ends at me How then can it bind me How can dust Stop the wind Or darkness envelop What is forever bright …1164 Rain, however heavy May fall on a hill Can it hurt the rock within In your ideas and in this maya I might be the centre

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Of things But I am indifferent To all these ‘doings’ When a lamp lights a room It does not stop or start things Oblivious19 it is To its surroundings Yet by its light Everything happens it seems …1165 How often and how many ways Can I tell you the truth Of this scheme That seems To bring everything into being …1166 It is in this light That you must see Is the sun, the purpose Or does it have an intention For what on earth Comes to be Just because maya In its natural tryst20, unwinds And she depends on me She cannot be My aim nor purpose Of whatever comes to be …1167 Shrikrishna continues in the words of Dnyaneshwar This my most profound secret I give thee And till in this manner You think and come to see In all the chaff 21 You will miss the seed Here logic will fail to see Water from a mirage Cannot wet the earth

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For her to breed The moon’s gentle light Strung like beads in the sea Cannot be pulled By a net From the sea …1168 This group of verses end with a pithy22 statement.

These thoughts given here Are not within the sphere Of speeches to give and words to hear And just to close eyes For your understanding to clear Is worthless It is neither there nor here …1169 The last two verses are a refutation of logic and the dialogical23 intellectual method as a means to achieve realization. This is as much a matter of faith as of reasoning. The comparison between modern physics and this philosophical doctrine might sound silly and partisan but in modern physics (beyond a certain point), most hypotheses24 are based on mathematical formulae. Nobody sees a photon or an electron or a quark, they lie within the ambit of reasoned imagination, and a play of numbers and equations yet they yield practical results. Is the Geeta attempting the same?

What follows in the next group of verses, in the next chapter, is the other end of the spectrum of religious philosophy. While this chapter absolved Brahma from the mechanics of maya, the next embarks on the refutation of a personal god, its adoration and celebration as well as devotion.

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impede – obstruct cognizant – aware infatuated – inspired by transitory fondness ubiquitous – everywhere albeit – though mumbo-jumbo – language intended to confuse steep in – saturate in, filled with merchandise – goods, products propensity – inclination, tendency premeditate – plan beforehand manicured – professionally treated in a cosmetic manner, usually applied to nails

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar metaphor – imaginative use of word, term or phrase phenomenal – that which is perceptible to the senses devolve – pass to juxtaposed – placed beside another Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the world evolved autonomy – freedom, independence limpid – clear, transparent oblivious – unaware tryst – time and a place for a meeting (up of covers) chaff – the husk of corn, as opposed to seed pithy – condensed and forcible dialogical – by way of dialogue/to come to a conclusion hypothesis – a proposition made on the basis of reasoning

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 140–187 Geeta Chapter 9

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Idol Worship

What is man, in addition to his bones and muscles and his pumping heart and the brain? That is the question. The brain is the key, or so it is presumed where thoughts form, ideas get incorporated and objects are encountered. It could be in the reverse as well, where an object induces thoughts and then certain ideas get consolidated. A chair, for example, is an object on which you sit and a table is something at which you write. Further you know that they are made of wood, and that a carpenter makes them. But how many of us know that wood is not as solid as you think, but consists of atoms, which are in fact, huge empty spaces. But in everyday usage there is no need to think in this manner, as long as a carpenter makes a chair and a table, you can sit on the chair and write at the table. That the carpenter makes a chair or the man, who made the chair is called a carpenter, is what matters. Somewhat like ‘God made the world’ or ‘that thing which made the world is called God’.

We are talking here about a cause and effect relationship, an enduring chain with which we are very familiar. This in Sanskrit is called ‘karma’. In fact most of what goes on around us is a continuous weave of this chain. What we call ‘spontaneous’ is also rooted or embedded in this chain. A sudden falling apart of two people is never ‘sudden’. Its roots lie in the history of the pair. It is because we are so involved in this process and with the objects involved in this chain that they form a crucial, integral1 part of our life. There is a method to this flow and the objects here are tangible 2 and describable, and have properties and an identity. Man, however emotional he may be, is conditioned to reason and objects make excellent fodder for reason.

And it is not as if man relies on his naked perceptive senses, to make deductions about objects. He invents instruments like a microscope, a telescope, or a spectroscope to analyze objects more precisely and then comes to certain conclusions. He also invents

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mathematics and statistics to validate3 his observations. He builds theory upon theory and shows that what he thought to be the truth, a quarter century ago, was only half the truth and the real truth is what he has found now. Till another quarter century passes for more facts and truths to emerge. This too appears to be an unending chain.

There is, however, a discordant note in this chain of science by which we live in the modern age. A scientist who goes up in a spaceship, which is nothing but a product of science may continue to believe in a personal God, or a god in person. Even while struggling in the face of a mishap on the spaceship when he takes recourse to science to avoid the mishap he may remember God, a product of his imagination, culture and intuition, a product that cannot be validated by any kind of rational scrutiny. What is more, as he takes recourse to God, his mind turns to an image, an idol, a statue, a figurine4, or a tomb. To an atheist5, a non-conformist6 or an agnostic7 that is ‘the pits’8. But they forget as mentioned earlier that man is a creature of habit, indoctrination9 and also full of emotion.

Because he sees so many things being created by man in this world he imagines that the world itself was created by someone and that too according to a design. He then submits to this designer creator.

Culture dictates that this submission must have a place, a direction, a posture and even better that it be done to a symbol. Like to a king, who symbolized power, even divine power, in the days gone by.

All this is well, except that symbols come to occupy a selfish proprietary10 space in man’s mind; for example, my symbol, your symbol and their symbol.

There is another fascinating side to this story. Science tells us that this universe runs to two plans. One is the rough and ready, where a cause can be demonstrated for an event and then this cause can be created and then a resultant event is predictable. But alas that is only in the bigger, coarser11 world. As you descend deeper from this rough and ready world you get to the slithering12 silks and muslins13 of the finer world. A world in which events occur, not smoothly but in spasms or in slithering waves, where movements can be ascertained only after they have occurred, not while they are occurring. There might be some method in these events but they are not amenable to any mapping. To man so used to an orderly and ordered world, the inner space of all things is not only filled with very minute things but these minute things exhibit, what he thinks, is a certain madness. In this deep world both the future and

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past can only be imagined unlike in the more visible world where the past is known and only the future is uncertain. The scientist is aware of these two worlds, a world, which he knows better, a world, which he can mend, and the other world, of which he is partly ignorant, which he cannot manipulate completely. He can depend on the first but the second and the other is independent beyond his grasp and is autonomous14. Yet he takes recourse to God, an idol, a statue, a figurine, a tomb in one form or another. So far so good, no harm done as yet.

But the word ‘form’ is known to evolve into another word ‘formal’.

When a form becomes a part of a formal religion then a congregation15 follows and seeds of aggravation16 are sown. There is a very thin line between a congregation and a mob. From another perspective, a congregation also implies a certain hierarchy17. A formed God can also mean that God can give something, which has a form, something material, tangible, usable. God therefore descends into the market place, a place where commerce dominates and so do marketeers. A formal God is a ‘giver’ but by a corollary18, also a ‘taker’. And last but not the least a ‘giver and taker’ God when the accounting does not match, can be portrayed to be vengeful19 in the hands of the selfish and the vengeful.

In this section of the Dnyaneshwari of nearly fifty verses, a radical surgery is attempted on a ‘formal God’. It starts with Geeta Verse 11, Chapter 9.

This is what Shrikrishna says in that verse in the Geeta Those fools Who do not know The real me And my human form When they see And thus come To adore me In fact ridicule me …1169 This is pretty strong language because words ‘fools’ and ‘ridicule’ are indicative of how strongly Geeta feels on the subject.

Dnyaneshwar follows it up as under.

If you are afraid Of the world as it is And me in my real state If you seek

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These my thoughts You must safely keep …1170 Notice the mention of fear. It is fear that motivates man towards safety. It is this fear which prompts idol worship. How this worship is pathological is narrated in the next two verses by taking examples of diseases.

The moon is yellow To the jaundiced eye The real me He will fie20 …1171 The tongue of the sick Has a bitter taste My human form They call the best …1172 These verses indicate the twisted sense that a sick (!) man employs Remember once for all The following thoughts Never forget them Once you have got …1173 To see me as a man Is not seeing at all Those who see me purely In my bodily form That seeing itself Produces harm And hides from man My real state Without form …1174 In a succession of verses, Dnyaneshwar uses several metaphors to indicate how wrong it is to pursue religious philosophy via an idol.

Leave the Ganga* And draw from a mirage Miss the wish tree For a tree full of thorns * Ganga – the holiest of all rivers in India

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To pick as diamonds Pebbles in the sand A string of gems In fact a snake With deadly fangs21 Red hot embers Picked as sovereigns22 By accident and chance A lion pouncing on its shadow In the water of a tank From a mound of chaff Seeds being sought It is not water When you lick at its froth ‌1175 In another metaphor23 Dnyaneshwar describes a bird which imagines that the reflection of stars in the sea are a bunch of diamonds, and how the bird plunges at the diamonds to be smashed on the rocks. He also points to the impossibility of starting eastwards and reaching the shores of the western sea, a contradiction in geographical terms unless a man swims across the vast wide sea.

This is a statement to stress that realization with the help of an idol is well nigh impossible.

Dnyaneshwar then follows it up with several verses, somewhat repetitive, perhaps to reiterate24 his views. Here are the verses.

