DHYANESHWARI IN A NUTSHELL

Verses 1 and 2 

Saint Dnyaneshwar calls himself as a servant of his Sadguru, Shri Nivrittinatha, who is incidentally his elder brother. He says that: 'O Lord Ganesha! You are the most propitious Onkara; the OM that is the beginning and the end of the universe. You are the 'Primordial Principle' behind this world of phenomenon. You are the one that is sought after and propounded by the Vedas as the 'Ultimate Truth'. You are the one who experiences the Bliss of the Self. You are verily the Atman. You enlighten all the beings; and their intellect to discern the 'Ultimate Principle' is due to your Grace.' Saint Dnyaneshwar entreats the Ishwara to listen to his narration. He hails Him, bows down before Him; and trumpets for His Universal Glory. (1-1 and 2, Dny) 1 .

Verse 3 

Next, he bows before Goddess Shri Sharada. She is the one behind the play of the world. She is the one that is the behind the four Vachas - the Para, the Pashyanti, the Madhyama, and the Vaikhari. They owe to her the entire gamut of their splendid display. She is the goddess of cleverness, arts and literature, and scriptures. She is the enchantress of the world. She is verily the Prakriti that springs up ever new things in the world. (1-21, Dny).

Verse 4 

After narrating the Swaroopa of God Ganesha and Goddess Shri Sharada that are portrayed here as the Atma-tattwa and the Prakriti, Saint Dnyaneshwar bows before his Sadguru. He is grateful that the Sadguru has been instrumental in his swimming across the turbulent flood-waters of the Samsara (the Prapancha - the world of phenomenon). He says that ‘O Sadguru! You are at the heart of my hearts. Because of your Grace, I am able to see beyond the mundane world to differentiate between the Atman and the Anatman [i.e. I have developed the faculty of Viveka (Atmanatma-viveka)]’. He venerates his Sadguru the most. (1-22, Dny).

Verse 5 

Lord Shri Krishna says that: 'in this world of phenomenon, there is the hidden Chaitanya (élan vital) that is all-pervading. The saints who know the Atman recognize it as the ultimate (fundamental) nature of everything and all the beings.' (2-126, Dny).

Verse 6 

'Know all that this world is ephemeral. It gives rise to things and then the same things get destroyed. Nothing is permanent in it. This cycle of Creation and Dissolution of the world, and its things and beings, goes on cyclically just like a waterwheel rotates, drawing water in its pots and emptying them again and again.' (2-159, Dny).

Verses 7 and 8 

'Listen O ye! You know that a person who travels upon an oft-travelled path does never meet with any calamities incidental to travelling. One who lights one’s way in the darkness with a lamp does not falter against obstacles as one can see them clearly in its light.' (2-186, Dny) 'Similarly, those who abide by their Svadharma , achieve full satisfaction of their every desire easily.' (2-187, Dny).

Verse 9 

‘While discharging the duties as per the Svadharma, whatever may be its outcome, one should not lose the equipoise of mind. One should neither be pleased with pleasurable results, nor become morose if faced with sorrowful outcome. One ought not to pay any attention to the outcome if it is gainful or it results into losses.' (2-226, Dny).

Verse 10 

'Abiding by the Svadharma, come what may, one ought to bear it, good or bad, with equanimity.' (2-228, Dny).

Verse 11 

Lord Shri Krishna tells Arjuna thus: ‘O Arjuna! On reviewing everything, the scriptures and the Shastras, it became clear that you should not desert your Svadharma as a Kshatriya on the battlefield.’ (2-265, Dny).

Verse 12 

‘Remember this well! Discharge your appointed duties as per the Svadharma, without longing for their fruits. Never desert them in favour of Karma which is bad in the eyes of the seers and the Shastras.' (2-266, Dny).

Verse 13 

‘Endow your Chitta with Yoga. Then you can easily give up the fruits of Karmas. Do then all the Karmas with a Chitta thus endowed and tuned to the Divine.’ (2-267, Dny).

