Sant Gnaneshwar Maharaj

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sant Gnaneshwar Maharaj!

Chapter - 1

Sant Gnaneshwar /Gnanadeva/Mavuli was a Marathi saint, religious poet, philosopher, and a great Yogi, he is the author of illustrious works Gnaneshwari and Amruthanubhav.  He was born in the year 1275, to a pious couple Vittalpanth and Rukmini in a village called Alandi, Maharashtra.  His siblings are Nivriththinath, Sopandev, and Mukthabhai.  Vittalpanth was leading a life of an ascetic, once Lord Vittobha appeared in his dream and instructed to marry Rukmini who was the daughter of a head priest Siddheshwar in Alanadi.  Siddheshwar also had the same dream in that Lord Vittobha instructed him to give her daughter’s hand to Vittalpanth.  The couple lived together for a short period of time, Vittal Panth was not at all interested in worldly matters, his spiritual life took him to Kashi, where he met Swami Sri Ramanand who was the preceptor of Sant Kabirdas, eventually he attained Deeksha from Swami Ramanand and embraced Sanyasa.

After a few years, Saint Ramanand arrived in the village Alandi during the spiritual journey to Rameshwaram, he blessed many of the devotees and pious people.  In that crowd Rukmini also attained the blessings of Swami Ramanand, he blessed her to have offspring and happy married life, without knowing the fact that Rukmini was living a life of an unmarried, although she was married to Vittalpanth.  Rukmini shed tears of grief informed Swami Ramanand about her husband who left her immediately after the marriage and embraced Sanyasa.  Swami Ramanand found that it was Vittal Panth, husband of virtuous Rukmini.   She was living a chaste life all these years, patiently waiting for the return of her husband.  Swami Ramanand did not proceed for further journey to Rameshwaram.  He returned to Vittal Panth who did not mention anything about his married life while obtaining Sanyasa Deeksha.  Swami Ramananda advised Vittal Panth that a Grihasthashrama is a superior Dharma, in that a person performs all the righteous and religious deeds being in the wedlock, he performs his responsibilities towards his elderly parents as well as his family, a Sanyasin strive for Moksha for himself, but a Grihastha performs all the religious and spiritual deeds remaining himself in the vow of marriage, ultimately attain Moksha.  Swami Ramanand was very unhappy about Vittalpanth’s deed, he ordered Vittalpanth to return to his married life once again.  Those days it was considered as a sin to return to Grihasthashrama after embracing Sanyasa, but Vittal Panth was in a dilemma, he had no other choice, he had to follow the order of his preceptor. Swami Ramanand blessed Vittal Panth and Rukmini “you will be blessed with three virtuous sons and a daughter, Gyaneshwar will be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, highly scholastic and storehouse of wisdom and virtues.”