I have no name or names But he gives me names This man I do nothing Yet they have me born Formless I am Yet responsible I am held For all that forms And gives me Every sort of form And wants to please me With rituals

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As if he can …1176 Beyond caste, creed and clan I am Yet I am different In their eyes For each caste, creed and clan …1177 I am without form Yet they attach me With feet and arms …1178 Limitless I am Yet they condense me In a certain form …1179 Everywhere I am Yet I am placed In pots and pans* …1180 * Alludes to the custom of washing idols in expensive utensils

All this Is like a dream Of a forest which A man tries to scan …1181 Eyes and ears I have not Black or white I am not Aunt, uncle, father and son Are not in my realm25 All these belong to man They are His thoughts, ideas and plans …1182 I cannot be seen Yet I am seen Is what they will feign26 …1183

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Without desire I am Everything I have That I can have Yet desire is imposed on me By man …1184 Limitless and unseen I am But with clothes, make up, And even décor Drapes me this silly man …1185 I am forever Never am I born Yet this man Talks of my birth and form Forever I am On me is based this man Yet praise and ritual Consecration27 adoration28 and emersion Are all part Of man’s silly plans …1186 I am an infant Then I become young And then old Imagines this man …1187 He describes my family roots This man He cries when I die And imagines A friend or a foe I am Evenly spread I am Yet I travel from place to place Says man And in my travels I am accused Of taking sides between man and man And in my anger

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It is said I kill one and save another man …1188 It is all this Which hides the real truth About me From man …1189 To describe a man with ideas narrated in the preceding verses, Dnyaneshwar then castigates him in the following manner His birth Is without any worth Waves on water That too in a mirage …1190 This man is like Armed guards made of clay Ornaments in a magic play Or maps drawn of clouds in the sky Spindly cactus neither food nor sap Such worthless life and worthless acts I despise and decry …1191 To highlight the fact that true knowledge evades these men, the following are narrated What can diamonds mean For the blind Ignorant, half cooked Their minds Their rituals are weapons In the hands of a female child All their doings Are wasted and spoilt An unsteady mind To me Not fully reconciled …1192 What follows is a description of a demon queen who will ultimately devour this man. This demon queen Who roams around at night Whose mouth from one ear to another

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Is a slit held tight A mouth with hate-filled teeth These teeth with her spit Masticates happiness into bits And whose tongue then licks From the lips and cheeks The remaining tit bits She a valley dark and deep Between mountains Of black sinful deeds …1193 And to end Dnyaneshwar adds When man is engulfed By demonic thoughts (Of forms and figures) With fear of the future He is distraught And within false hopes He is caught The demonic queen then Gets him ready for the slot* …1194 * As in a guillotine29

The key word here is ‘fear’ both at the beginning and the end of these groups of verses. In the beginning, man is asked if he is fearful of the world as it is. This fear is fear of deprivation of life, of wealth, status or other material things that mark our existence. It is this fear that leads to insecurity and thus pops up a credible (!) object to which man can turn for assurances, for a status quo, or for gifts. This leads to anxiety and an unstable mental platform leading to the demonic queen who waits to devour man with her fangs of greed, lust, hatred and want.

The Geeta and Dnyaneshwar are to follow this up with the correct approach to life vis-à-vis what man calls God, that in the next chapter.

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integral – essential, necessary, basic tangible – definite, not elusive, felt by touch validate – confirm figurine – a small ornamental statue, especially of a human form atheist – a person who does not believe in the existence of God

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 188–264 Chapter 9

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Chapter 69

All is Well

What if everything in the world was to run like clockwork, precise and punctual, without any aberration1, without a spasm or a jerk and was entirely predictable? That is the question. A world where there were no premature deaths and no abnormalities at birth, where every man and woman was married to his/her sweetheart and on time, children were raised in ideal circumstances, never a source of anxiety, not falling prey to temptations and able to withstand their hormonal storms and were able to take good decisions, where families cooperated within the confines of their happy homes and emerged from them to raise a civic society, nobody broke laws, and in fact laws were unnecessary. What if fraud and embezzlement2 and crime were unknown, police were superfluous, jails extinct, there was no war, no deprivation, nature was not ravaged, animals had a due place in this world and there was democracy in all walks of life and just and fair decisions were not only arrived at but derived by a fair and true consensus3? What would be the state of man’s mind in such circumstances? What if there was no fear of drought or too much rain, no famine or floods or bush fires or earthquakes where security from natural disasters was assured? How would a man feel or behave under such circumstances?

Having thus portrayed an impossible ideal let us look at the scene from an exactly opposite angle in which things are going wrong at all times! What if man was to withstand all this with aplomb4 and equanimity5 and poise6 in the face of what really goes on in this world? What if he carried on as if nothing had happened, taken all in his stride and carried on with restraint and detachment, the work and duty that his person or family, society, nation or the world expected of him? What if there was a complete and natural clarity in his thoughts under terribly adverse circumstances? As if he understands the nature of this world, the nature of natural forces and the nature of man in general? What if he was not afraid for his

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life or reputation or the losses that he may incur? What if he had learnt from the past but was not intimidated by it? If he was not interested in the rewards in the future and was not bothered by the retribution7 that his present actions brought? What if he had convinced himself that he was not alienated8 from the rest of the world, that he was a very tiny part of the whole and was not driven by his ego and realized that the dictum9, ‘love thy neighbour’ springs from a philosophical thought that he shares every little thing with the neighbour and therefore when he loves his neighbour he loves himself? And lastly if this man is steeped10 deeply in the doctrines of the Upanishads,11 namely, I am Brahma (or ‘that thing’) or ‘that thing’ is (nothing but) ‘thou12’, how would he behave?

All this is easier said or written than done. But what would man be if he did not set up ideals? The verses that follow, which describe an ideal human creature, are lofty and majestic in content and idealization13. But such creativity is essential if the extraordinary is to come out of the ordinary. Shrikrishna uses the word ‘field’ to describe the mind of such an individual. He adds that this field is inhabited by Him (Shrikrishna, the topical or incidental symbol for Brahma). This field is unsullied14 and it is in this field, which is pure and pristine15 that these extraordinary attitudes and actions are likely to germinate and grow.

Here is how the verses go In their clear minds As a field I reside And even when they sleep Detachment prays and presides In whose benevolent16 eyes Religion abides17 And in whose content minds Life’s noble thoughts glide They have bathed in the Ganga* In her knowledge and her tides They are The foliage18 and sprouts On elegant vines19 Of peace sublime20 They are The final state of understanding And are fortified21 pillars Of firmness personified

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Or pots filled to the brim And immersed in joyous tides So filled with joy blissful22 That they push heavens and liberation aside …1195 * India’s most sacred river

And in whose simple acts Morality resides Ornaments and clothes full of peace Sit on them astride And vast as I am They cover me on all sides They are great souls From me they are derived And become me And with increasing intensity They by me completely abide …1196 What is punishment or penance23 When there is no sin What is to restrain and curb When modesty presides And all is neat and fine And what is the use of hell When sin is banished For all times And bankrupt are holy lands And rivers and shrines24 …1197 Without the help of the sun In them the world is alight And without yogic postures For them liberation is in sight Neither pauper nor king Are on their mind To all those who come They are a feast of joy and light No need for heaven They are heaven themselves In sound and sight …1198

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Better than the bright sun Because they do not set Before them the moon is pale Because they do not wax and wane25 Clouds recede after the rain But not these men Forever they reign26 …1199 Leave me aside Even to recite my name Difficult it is But on their tongue Happily and by itself Dances my name I might not be found in heaven Or the sun’s bright flames I might bypass the yogis But I am always found in these men …1200 Like in a cloth From one end to another There is only thread These men have this faith That there is only that thing In all things Living and dead …1201 Whether the Brahmic God Or a paltry gnat27 Whatever they cross They bow and fall Before it as God Great or small They have long forgot They bow and respect Each and all …1202 Like from a height Water automatically falls …1203

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These men by their very nature At everyone’s feet Bend and fall A laden tree Which to the ground Bends and falls …1204 Filled with humility Shorn of pride Me and my name Forever in their mind …1205 In order to achieve this state, Shrikrishna or rather Dnyaneshwar expands the theme to include the metaphor of a yadnya28 (Please see Chapter 36).

Listen then to this Let me show you The yadnya to reality The animal to be sacrificed Is duality29 The senses and their life Is the instrumentality30 And ignorance too Is the sacrificial moiety31 Mind and reason Are the trough and cavity And realization in this trough Is the flammability Done on a platform Of equanimity Words and incantations About body, mind and soul Are the splendour of intellectuality Each man then According to his propensity32 Acknowledges the barren futility Of duality And realizes Of the body and soul That the soul is the only reality And then ignorance of self

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The other moiety Is burnt into embers33 And man emerges From false duality Into a sublime deathless unity …1206 In another metaphor of a war in a dream Dnyaneshwar says In a war in my dream I became A soldier of every kind When I woke I realized That all this was in my mind …1207 The world that is seen Is also in the mind Everything is in fact me In each and every kind …1208 Many a men Different be …1209 Body and limbs Branches and trees All that there is Is only me …1210 A bubble may come A bubble may go It is from water It comes and goes …1211 Dust may fly However high To earth it must Settle and lie …1212 Whatever happens Whatever not It matters not …1213

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Whatever I am Wherever I am However big or small He is with me this man …1214 The sun in the sky However high Is the same To each and all …1215 Wherever this man And whatever he can Is the same To each and all …1216 And when this man deals with or imagines God Left or right Front or back In his thought …1217 And for them Whatever there is Is me Whatever they pray to Is me But those who don’t know About me However they pray Do not reach me …1218 1.

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aberration – departure from normal embezzlement – divert money by fraud consensus – general agreement aplomb – confidence, especially in difficult situations equanimity – mental composure poise – equilibrium, stable state retribution – punishment alienated- isolated dictum – formal pronouncement steeped – submerged Upanishads – concluding portions of the Vedic literature

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar thou – you idealization – regard in the ideal form unsullied – pure pristine – pure, original benevolent – charitable abide – act in accordance with, obey, conform foliage – leaves vine – creeper (as in a plant) sublime – pure, highly refined fortified – strengthened blissful – full of utter joy penance – a punishment that one gives oneself to show that one is sorry for having done wrong shrine – sacred place related to a holy person or saint wax and wane – undergo alternate increase and decrease reign – rule gnat – a small fly (with two wings) that bites yadnya – ritual fire duality – the principle in philosophy where two fundamental things constitute everything in mind and matter instrumentality - technique moiety – each of two parts into which a thing is or can be divided propensity – tendency embers – cinders, ashes, residue

The Genius of Dnyaneshwar Dnyaneshwari Verses 265–306 Geeta Chapter 9

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Chapter 70

Where is God?