Verses 14 and 15 

‘Still neither be happy if the Karma, by fatefulness, consummates well; nor become agitated if it does not so fructify. The fructification of all the Karmas is subject to fate.' (2-268 and 269, Dny).

Verse 16 

‘Listen! Whatever you have to do, any Karma of whatever nature, give it up unto the Adi-purusha (the Primordial Being; The Lord; the Ishwara). By that, it will reach perfection and not bind you by its fruit.’ (2-271, Dny).

Verse 17 

‘You may do whatever Karma is right and is the demand of the circumstances. But do it in without longing for its fruits.’ (3-278, Dny).

Verse 18 

‘Note it, O Partha! One who follows the Svadharma as ordained by the Shastras according to the Varnashramadharma, the conduct of everyone according to one’s Varna and the Ashrama is sure to attain to the Moksha by doing this.’ (3-80, Dny).

Verse 19 

‘Svadharma is like the Yajna that one should regularly perform. If you follow it, the sins will never track you.’ (3-83, Dny).

Verse 20 

‘One who abandons the Svadharma gets attracted by Adharma (actions proscribed by the Vedas and the Shastras) and one has to suffer from their fruits which lead to incarceration and bondage to the world, being born and reborn to reap the bad results of such Karmas.' (3-82, Dny).

Verse 21 

'Know that the Svadharma followed without break is actually performing the Yajnas continually. One who acts accordingly never suffers from the bondage to the Prakriti (the world; and being reborn into it to repay for the deeds of the past Karmas).' (3-83, Dny).

Verse 22 

‘The Ishwara has appointed various Karmas to everyone according to the Varnashramadharma which will result in release from the bondages to the Prakriti. If you follow the intent of the Ishwara and the dicta given out of love for the humanity by Him, you will certainly find Him and enjoy His Blessings.’ (18-911, Dny).

Verse 23 

'The Svadharma-karma appointed for everyone by the Ishwara through the Shrutis; and what the Shastras elaborate upon (Vihita Karma), is the life-stream for every being. Following their dicta is certainly the greatest service to the Ishwara - the Atman, who is omnipresent, and abides in the hearts of everyone.' (18-906, Dny).

Verse 24 

‘O Valiant Fighter! Partha! The Ishwara - the Atman of residing at the heart of everyone, is pleased tremendously by offering Him the flowers of the Svakarma - the Karma designated as one’s own for doing by the Ishwara and as told in the Shrutis, and the Shastras for the benefit of everyone.' (24, 18-917, Dny).

Verse 25 

‘Still know you that whatever Karma comes to your lot in the course of life, it should be offered to Me, the Ishwara, with heart full of devotion to Me. I deem it enough service to me and I will emancipate you from the bonds of the world.’ (25, 9-400, Dny).

Verse 26 

‘Also remember that while doing any Karma, do not be involved in it. Do not even for a moment think that you are the doer and doing that Karma. If this notion of Ahankara, of the ‘I, me and mine’ enters your mind, it will bind you to the fruits of that Karma and ultimately to the phenomenal world i.e. the Prakriti. You then cannot even think of the Moksha.’ (26, 3- 187, Dny). (26, 3-187, Dny).

Verse 27

‘You should not identify your Self to be the body and mind that you have. Looking beyond them, shunning all the desires for pleasures, may you enjoy all the pleasures that come your way!' (27, 3-188, Dny).

Verse 28 

‘Arjuna! Be a Yogin! Bring your mind under your control. Become steadied at heart upon the Ishwara. Engrossed in Him thus, let your senses roam at will and enjoy everything they crave for and desire.' (28, 3-76, Dny).

Verse 29 

‘Listen O ambidextrous Arjuna! In no way should one desert the Karmas taking them as binding to the world. All the embodied beings have to do some or the other Karma. Those who fear doing the Karmas as bondaging are none but dunces.’ (29, 3-145, Dny).