Why does man impose himself on nature and that too unfairly and crudely? The question has a dual answer. This imposition is not only because of his needs but also due to his greed. Secondly, he imposes because he has the ability to impose on account of his superior intellectual skills. But if the latter aspect is true and it is, then the questions that follow are ‘If man is so intelligent then how can he believe in any religion which argues that a creator made this universe when there is no evidence of such a deliberate creation? If the universe has been in existence for many million years prior to man’s arrival on earth, not to mention the fact that man arrived via the monkey, is it not ridiculous to imagine and then propagate that all this was created for man to enjoy?’ One of the most extraordinary spectacles of the modern world is the Western civilization’s startling progress in science combined with its abject1 surrender to religious dogma2 which preaches that this universe was made in one week.

The East has gone through this phase in the centuries earlier but in the exact opposite manner. Some very startling non-theistic3 doctrines4 were put forward in the East to explain the coming of the universe or to explain how the universe was not compartmentalized but throbbed as a whole. Notwithstanding this lofty metaphysical5 thought, the East was to miserably fail in what is called the scientific temper6.

Rudyard Kipling (British author, 1865–1936) might have been right but only for the times that he foresaw when he said that ‘Oh East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet’. The world has ‘much shrunk’ since then and a trillion bits of information are crossing the ‘ether’ and ‘byte7’ into peoples’ minds spread all over the globe. In the process, as science hammers at dogma, it also appreciates and amplifies the more enduring and worthwhile aspects of religion. The questions whether we are ruled by a caring God, or if we are a part of nature or natural processes, which do not care as

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to what happens, have needed answers from time immemorial.

Whether God cares or not, man certainly cares as to what is happening around him and how all this comes about. Only when we know the answers to these can our caring for each other be put in the proper perspective.

Having disposed of idol worship, the Geeta now answers questions about ‘what we call God’. Judging by what the Geeta says, it would seem that there is no need to search for ‘God’ because ‘this God’ is everywhere and wherever one looks one can find ‘that thing’ or God. On this background, if man is to care for each other and ‘take care’ in general or not care at all, God will be a witness in any event and according to the Geeta, a mute witness.

In order to understand the first two verses in this chapter, the reader will have to read Chapter 36 on ‘yadnya’. To put it briefly, this whole cosmos is a ‘yadnya’, that karma or the cause and effect cascade8 that occurs in this world is a product of this cosmic9 yadnya10, and when man makes token sacrifices to a ritual fire, he is reminding himself that he is but a part of this whole thing, the cosmic yadnya. The word sacrifice is from the word sacred. Here is how the verses go.

Brahma11 is being equated with Shrikrishna and this is what Shrikrishna says Once realization dawns You will know That the ‘Ved’* is me And the individual karma Is nothing but me And this karma That prompts the yadnya Is me …1219 * The word ‘Ved’ stands for the original Indian religious philosophical thoughts passed from generation to generation in the oral tradition. The word ‘Ved’ comes from the Sanskrit root ‘vid’ to mean ‘to know’. The earlier part of the ‘Ved’ is touched by tradition and ritual. The later part of the ‘Ved’ is purely philosophical and has a holistic12 character where the cosmos, karma, man, beast, tree, stone and earth are discussed as a part of the whole under one umbrella, and their inter-relatedness is discussed beautifully and in verse at some length. The Geeta herself is considered a compendium of several Upanishads13, the later Vedic literature.

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What you offer to Gods Or to your ancestors As a sacrifice These products of nature The rituals proper And the hymns14 that you utter And the oblations15 that you offer Are all me …1220 The one who lights the fire Or the fire itself And all that is put in the fire All three are me …1221 That thing because of which Nature springs So rich And the idol, the man, and the woman Are parts of which Is me And the woman Is called mother by man That is how it is …1222 This world Where it lives, grows, and dies And the idea That all this From me and my nature arise And the mind Where the idea is Is also me …1223 Where by different routes All perceptions meet And where what is Vedic16 proper Is arranged proper and neat Where all arguments merge And differences retreat And all is brought together

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Even that, which is offbeat Where the word Aum17 With its syllables A, U and M In deep resonance sings And the chronology18 With which the Vedic words spring All this and everything is me …1224 Nature which includes That which seems not to live And also all that lives And when she tires Where she is to reach To rest and again to live All that is me …1225 That nature Should create and savour Her own bounty so rich Is because of me I am her consort19 And the king of all there is …1226 That space will be present In every place And that the wind must move From place to place Is on account of me …1227 That the fire must burn The seas will churn Mountains will not move or turn And the earth must bear All their brunt …1228 That the clouds will pour But however they pour The seas will not Cross their shores All this happens because of me …1229

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I make the ‘Ved’ talk I push and the sun walks Life comes alive Because of me …1230 And when the time arrives All is swallowed by me And time itself Is only a part of me And when comes the end That there is no sky or space to see Is all because of me …1231 Notice that there is no space in the original singularity or into which the universe will lapse.

It is from water That waves are formed All that is With a name or form Is based on me …1232 I am the only one But by way of nature’s trick The world breathes and turns I become everyone Like in the sea, pond or puddle The sun shines On and in everyone …1233 On me does nature stand And it’s me in whom Nature springs and disbands20 …1234 It is the seed That bears the tree And in the seed The tree resides That is how Everything breeds And when everything recedes

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They come to peace In me …1235 When name, form, race and man The variety that they span And the space itself Is gone And then from where Nature again grows and fans21 That place and support I am …1236 As the sun I dry this world As the king of clouds I wet this world When fire devours wood Wood becomes fire itself Those who kill And those who are killed Are me and myself All this only I can Whatever dies I am And whatever lives I am …1237 What is more Truth and falsehood Both I am …1238 There is nothing That I am not But luckless this man Sees me not …1239 Can waves of water go dry Or the sun’s rays need a lamp When in water

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To search for a tank Searching in vain For himself this man …1240 The last three metaphors indicate the futility and the foolishness of searching for God elsewhere. God says or rather ‘that thing’ or ‘Brahma 22’ indicates from the mouth of Shrikrishna that it is everywhere. No one need go on a journey to search for it.

This section of the verses ends with a simile in which a man even with the wings of an eagle is shown unable to fly because he is blind.

This man is blind to the truth and even if he is to fly high without the eyes of the eagle, seeing is going to be impossible. In another simile, a blind man is portrayed as running for a morsel of food and on the way kicks at the proverbial gem called ‘Chintamani’ (‘chint’ – to think, ‘mani’ – gem, whatever he thinks and wishes, the gem will provide) which can offer him the world on a platter. The Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari are to take up the matter of heaven and hell, rituals and rites in the verses that follow in the next chapter.

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abject – miserable dogma – a principle non-theistic – thinking without taking God as a principle doctrine – a principle of religious or political belief metaphysical – visionary, based on abstract reason temper – state or frame of mind byte – in modern usage, a piece of information cascade – a succession of stages in a process, each of which triggers or initiates the next cosmos – universe in a certain order yadnya – a ritual sacrificial fire Brahma – the original singularity, the word is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Brih’ = to spread holistic – a theory where the whole is greater than its parts Upanishads – the last and the most evolved part of the Indian Vedic philosophical system, conversational in nature. The word literally means ‘sit here by my side’ (to interact) hymn – song of praise to God or other exalted beings oblation – thing offered to divine beings Vedic – related to the Vedas. Indian philosophical and religious literature Aum – sound of the universe. Please see Chapter 1, 16 chronology – arrangement of events in a certain order consort – a wife, husband or companion disband – disperse, cease to work together fan – spread Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the universe evolved

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Dnyaneshwari Verses 307–535 Geeta Chapter 9

Chapter 71

The Sinner and the Saint Heaven and hell

What is sin, that is the question. Is taking life a sin? But then the next question that arises is how was life taken? By premeditated murder or in a fit of uncontrolled passion? What about death in a traffic accident or by a negligent act of a surgeon? And lastly, what about the hangman who puts people to the gallows1 by an act ordained by the state? Even more complicated are the ethical2 questions concerning suicide and euthanasia3. And what about a just war (?!) and the deaths that follow? In political parlance4, yesterday’s traitor becomes tomorrow’s revolutionary. And on similar lines it is often said, sometimes with sarcasm5, ‘Yesterday’s sinner is tomorrow’s saint’. On this background, to distribute places in heaven or hell presents difficulties. It is for this reason that by common consent these placements are left to god. But the desire for rewards and a tendency to punish (in fact to take revenge) are so rooted in the human mind that the descriptions of heaven and hell are usually the prerogatives6 of man’s imagination. Since man started digging under the earth and started taking trips into deep space, the location of these two destinations, hell and heaven, have become a source of some anxiety and their mystery has deepened further.

Science is an unforgiving discipline. By showing how barren the moon is, science has inadvertently taken the wind out of the sails of poets as well. In a manner of speaking, science itself is barren and has crept like a desert on to what was once romantic wooded country.

The description of hell as a perpetual sauna7 infested with crawling creatures on the one hand and that of heaven as a state in which satisfaction is available on all fronts – physical, moral, mental and spiritual – is common to all religions in one way or another. Problems with heaven arise because it is often called paradise, for example, in the New Testament8, and such linguistic transfiguration9 is common to all religions. And because (in Persian) paradise means a nobleman’s park or a garden, the description of heaven is littered

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with tall shady trees, bubbling springs or majestic waterfalls, equitable temperatures, horses and servants, courtesans10 and virgins, and melodious music in marbled mansions. And how did courtesans and virgins get there in the first place? Is there a female heaven as well where hulks11 help? To aspire for spiritual bliss12 in such circumstances and to get it is ‘to have your cake and to eat it as well’. On the other hand, most religious texts through their preamble13, body, and even more importantly, at the end draw attention to the pitfalls or dangers of hankering14 after material pleasures so that spiritual liberation is not hindered. The spirit, after all, is pure and pristine15 while matter is pockmarked16. The question therefore arises whether hankering after heaven hastens descent into hell. Are good deeds and decent behaviour ladders to heaven? Is each good act a coin and would many such coins create a financial clout17 to allow you to claim heaven and would the duration of this residence in heaven be proportional to what is on offer? Or rather when good acts are done naturally and with a certain conviction, they create an inner mental environment which gives a sense of satisfaction and peace which is different from the pleasure of eating or drinking, wearing of soft silks or having sex or the power of wealth. Do good deeds need public exposure? Does a charitable act demand carving one’s name in stone? And do good acts need a formal religious consecration18 occasioned by a feast, which includes an officially ordained19 and certified alcoholic beverage20? Indeed, even the puritanical21 Hindu yadnya was accompanied by the consumption of Somrasa (a spirit made out of a plant called Som, rasa=a liquid). The reader probably can guess where all this is leading to. Therefore the final question is, can an equitable temperament and virtuous behaviour render a state of mind which is utterly satisfying and does not need the intervention of a priest or prophet or His avatar or His son or God Himself? Utter blasphemy22 this! But read on. Dnyaneshwar’s verses based on the Geeta appear to say something on similar lines.

Those who do rituals and rites23 And ceremonial duty and deeds And on this occasion drink and feed Succeed But this way Only the old scriptures24 are pleased Because it is heaven that they seek And want a certain sainthood to reach

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In effect they are sowing A sinful seed …1241 Shrikrishna symbolizing the Brahma25, then adds That all this is not done for me But for heaven, whatever that be Those who are in the know Correctly think That this is an obstacle To the real release …1242 Because, he says, If hell is nothing but pain And conversely Heaven is a pleasurable gain It is wrong to assume That heaven Takes after my name …1243 26

The real unsullied joy Of clean detached dispassionate living Is my real form and name And in fact the ideas in the human mind Of heaven and hell Are the real obstacle and a bane27 …1244 Says Shrikrishna, When I am present in each and every kind And in each saintly act or sin It will neither help nor hinder The simple joyous acts With which ‘Me’ man can find …1245 And he further warns These ideas of heaven and hell Will wither28 the tongues of those Who thus speak …1246

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Shrikrishna then describes heaven as it is idealized29 by man Here deathlessness is the throne In the immortal city with its capital dome The royal elephant to mount and roam And in this city man has honed30 Magical qualities …1247 This city is dotted by gardens In which wish trees are tall and grown And god serves man on his own …1248 Here in this city God’s musicians sing And divine courtesans enchant and swing And in your bedroom God Eros himself Is at your beck and ring Your servant and spy Is the speedy wind Moon’s rays Are spread gentle and thin And Brahmins and angels Share your food and drink …1249 But there is a catch in all this. This material form of heaven, like all material things, has come at a certain price and on a lease but this lease is not in perpetuum31. The lease is proportionate to the price you have paid and this price being materialistic, has limits.

Therefore Heaven you might have got But it is lost When you exhaust Your price Paid for by your tainted deeds Tainted32 because They were done with certain needs Like a whore33 Who shows you the door When you can pay her no more You are driven from the doors

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Of heaven And you must return to earth For whatever it is worth And death follows this birth In due course …1250 This heaven is like wealth In your dreams But when the dream fades And you are awake You get wise And realize That there was to begin with No wealth …1251 Not to realize My real worth Is to search in the chaff 34 For grain And these old ritualistic scriptures Therefore are not a boon But a bane …1252 All scriptures Which fail To recognize the real me Are not worth their name …1253 Those who sell Their whole to me Like a baby in the womb For whom the mother and her womb Is all that is And those who think That only I am all In the whole there is And those whose living Is named and identified with me For them It is I who on my own Serve them

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Because responsible I become For them And I do all for them Like a mother bird does For its baby Just out of the egg …1254 Only the mother knows When her child is hungry or thirsty And it is I Who knows the purpose, intent, and acts of man Whether he cares for me Or for heaven or its likes A man whose every little thing Is done under my care His caring Is done by me …1255 Everything else Is a cult35 or a congregation36 They realize their aspirations Via an unnecessary diversion Because everything reaches me …1256 Is not a tree From a seed?

Leaves, roots and branches as well Are from the seed But water has to be put Near the roots of the tree …1257 Each sense37 Has its place But all senses Only to one place reach And to that place It must reach …1258 You cannot feed the ear Hear through the skin Smell through the mouth

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Touch by your nose And it is only by eyes That you can see …1259 To realize what is me Is crucial …1260 To pray To think And do all kinds of rites And to forget me Is sure to be wasted for thee This realization in thee Will help me embrace thee …1261 What else is this ritual But me?

To Whom Will the sacrifice go But to me?

The start, the middle and the end Of this ceremonial yadnya38 Is me …1262 How and why Should different Gods Enter your mind and thoughts …1263 The holy Ganga To whom when you pray The water that you drew And the water that you gave Only the Ganga received …1264 Everything reaches me But those who forget me How can they know That they get to me …1265 In a reappraisal39 of the older religious practices, Shrikrishna broaches40 the subject of the worship of ancestors, witches, ghouls41

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and ghosts as well as a multitude of idols and gods. He then reiterates the idea of Brahma, ‘that thing’ from which everything comes and into which everything lapses when matter dissolves and becomes one with that indescribable singularity42.

Those who see only me With their eyes And hear only me With their ears And in whose minds Only I exist And who speak only about me And those who bow Only before me And whose pious acts Are done for and given to me Come to me …1266 All that they study Is about me And they are filled by me Within and without And feel That the very life they have Is by me For me And about me And the only pride they have Is the fact That it is me That they remember And it is me About which* they speak And their only desire is me And they have gone insane With love for me …1267 *Note that the word ‘which’ has been used purposely instead of the word ‘whom’, to reiterate that though Shrikrishna speaks it is about ‘that thing’ or ‘Brahma’ that he is speaking.

If before they die They are with me

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When death comes Where can they go Except to me …1268 When whatever is to be given Is given by them to me They go the way I go To a final decisive release …1269 Their life itself Is given to me Nothing else Moves me …1270 Those who boast That they have found me Are never with me Those who speak Of their abilities Are in fact disabled From reaching for me …1271 And lastly, Those who feel fulfilled By what they do for me Are in fact Nothing to me …1272 Also those who swear And shout By ritual, charity and penance43 Must be told That these hold No promise of me And to me they are worthless As a blade of grass is …1273 The old Vedic44 scriptures speak With different tongues Remember the mythical ten-headed snake* With equal number of heads

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And tongues Even that reptile Hides under me So that on him I can sit astride …1274 * Shesh, the cobra is Vishnu’s seat of whom Shrikrishna is an incarnation, here symbolized as Brahma

Who is more penitent45 And full of penance Than Mahadeo* But he too carries The Ganga on his head But that very Ganga Washes my feet …1275 * Mahadeo is an older, more rustic, rough-hewn46 god in the Indian pantheon47, also called Shankar. The snake that Vishnu sits on, adorned Mahadeo’s head (hinting at Shrikrishna’s ascendancy).

And Laxmi** the goddess of wealth Is my wife And with devotion She serves me …1276 ** Vishnu’s consort. Vishnu is a later, more urbane48 sophisticated49 god of whom Shrikrishna is an avatar. Laxmi, the goddess of wealth signals a certain economic development, modernity and progress. Mahadeo’s wife is a temperamental daughter of the hills and forests.

I give these examples To stress and assert That all the greatness that you imagine Is in you Will not work with me …1277 You must become small And humble Before everything that is And only then Can you get near me …1278

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Even the moon disappears In the thousands of rays of the sun Can the firefly shine When the sun shines …1279 It is best That you subsume50 And submit Your body and strength Your assets Your qualities To me Brahma, that thing …1280 When love and realization About me springs You can offer Me anything …1281 A fruit of any kind With its stalk intact Uncut and of any size You can give I will extend my arms Hold the fruit And eat Because it is given With love by thee …1282 If not a flower I will accept even a leaf Even if dry, Put it in my mouth I will And with affection eat …1283 And lastly Even a drop of water That you offer

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Because it is so full Of faith and love I will keep …1284 Huge magnificent temples Pearls and diamonds Incense, sandalwood, scented milk Mean nothing to me I must be in the temple Of your mind …1285 All your cognition51 Must revolve around me Small and big Rich and poor I do not care Nor mind …1286 Whatever you do Whatever you think, write or speak Whatever charity you offer And anything that comes by your nature Always know And be aware of me And never ever imagine That it is you That does this, that and the other In each act You must not see yourself But me …1287 Remember a seed Consigned to fire Can never be mired52 Nor sire53 anything …1288 All your acts Consign54 to me Then these acts Vanish

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And their effects Need not be suffered Nor relished …1289 An act That is thus gone Cannot again be born And what is not born Is forever shorn Of pleasure and gain Or misfortune and pain …1290 And when pleasure and pain are gone There is no need For a body to be And neither birth nor death Can happen to thee …1291 You may ask What I am I am equal and same In all there is …1292 And this when you realize You will be equal and same To all there is And thus free yourself From your body as it is And become one with me …1293 A huge banyan tree Is printed on its seed And the seed Is also within the tree Such then is thee and me Distinct for the eyes to see But in fact one That is how it is …1294 A woman wearing borrowed ornaments Cannot be proud or involved

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In them She wears them all the same For her in them There is neither any gain Nor a sense of shame …1295 Such then is this man Who is steeped55 in me And wears his body naturally For him All and everything is same And the body remains Till there is life Like a flower Though all its fragrance Is carried away by the breeze The flower till it withers On its stalk it stays And in peace remains …1296 In this manner When he is dedicated To the idea that is me Whatever he be Low or high From death and birth and death He is forever freed …1297 He might have sinned In the past In that He did not understand What is ‘that’ But that does not Have him debarred If in the end He has me And the idea that I am In his heart After all What you think

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At death You get next That is a fact That you cannot forget …1298 A man pulled out From a flood And brought to shore Is not anymore in the flood Now that he is on the shore From there He goes forth …1299 It matters not His past or his family His talents His education His charitable nature Or penance Once he has me In his heart And his worldly duty he does And later With it he parts Has it packed And packs it And makes it As if it is Of me a part He becomes free That in short is what …1300 This is not a question Of when and where Wherever he is And whatever time Once he merges in the idea That I am He is me …1301

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Like one lamp Lights another lamp He becomes me In whatever form I am And gets his peace …1302 To be insolent56 About wealth or beauty Youth or family roots Without a thought for me Is of no use …1303 Bitter fruit Of a neem tree Flowers in bloom On a sterile tree A sad man meets another In a forest Or on the banks Of a dry lake Without any relief Or a body with limbs intact But life from the cadaver57 Has gone This is the life of a stone Or delicious food thrown To the dogs …1304 A man might be born In the lowest or the meanest Caste or clan But he can Even though a fool Without any sense or élan58 Get me If he thinks, speaks and hears About me And weighs As much as

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Any other man In my mind …1305 Even demons Have bowed before me And surpassed Gods …1306 A copper coin Is mightier than silver and gold When stamped With the king’s face As the icon59 …1307 A stream is distinct But becomes extinct In the Ganga Teakwood or sandalwood Are nothing but wood And not even that When the fire takes them Under its hood …1308 Woman or man Of whatever caste or clan Are apart Till they become A part of me Grains of salt Are not grains But only salt Once they fall In the sea And its salt …1309 Rivers may flow east or west But in the sea They come to rest …1310

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Due to fear or for a favour Because they are near or dear Because of passion or fervour60 One way or another By way of love Faith and passion Or aversion61 All have to come to me And in the end do come to me It is best That in one way Or another In their hearts I rest ‌1311 When the ship of your life Is full of leaks How can you Sit still or sleep Or when arrows rain To sit bare Is foolish and vain When you are being stoned You must shield yourself some When a fire burns all around A way out Will have to be found And careless you cannot be About potions62 and pills If you are sick and ill Surrounded by this treacherous63 world How can they forget my word How can they be careless And insolent

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On the strength of their wealth Or their pleasured sensorium64?

Or their beauty, education And their so-called benevolence65 Are they sure of its permanence?

Is their body and mind permanent? …1312 They are waiting To fall into The valley of death And oblivion66 …1313 In this life The last station A bazaar of temptation Of pleasure and pain Cannot become the route to salvation Without me …1314 Can a flame Be kindled out of ash Or a potion of poisonous roots Help a life to last …1315 This passion and insolence Out of the sensorium Is like lying on a bed Of burning coal and embers And then to desire For sleep and slumber …1316 Here in this world Half its life The moon has phthises67 And the sun must set After its rise Sorrow masquerades68 as pleasure And a foetus69 must suffer Cloistered70 rigours71 And must await death

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Even at a distant date And in fact Death is an envelope In everyone’s fate …1317 The chapter in this book is abruptly ended here because Dnyaneshwar has not only spoken at length but has in a manner of speaking laboured a very important point. The reader is left to reflect on what has been said. The ninth chapter ends here and in a way the Geeta will change its course once again till her eighteenth chapter which is not only her summary but also her pinnacle72 and the end.

The tenth chapter, which is next, summarizes the subject so far.

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gallows – structure used for hanging ethical – about morals in human conduct euthanasia – to bring about easy death in a case of incurable, painful disease parlance – a way or manner of speaking sarcasm – a truant, a bitter or a wounding remark prerogative – right or privilege exclusive to an individual or class sauna – a steam bath New Testament – an important religious text of the Christian religion transfiguration – a change into something more beautiful or spiritual courtesan – mistress, especially of a wealthy man hulk – a large male person (with a sexual appeal) in recent American English bliss – utter joy, a state of blessedness preamble – an introduction; a preliminary statement hanker – want, crave pristine – spotless, in its original condition pockmarked – as in marked by scars or marks, to convey ugliness or disfigurement clout – influential, power for effective action consecration – from consecrate=make or declare sacred ordain – to order officially by legal authority (here as by a religious body) beverage – a drink puritanical – practising strict religious or moral behaviour blasphemy – irreligious, sinful rite – a religious or solemn observance or act scriptures – sacred writing Brahma – from the root Brih=to spread. The singularity from which the universe spread unsullied – unspoilt bane – a cause of great distress or annoyance wither – to become dry or shrivelled idealize – regard a thing or person as an ideal form hone – sharpen perpetuum – eternal, lasting forever tainted – having a trace of a bad or undesirable quality

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar whore – a prostitute chaff – husk of corn or other seeds (a waste product) cult – a system of religious worship congregation – a gathering or collection of people (especially for religious purposes) sense – a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus (like smell) yadnya – a ritual sacred fire with a ceremony, a Hindu tradition (See Chapter 33) reappraisal – from reappraise = appraise again or differently broach – raise for discussion ghoul – an evil spirit or phantom singularity – the scientific term for ‘that thing’ from which the universe evolved penance – act of punishment to self Vedic – from ved, the ancient Indian philosophical and religious literature penitent – (a person) repenting his sins and doing a penance (usually under direction) hewn – chop or cut into shape pantheon – the deities (idols) of people urbane – elegant and refined in manner sophisticated – educated and refined subsume – include or absorb in something else cognition – the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge through thought, experience and the senses mired – stuck in a bog or mud sire – be the male parent of consign – give or deliver to someone’s custody steeped – immersed insolent – arrogant, insulting cadaver – a dead body élan – dash, verve icon – an image fervour – zeal, passion aversion – a strong dislike potion – a liquid medicine, drug or poison treacherous –intending or intended to betray somebody, dangerous, especially when seeming to be safe sensorium – the whole sensory apparatus benevolence – charity oblivion – a state of being forgotten phthises – tuberculosis masquerade – appear in disguise foetus – a baby in the womb cloistered – enclosed, secluded rigours – harsh conditions pinnacle – climax, peak

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The Subject So Far Introduction to Chapter 10

It has to be admitted that the verses narrating the substance of the Geeta, towards the end of her ninth chapter are a little too far in excess of what even Dnyaneshwar is prone to do.* But then as mentioned in Chapter 64 (‘Dnyaneshwar as Dnyaneshwar’), the ninth chapter of the Geeta was Dnyaneshwar’s favourite chapter and he, according to legend, is supposed to have read it as he took his samadhi** in a crypt in the town of Alandi. The town, not far from Pune (formerly Poona) in the state of Maharashtra, is now a centre for pilgrims. The reason for Dnyaneshwar’s so-called excess is well known amongst his followers. He believed that the ninth chapter is the distillate1 of the monistic2 doctrine of the Upanishads. This doctrine is not theistic in the sense with which the word is normally used (as in ‘connected to god or to a personal god’).

Basically, this monistic doctrine believes that the world came out of a singularity, that this singularity is indescribable (see Chapter 2), that it is called Brahma from the Sanskrit root Brih as in to grow or spread, that it indeed did spread and thus changed or transformed partly into matter and eventually, this spread will come to a halt and matter and the rest of the cosmsos will fold back into this singularity or Brahma. All this occurs as a natural process, not by a supracosmic design. It can also be deduced from the Geeta (which is a collation3 of several Upanishadic4 streams) that the singularity was mainly spirit or to use a simpler term ‘energy’. As the energy spread, part of it coalesced5 by its own nature to form matter. This is not to * In fact the author has translated only three-fourths of the total verses. Those which are omitted are too ethnic and too steeped6 in Indian myths, lore7, tradition and the culture of Dnyaneshwar’s time for even a modern Indian to make sense of. ** Samadhi – The act of sublimating one’s temporal life with the help of a technique in which life ebbs out to merge into Brahma by way of intense concentration with a slow cardiorespiratory cessation in a state of bliss.

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say that energy was replaced by matter but to say that energy now appeared or masqueraded 8 as matter. This appearance or masquerade is ‘maya9’ or ‘magic’ or an illusion to the ordinary eye.

For that matter(!) the eye itself is a product of this maya. The matter that we see is not false; it is also a reality but not the total reality.

Because our experiences are based on the sense organs which themselves are formed out of matter, they, true to their genre10 are partial to matter. No doubt our experiences are a revelation but this revelation is really a veil which shields the whole truth that matter is a transient form of energy. Energy is forever, matter is a happenstance11. Energy is everywhere, matter is only here and there.

Energy is pristine12, matter pockmarked. Energy flows, matter to all appearances stops, decelerates, is ponderous or in the classical Sanskrit description ‘jad’ or ‘laden’ (notice the similarity in these two words). But that too is an appearance. Inside this ‘laden’ appearance there is a buzz of energy without which matter could not have formed.

The fluid motion of a cover drive executed with a bat in cricket is as much a thought (energy) as a shot (matter). The body and the bat are the laden incidental things. In totality the thought and the shot are the energy of a trillion trillion transformations of particles and waves (matter and energy) in an equal number of atoms. The transistor through which we hear about this game of cricket is a semiconductor. But a semiconductor of what? Energy. And why is it a semiconductor? Because a hole has been punched out in the mosaic13 of a certain matter so that energy that flows through it can be manipulated step by step to our advantage. Otherwise the energy would have flown away. Energy is what Shrikrishna has been telling Arjun about throughout the ninth chapter. The reader must pardon him for the constant use of the first person singular ‘I’ to denote Brahma, spirit or energy. In fact Shrikrishna is perhaps not responsible for this egoistic14 trespass15. The editors who compiled the Geeta in the centuries after Shrikrishna, in their wisdom, might have thought that this form of address in the first person singular is convenient. Editors have their own compulsions.

There is perhaps another angle as to why such a forceful reiteration of a personal nature was needed. Alongside the non-theistic16 (Vedantic 17 ) Upanishadic monism* there existed another philosophical stream, that of Sankhya (from a Sanskrit word meaning numbers) which posited the creative ability of matter (nature, Prakruti, female) as the effective substantive basis for this world.

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Energy (or Purusha, Sanskrit word for man) was considered an impregnating agent which lets loose this creativity. The system therefore had a dual basis. Its reasoning was determined by a fixation born out of the ever-visible matter and the ever-present reproductive urges of men and women. The world of physics is aloof and in a manner of speaking, more discerning18 of mere appearances of the material world. The Upanishads were to intuitively see through matter centuries ago and physics is now saying the same thing today with a ragbag of evidence. The famed Swedish academy must consider a token, out of turn, collective posthumous19 Nobel for the Upanishadic20 seers. * Monism – a philosophical theory which assumes only one fundamental basis for everything.

This mention of a prize is not incidental but an inadvertent admission of a tendency in man of being parochial21 and being in pursuit of some form of gratification. That then is the story of man and the theme of Mahabharata (see Chapter 19), the great Indian epic in which the Geeta is narrated to a man whose ideas up to a point are logical but are perverse22 when the depth is sounded. This man wants to base his acts on a promise of what he imagines are his ideas of gratification. In fact, he is told that his ideas about ‘acts and gratifications’ are wrong. That is how the Geeta begins with the first chapter till she comes halfway and states unequivocally that energy is what constitutes everything and it is unfathomable23, ubiquitous24 and timeless.

Dnyaneshwar uses the introduction to Chapter 10 to summarize what has been narrated so far, up to the ninth chapter. Here are his verses The first described Arjun’s emotional plight Then dispassionate work Was put within his sight Later was explained The nature of things Beyond birth and death Sound, smell and sight In the third chapter was explained Karma, duty and their might In the fourth Karma was explained

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With knowledge and insight And in the fifth was shown The practice of karma With yogic25 delight The sixth was used To reveal the meditational beatific26 flight Also discussed was afterlife Then in the seventh were shown Devotees of different types In the eighth seven questions Were answered and set right Then came the ninth …1318 The hundred thousand verses Of sage Vyas* Explained Vedic scriptures vast In seven hundred verses of the Geeta Shrikrishna’s thoughts Are encompassed And of her chapters, the ninth Is the essence And is in its own class …1319 * See Chapter 20

There are a total of 60 verses as an introduction to Chapter 10. A good majority of them are too Sanskritized and far too convoluted to be meaningfully translated into English. Several of them draw on characters from the ancient Indian epics. One of them, for example, says How does one Describe the battle Between Ram and Ravan Except to say That the battle Was like between Ram and Ravan …1320 The verse is used to indicate that the ninth chapter of the Geeta can only be described by its own ‘gold standard’.

Dnyaneshwar also makes a reference to the sentiments* of poetic compositions which in the Sanskrit tradition are eight in number.

The sentiments are tenderness, rage or wrath, eroticism 27 ,

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repulsiveness, heroism, mirth, fear, and the sentiment of marvel.

As he sets about to speak on the substance of the tenth chapter, he announces the ninth sentiment Even the erotic sentiment Will lie low before this sentiment This sentiment Of peace and bliss28 …1321 * called Ras in Sanskrit literature

Thanks to Dnyaneshwar it is now accepted that if not in Sanskrit, at least in the Marathi language a new sentiment called ‘bliss’ which overwhelms even the most popular romantic or erotic mood or sentiment, is well established. The mood of this sentiment is sublime29 and it is supposed to transcend the everyday mortal life.

It is in this connection that he further says with reference to the Marathi language I will so dress The bewitching30 body One will not know What complements which The body the dress Or the dress the body …1322 Dnyaneshwar is referring to his commentary in Marathi on the Geeta which is in Sanskrit. The latter is the bewitching body, his commentary the ornament, originally intended to embellish31 the Geeta. But the ornament itself is so captivating that one cannot make out what is ornamenting what. In the same vein he adds My critique32 will be So fine and apt That it will appear Like the original fact …1323 At the beginning of this section Dnyaneshwar has already paid his respects to the Guru and God because of whom he is able to do what he has set about to do.

For example, The bright sun Of this dark world of death

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The acquisitor33 of the transcendental34 state Limitless and of the greatest strength …1324 But most of these first 60 verses are either devotional or consist of some exceptionally sweet chatter between Shrikrishna and Arjun and have not been translated for reasons given earlier. The tenth chapter is about the myriad35 manifestations36 of the Brahma37. This is how Shrikrishna describes his Brahmic abode in the introduction Where the world is A dream of some kind Where crippled is the wind And also the mind The scriptures are dumb and blind And even though It is not yet night The sun and moon Are set And them you will not find …1325 Notice it is said that the world is a dream. The two most mercurial things in the world, the wind and the mind, are crippled. The scriptures, which say things about everything, are dumb (the word blind is also used here for the rhyme but does not spoil the sense of the verse). And lastly, the element of time, day and night, and sunrise and sunset are not existent in the Brahma, or ‘that thing’.

To carry the theme forward A baby in the womb Unaware of the mother’s age My extent and age Even Gods cannot gauge …1326 How can a fish know How wide is the sea A gnat38 cannot climb the sky So tiny is its reach Even sages and scholars Are simply outreached …1327

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Who I am How big I am Of whom I am And when was I born Are questions that have defied So many for so long …1328 Gods and sages And all the rest Are born out of me That is the reason For the mystery of me …1329 If a stream down the hill Can ride up the top And the roots of a tree Were to be touched by the top …1330 If a wave in the water Was to swallow the sea If an atom was to surround The earth that you see Then the sages and thee Will know about me …1331 Impossible conditions have been set to know about Brahma. But the manifestations of Brahma are on view next and man, the most evolved creature on this earth is the centre of the show, not only for his physical abilities but also for his intellect, reason and mind.

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distillate – essence monistic – any theory denying the duality of matter and mind collation – collection Upanishadic – a part of Vedant. A dialogical philosophical system, up=near, nishad=sit, denoting a pair in discussion 5. coalesce – combine, come together 6. steeped – submerged 7. lore – tradition of a particular group 8. masquerade – appear in disguise 9. maya – a trick, also the creative potential of Brahma 10. genre – a kind of style especially of art or literature 11. happenstance – a thing that happens by chance

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar pristine – in its original condition, unspoilt mosaic – a diversified thing egoistic – self-centred trespass – unlawful intrusion non-theistic – not believing in god Vedantic – Vedantic – from Ved + ant. Ved = old Indian philosophical and religious material, from the root vid, to know. Ant=end, to denote the last of this literature discern – perceive clearly with the mind or the senses posthumous – after death Upanishad – concluding portions of the Vedic literature parochial – narrow, sectarian perverse – against the weight of evidence, wayward unfathomable – incomprehensible ubiquitous – present everywhere Yog – a technique to harness body, mind and soul beatific – related to a feeling of blessedness eroticism – the use or response to sexual images bliss – utter joy sublime – pure, highly refined bewitch – cast a spell, delight greatly embellish – beautify critique – critical essay or analysis acquisitor – one who acquires transcendental – excelling, surpassing myriad – in great numbers manifestation – apparent, clear, visible Brahma – ‘that thing’ from which the universe evolved gnat – a small two-winged fly

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Chapter 73

Vibhooti/An Extraordinary Occurrence

It is easy to say that the world is nothing but spirit or energy, or that this cosmos1 is a stage, mostly empty and only occasionally dotted by matter. Further, the physicists say that the visible matter and its gravitational force is so small that by now matter should have been dispersed or hurled into the beyond after the initial big bang2 but for a thing called antimatter3, something that we don’t see but which keeps things together by a certain pull or its own gravitational force.

But to say that man should look beyond what he perceives, feels, touches, hears, sees or tastes, or further that he should control his impulses, passions and desires, that he should be discerning4 and discreet5, prudent6 and patient when dealing with matter, is like asking a zebra to change his stripes. Man is not an oyster bound by his shell with a limited sensorium7 and an even more limited external environment. It is in his fate to be perceptive and intelligent both, and therefore he has a somewhat unlimited scope to marvel, observe and explore. He is aware of the ferocity of a tiger or a crocodile, the majesty of an elephant, the grace of a deer, the meow of a cat, the loyalty of a dog, the gallop of a horse, and the sweep of an eagle and its almost telescopic vision. He preserves his corpses8 for posterity9 and builds pyramids on them; he builds and sculpts, paints, sings and makes music with instruments which he makes himself. To him what matters is matter, not the invisible antimatter of the physicists. He respects philosophers, seers10, visionaries, scientists, poets, musicians, artistes, sportsmen, but only for a while. The majority amongst us must drown ourselves in the humdrum of existence except occasionally to peep above the water to be fascinated by the extraordinary.

The story of Shrikrishna’s birth in which several of his earlier siblings11 born to his parents in a jail are killed for fear that they may be that child called Shrikrishna, is not very different from the story of Jesus’ birth in which too a search is launched for children born

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around that time. Notice the similarity between the names ‘Krishna’ and ‘Christ’. The stories of their birth and their escape from tyrants and later their miraculous exploits are the stuff of human imagination and aspirations. Man, by instinct, is not only fascinated by the extraordinary but also waits to be saved by the extraordinary. Fairy tales are not for children alone. Man, in his wonderment and ignorance (what else can be expected of such a tiny thing compared to this enormous cosmos), remains a child to his death. He too clings to fairy tales till his end, a habit that he acquired in his childhood.

And the heroes and the heroines of these fairy tales are made of matter but have the properties to use, manipulate, and exhibit their inherent energy in an extraordinary manner. The Latin chimera12, a conglomerate13 of the best in the animal world, or the Ganesha of India with an elephant’s head (an animal considered to have a memory, please see Chapter 3) or the monkey god with its agility and also its proximity to man in the evolutionary cycle, are examples of what man imagines and wants in the form of stories.

The tenth chapter of the Geeta addresses this human tendency.

True, the Geeta so far has not delved into this aspect of the human nature but she could not possibly have neglected this altogether.

It is one thing to unveil a majestic and searching philosophy, another to make man swallow it. As mentioned earlier, the Geeta is inclusive and syncrestic14. She is not a new beginning with the past blotted out. The Geeta is a continuum. She announces in her colophon15 that she is an Upanishad and therefore is attached to her past. All that she will do is to collect the existing thought and put it forth with a new stress. If mythology and history have played a part in the philosophical literature in the past, they will figure in her content as well, albeit with a new interpretation. Plato (427 BC–347 BC) builds on Socrates (469 BC–399 BC) and Aristotle (384 BC–322 BC) on Plato.

If the Upanishadic16 theory of energy or spirit as the ubiquitous17 fundamental basis of all that there ‘is, was, and will be’ is to be propagated, and there are difficulties in this propagation, then a method must be found to go as near as possible to this theory by a story. To quote Ananda Coomaraswamy from Tao of Physics by Fritzof Capra (Flamingo edition, Fontana paperbacks, 1983), a myth embodies18 the nearest approach to the absolute truth that can be stated in words. Upanishadic 19 wisdom or Wittgenstein (philosopher, 1889–1951) might be ideal for philosophers but they

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don’t serve the purpose of ordinary men drowned in the humdrum of a routine existence or the hurly-burly of an occasional war. Arjun, the protagonist20 in our tale, has tasted both, and is on the verge of being toppled by an impending war. He has so far been told philosophy couched21 in practical terms but he is asking for more.

The child in him wants to marvel, and fantasize and needs to be aroused by a sense of fascination and wonder. The stage is therefore set to tell him about vibhootis, a plural of the word vibhooti, from the Sanskrit root ‘bhav’ to mean to happen, ‘bhoot’ meaning a happening (mostly material or psychological happening as in a creature) and the prefix ‘vi’ to mean special, extraordinary or unusual. The full word ‘vibhooti’ is of feminine gender and means an ‘exceptional or extraordinary happening’.

There is however a catch to the design of this scheme. The Geeta or Shrikrishna or the editors of the Geeta do not want Arjun to descend too deeply into the trenches22 of myths, or lore23, and the vibhootis portrayed therein. It is true that there are historical figures in the list of vibhootis, as also animals and planets and stars and seers.

But Arjun must also be reminded that the theme of the Geeta is Brahma 24, that thing, the ubiquitous25 energy, and its human representative, the soul or the Atma. In fact, in the narration, Shrikrishna for the first time admits both modestly and proudly that he too is a vibhooti. Modestly, because he is just one of the many vibhootis and proudly, because he is amongst the few who happen to become a vibhooti as compared to the million million other creatures and things which are but ordinary. The point that the Brahma is supreme is a theme which must never be lost sight of. In the arrangement of the Geeta, in her tenth chapter therefore, there is an almost equal division of verses between those that will remind Arjun of the centrality of the Brahma and those that will also entertain him by narrating the vibhootis.

In order that the reader of this book is entertained without an interruption by the fascinating list of vibhootis that the Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari reel off one after another, only those verses which describe the vibhootis are included in this chapter. Only two verses which stress the Brahmic background or content of the cosmos (in the Geeta) are given here. One is narrated by Shrikrishna and the other comes from Arjun.

Arjun says at one stage Whatever you say about you Is the only truth

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No one else really knows What you do and what is you …1332 The crucial verse (Verse 7, Geeta Chapter 10) narrated by Shrikrishna says Of my movement and manifestations26 And my steady undivided action* The former attracts attention And the latter then leads to realization …1333 * the action within the deepest part of matter or space throughout the universe

The realization here is of the undivided Brahma, without any attributes and the only truth in the midst of its own myriad27 manifestations, by which a normal man is bound to be tantalized28.

The manifestations are of many types, the most appealing being those of the natural phenomena and extraordinary creatures. But amongst the creatures, man is unusual because of his intelligence and his mind and it is on the mind that intelligent reason acts, thereby producing behavioral modification. This modification leads to a civilizational impact. Civility or a civic society is a product more of prudence29 than passion, discretion30 rather than rough and ready expression, charity more than enmity, meditation31 and concentration as opposed to disparate 32 or clumsy action. That is how the description of the vibhootis begins after a couple of preliminary verses.

If how to know me Is a problem for you This then my nature I will relate to you …1334 Evolved it is In everything there is According to type By their nature that is …1335 That the original energy evolved and then came to be matter is now accepted. That this evolution by a natural process takes on a certain variety is what is stated here.

Reason judgement and perception And therefore knowledge and truth’s realization Composure and insight

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And therefore lack of confusion Endurance forbearance and patience Penance33 morality and meditation A liberal and charitable disposition Tranquil34 and restrained mentation35 Harmlessness in thought deed and action Fairness and equivalence in interaction Are all my expressions …1336 Notice that the vibhootis described in this section are not creatures or cosmic phenomena36 but qualities that are hard to find in animals or to cultivate in human life. It is true that they are evident in exceptional men and women and it is by them that human life is enriched.

Birth and death Failure and success Boldness and fear Are all my manifestations …1337 Here the things described are routine, (in a sense) which happen to man irrespective of the above qualities. They too are described under the category of manifestations.

Life is full of variety So is each of these qualities Some I know Others just come to flow …1338 This verse in the Dnyaneshwari has no supporting verse in the Geeta. Dnyaneshwar is trying to convey here a lack of design by which these manifestations come to be.

And Dnyaneshwar adds In fact each creature To his fate His thoughts Are his real mates …1339 For example, From the sun Arises day and night

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One when it sets The other with its rise …1340 This is a clever verse. The sun is incompatible with darkness. Yet indirectly it is responsible for it because when the sun withdraws darkness supervenes. When Brahma says it is aware of some qualities that flow from it (presumably the virtuous) and is not aware of the rest (the darker side of man) it still cannot forsake responsibility for the latter as in the example of the sun.

What follow are the footprints of civilization out of the raw or the savage. This is not about Adam and Eve37 but much later when exceptional people gave shape to human society.

When things were not yet Properly set Prudence and man Had not yet met Seven sages and their minds Four Manus38 of different kinds These eleven Came from my mind …1341 Did Brahma have a mind? That indescribable singularity? If minds flow from it then those minds have not appeared ‘de novo’39.

Therefore Brahma too had something similar, some kind of mind (so to say). This statement, however runs counter to the basic Upanishadic philosophical doctrine. Brahma had no mind but is only its progenitor40.

For example, The seed is first From which comes a sprout Then the stem bursts out What follow Are leaves flower and fruit But the seed is the root …1342 And therefore I was first And from my mind Everything burst …1343

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What follows is temporal power from the sages and the Manus They in turn Appointed kings For eight directions One for each It is from them Came all the beings …1344 These beings are the populace with a certain civilizational coherence41. The civilizational history has just begun.

Then follows a series of verses stressing the primacy of Brahma.

Everything you see Is but from me In that fashion One must see Everything is filled By nothing but me …1345 Brahma’s king Or that ant The littlest thing From me comes Big or small Every little thing …1346 42 And to the astute observer, the one who is endowed with knowledge What is good Or what is bad Or the middle between Is nothing to him All is one That’s his thing …1347 This his thing Of my being Makes me enter What he thinks And what he does And what he thinks

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Never goes waste Till the end of things …1348 Notice the position that a man acquires when he is endowed with real knowledge and how it lasts till the end.

About itself Brahma explains via Shrikrishna I give birth And I give shape Water is water Even in its waves …1349 Now follows a very long list of vibhootis Of the creature and its soul The soul is me …1350 When they form And roam and lapse The clouds will cling To the sky It is in me That creatures are born And it is in me That they die …1351 Of the twelve gods divine Vishnu is me And of the things that shine The sun is me Of the servants of god And their ‘pride’ Marichi is me In the night sky sublime43 Of those that twinkle and shine The moon is nothing but me …1352 According to one spiritual tradition, there are twelve protectors and saviours of this world and each is assigned a month. Vishnu, the last and the best, and of whom Shrikrishna is an incarnation44 is mentioned here. Also according to tradition, there are godly servants of god, forty-nine in number, who live in a group, that is why the expression ‘a pride’ is used in the above verse (as in a pride of lions).

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Samveda amongst the Vedas45 Is me The organs of the body Are ten But the eleventh, the mind Is me And life The nature of creatures is me …1353 Dnyaneshwar does not explain why amongst the four Vedas, Samveda occupies a place of preeminence. One possible explanation is that it is the most musical in quality. The organs of the body are divided into sensory and motor. Eyes, ears, skin, tongue and nose are sensory. Hands, legs, the tongue (for speech), genitalia and the anus constitute the motor organs (a total of ten). The mind, also an organ, is a coordinator. Intelligence presides over the mind.

Of the fearsome gods Shankar, their captain And the enemy of Eros Is me …1354 And Kuber, the treasurer Of demigods and demons Is also a manifestation Of me …1355 Of the eight great vasus The fire that burns is me …1356 By tradition, Shankar, the earliest of gods in the Indian pantheon, is a high-energy, labile entity prone to temper tantrums46. He is usually covered with ash to signify that he has forsaken the world, ash being a product of cremation. His dance is wild and is accompanied by drums and the Indophilic47 western philosophers have compared the dance to the subatomic flux48. He is averse to the god of love because of his personality. Shankar’s consort49 Parvati is synonymous with primal generative energy and is the daughter of Himalaya, the great Indian mountain. She is a ‘feminist’ in character. Kuber is considered a friend of Shankar. Another scriptural tradition gives eight different godly deities. These include fire, the most potent.

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The keeper of heavens The Guru of gurus Brihaspati, the scholar Is me …1357 Brihaspati, according to one tradition, was not only a great knower, but also a radical reformer vis-à-vis the ideas about god and propagated a materialistic50 philosophy.

Kartikeya, the general Out of Kruttika the woman From the semen of Shankar With fire as the witness Is me …1358 51 Shankar, the irrepressible god, is supposed to have sired a son Kartikeya out of a celestial52 nymph53. The son became a renowned general and had a fiery temperament.

It must be noted that Shankar, his son Kartikeya, Kuber the treasurer of the demigods and demons, fire as a deity and Brihaspati as a scholar philosopher who somewhat defied the Vedic tradition and later was responsible for the Charvak54 school of materialistic philosophy, are arranged in one group. In a manner of speaking, they do not toe the Vaishnavite/Vishnu/Shrikrishna lineage. The Geeta is narrated by Shrikrishna, yet includes these figures as extraordinary manifestations of Brahma.

And in the mountains with peaks Meru the mountain is me …1359 Meru is a mythical mountain around which all the planets are thought to rotate.

And in the bodies of water It is the sea Which is me …1360 Of sound and of words And the speech that follows Aum* the truth is me And to utter a prayer Over and over

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And reach beyond the ritual Is me …1361 Aum, with three syllables, A, U, M, is the uncreated Brahmic sound from which all sounds and words followed (see Chapters 1, 16 and 104).

Amongst the masses of mountains Unmoved and stable Himalaya the mountain is me …1362 Neither the coral55 Nor the sandal56 tree Is me Even the wish tree With its gifts free Is not me Amongst the trees The peepal is me …1363 A peepal tree has roots which grow out of its body in addition to its normal roots. The peepal tree is a subject of an almost complete chapter in the Geeta. The chapter takes an inverted peepal tree as a metaphor for this world, heaven, and Brahma (Geeta Chapter 15).

Of the singers and musicians Divine and celestial Chitrarath the singer is me And in the sages divine Narad the diplomat is me …1364 These musicians go by the name of Gandharvas and are considered demigods. Narad appears in ancient lore at various places and in different eons57 and symbolizes an advisor and a facilitator and is also known to trigger conflict. In essence, a learned and astute politician and diplomat.

Amongst the seers and sages Kapil, the prophet is me …1365 Kapil of the Sankhya doctrine (please see Chapter 99, The Kapil Construct) posits a dual basis for cosmogony58. Notice that Kapil is not called divine because he describes a non-theistic59 doctrine.

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The Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari also include the royal elephant Airawat, and the divine mount, a horse called Ucchaishrava as vibhootis and add Of the men at large The man that is crowned the king Is me …1366 Amongst the weapons Indra’s thunderbolt is me Amongst the cows divine Kamadhenu the cow is me And the urge in a man And his libido as well Are me …1367 Indra is a name used to denote a powerful king of divine ancestry.

Kamadhenu is a divine milch cow that gives all that man seeks (Kama=desire, dhenu=cow). Notice the grouping, a thunderbolt, a fertile ‘all giving’ cow and libido.

Vasuki the serpent Amongst the cobras Anant And of the creatures in the sea Varun their leader is me …1368 Anant, also called Shesh, is the seat or couch of Vishnu, an important god in the Indian pantheon of whom Shrikrishna is an incarnation. Varun is the regent of the sea, particularly of the western quarters.

What is good and what is bad Thoughts in your mind And what it needs That which decides and also heeds And about the deeds finally decides That Karmic grid is me And Aryama the pater goddess Also comes from me …1369 The Karmic grid is the yadnya (both universal and ritual, please see Chapters 36 and 43) by which what is proper and improper comes to be done and is ultimately judged. Aryama as the pater goddess is mentioned because a yadnya was also done to remember ancestors.

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The eagle amongst the birds The lion amongst the beasts Prahlad amongst the demons And time which swallows All that there is Are all nothing but me …1370 The eagle is considered the carrier of Vishnu, the god. Prahlad, amongst the demons, was converted to the thought that Vishnu was the real god and was therefore redeemed because he was not touched by demonic thoughts. Time devours everything. Notice the grouping, all with qualities which can destroy or devour.

Of the things that circle the earth And also the seas With enormous speed The wind is me …1371 Amongst those who bear arms That Shriram Who defeated the devilish Lankan king And made the Lankan wealth His thing That Shriram the archer king Is me …1372 Shriram is a historical figure and was a just and brave king and is the central figure in the oldest Indian epic Ramayana. He was born in the north of India and while serving a period of banishment from his kingdom following an intrigue60 in the family and at his court, was deceived by the devilish Lankan (Ceylon) king Ravana, who abducted his wife Seeta. Shriram ultimately saved her by defeating Ravana. He was a great archer and is considered an incarnation of Vishnu, and therefore aligned to Shrikrishna, a later figure. Ravana was a devotee of Shankar, the other god in the Indian pantheon.

Amongst the creatures in waters The one with the tail The crocodile is me …1373

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And Ganga the great From heaven did Bhagiratha bring That river divine Is me …1374 The Ganga river was brought to earth from heaven by the sage Bhagiratha after a severe penance and with great perseverance. All great acts done with perseverance are named after Bhagiratha in most Indian languages. When she (Ganga) was to fall on earth, the earth was saved by Shankar who offered his head for her to fall.

Geographically, the Ganga arises from the Himalayas, whose daughter Parvati was married to Shankar.

The Geeta and the Dnyaneshwari at this stage discuss vibhootis in knowledge and information.

Of knowledge and learning The knowledge of the soul is me The arguments that precede The logic that follows The words that abound And the letter called A And when language is written The compound in composition Are also me …1375 Notice that the whole gamut61 of knowledge and its acquisition are covered. What follows is the final flood and how time supervenes all.

From the paltry62 gnat63 To the Brahmic god Mountains Meru and Mandar And vast tracts of earthly land Are withered when they are washed As the terminal flood is at hand …1376 Then the glare of heat and fierce winds Appear to fill the sky All of that is ‘I’ Because time that swallows Each and all And whenever space is not

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Left at all That time is also I …1377 The Brahmic god then stirs again And the world happens by and by That too is me Maya64 and my …1378 The cycle continues When creatures are born And come to live And then they die Having lived their life All that happens Because of me …1379 Fame wealth and charity Perception speech and memory And the strength in adversity Are all nothing but me …1380 All these qualities are of feminine gender in the Sanskrit language, a point that Dnyaneshwar mentions in the original verse. He also mentions that ideal speech is discreet and discretion is a feature of ‘it’ (Brahma).

Amongst the months Margashirsha In the seasons The spring Gayatri the metre In the Samveda That musical metre Which sings All of them are me …1381 The month of Margashirsha in the Indian calendar mostly overlaps December, occasionally beginning in November or ending in January. This is a month when both the summer (monsoon) and late summer crops are in, the granaries are full, the sun is expected to start its northerly journey, spring is awaited and the climate is cool. The moon is in the constellation Mrugashiras (Mruga = deer;

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Shiras = head with horns) and therefore Margashirsha. The spring is celebrated in all cultures. The Gayatri metre in which the Gayatri ‘mantra’ or incantation is recited is considered extremely deep, resonant and ethereally65 musical. It appears in the Samveda, a Veda mentioned earlier.

The vitality and essence Of all that is good is me Shrikrishna amongst the Yadavs Arjun amongst the Lunars Vyas amongst the visionaries And forthright and valiant Shukra the man is me …1382 Yadav and Lunar are racial or family lineages. Vyas is the author of Mahabharata, the great Indian epic in which the Geeta was narrated (see Chapter 19). Shukra, the name of a planet, was also the name of a warrior sage.

The fraudulent art of dice And the lustre in all that shines And the labour That is worth and fine And the logic and justice therein Are all me and mine …1383 Notice the contradictory qualities mentioned here – gambling, logic and justice. Dnyaneshwar makes a very interesting observation that because the instinct to gamble is a vibhooti, gambling is allowed as an open social activity.

The system of rule and order Ethics66, the religion’s fervour67 Of the science of secrets, silence And the wisdom shown by the wise Are also me and mine …1384 Here the grouping, to all appearances, is more cohesive, though the mention of silence and secrets indicates certain statecraft in the midst of rule and order. And lastly, in the manner of speaking A man who is Tender and merciful

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Though he might be mighty and rich In essence is really me …1385 The vibhootis could not have ended on a better note. A combination of might, modesty, and mercy is what excellence in human nature is all about. The tenth chapter thus ends as far as this book is concerned but the readers are reminded that a portion of the chapter from the Geeta as well as the Dnyaneshwari are not translated, to concentrate on the vibhootis. The next chapter of the Geeta is about Brahma’s appearance as the whole cosmos and about how Arjun wants to see it all, how he cannot bear the sights and how he surrenders to Shrikrishna to plead that the extraordinary spectacle be withdrawn and shut off and that he may be brought back to his ordinary mortal world.

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cosmos – the whole of the universe in a certain order big bang – the expression used by physicists to describe the birth of the universe antimatter – matter composed of antiparticles/not visible discerning – showing good judgement, insight discreet – tactful, trustworthy, careful in speech or action prudent – careful to avoid undesired consequences sensorium – the whole sensory apparatus corpse – a dead body posterity – succeeding generations seer – a person who sees, a prophetic person siblings – children with common parents chimera – a fire-breathing female monster with lion’s head, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail conglomerate – a number of things or parts forming a heterogeneous mass syncrestic – unifying or reconciling different schools of thought colophon – a tail piece in a manuscript Upanishad – the concluding portion of the Vedic literature ubiquitous – present everywhere, at various places at the same time embody – give a concrete form Upanishadic – a part of Vedant. A dialogical philosophical system, up=near, nishad=sit, denoting a pair in discussion protagonist – chief person in a drama or a story couch – frame, phrase trench – a long narrow ditch lore – a body of tradition or knowledge Brahma – from the root Brih=to spread. The singularity from which the universe spread ubiquitous – present everywhere manifestation – appearance and presentation myriad – in great numbers

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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar tantalize – tease by way of appearance prudence – careful to avoid undesired consequences discretion – prudence, tact, care meditate – reflect, think, ponder disparate – essentially different in kind penance – act of punishment to self tranquil – calm mentation – thinking phenomena – occurrences, happenings Adam and Eve – the first man and woman according to the Jewish, Christian and Mohammedan tradition Manu – an exceptional person (traditional use) de novo – starting again/anew progenitor – source, originator coherence – from coherent=logical and consistent astute – shrewd sublime – pure, highly refined incarnation – embodiment of spirit in flesh Vedas – the earliest Indian philosophical and religious literature tantrum – outburst, fit of temper Indophilic – liking or favouring things Indian flux – a constant change consort – a husband or a wife (particularly of royalty) materialistic – dealing with matter as opposed to spiritual sire – be the male parent of celestial – heavenly, divinely good or beautiful, sublime nymph – a beautiful young woman Charvak – an Indian materialistic philosopher coral tree – an Indian species of tree dotted with white flowers resembling a coral sandal tree – as in sandalwood eons – long periods of time, indefinite cosmogony – the subject of the origin of the universe non-theistic – independent of God as a basis intrigue – underhand plot gamut – a whole series, or range of anything paltry – small gnat – an insect Maya – magic, illusion ethereally – from ethereal=highly delicate ethics – the science of morals fervour – passion, zeal