Verse 30 

‘Look at King Janaka and the other Jnanins of long before our times. They did not desert doing the Karmas. Knowing how to do the Karmas so that they did not bind them to their fruits by the method I have told you before, O Arjuna, they attained to the Moksha and to the Bliss while yet doing all the Karmas that befell their lots.’ (30, 4-152, Dny).

Verse 31 

‘Even the great souls that have attained to the Moksha and achieved the Naishkarmya-siddhi have to do all the Karmas as befall their lots for the sake of setting an example before the people.’ (31, 3-155, Dny).

Verse 32 

‘Like a man who has sight can lead a blind man toeing behind him, the Jnanins have to demonstrate by their own conduct to the Ajnanins the right way to the Moksha.’ (32, 3-156, Dny).

Verse 33 

‘It is so since the common people call those the righteous deeds (Dharma) whatever the honorable elders do; and follow the example set by them.’ (33, 3-158, Dny).

Verse 34 

‘This being the way of the world, the Saints and the Jnanins have a very special duty of performing their Karmas in the best manner. They should not discard the Karmas even though for them it matters not whether they do the Karmas in one way or the other, or desist from doing them altogether.’ (34, 3-159, Dny).

Verse 35 

‘The saints have their Chitta united with Me, the Ishwara, by Yoga. To them, the Karmas just happen in their presence by their bodies like the events in a household take place in the presence of a lighted lamp.’ (35, 5- 49, Dny).

Verse 36 

‘They just do all their Karmas but do not get bound to them, just like a lotus leaf floats on the water but never gets wetted by it.’ (36, 5-50, Dny).

Verse 37 

‘They, too, have their bodies that get them afflicted by ailments and affected by pleasures. But I, Shri Krishna, know that they are the Parabrahman incarnate.’ (37, 6-408, Dny).

Verse 38 

‘Those are the Jnanins who are absorbed in My mediation, so much so, that even when their bodies go about in the world at large, suffering by their own fate and nature’s forces, their state of being united with Me is never disturbed by whatever their bodies suffer.’ (38, 13-485, Dny).

Verse 39 

‘Know Ye, Arjuna, that the equipoise of the Chitta6 (the Mind) is the essence of Yoga. It is attained when the Mind and the Intellect have goals alike. The Intellect (Buddhi) decides that the Paramatman is the Goal and the Mind accepts it as such. Then the Karmas can be done without longing for its fruits once the Yoga is attained.’ (39, 2-273, Dny).

Verse 40 

‘Look here, Arjuna! When the mind (Chitta) is in equipoise by Yoga fulfilled, it remains delighted in the Self always. Then there is no scope to feel the world and its sorrows and pains.’ (40, 2-338, Dny).

Verse 41 

‘It is like this. If a person’s stomach would give rise to a spring of the Elixir (Nectar; Amrita), would he ever feel hunger and thirst? The Yogin, likewise, satisfied innately with the Self, needs no external pleasures.’ (41, 2-339).

Verse 42 

‘When the heart is happy, there can be no pain. The intellect (Buddhi) steadies gracefully in the Atman.’ (42, 2-339, Dny).

Verse 43 

‘A lamp kept where not even a wisp of wind touches it does not flicker. Likewise, the intellect of the Yogin that is in the Swaroopa, uniting with the Paramatman, never wavers from that steady state.’ (43, 2-341, Dny).

Verses 44, 45 and 46 

‘One who rues not doing the Karmas and does not expect their fruits; who does not desire to do a specific Karma, intending to bring it to a successful end; and who has burnt all the Karmas forever in the Jnanagni (Fire of Jnana); O Arjuna! Know him to be the Parabrahman incarnate in the human form.’ (44, 4-103; 45, 4-104 and 46, 4-105; Dny).

Verse 47 

‘In order to obtain the Jnana i.e. to experience the Parabrahman, one has to worship the Saints with mind body and soul.’ (47, 4-165, Dny).

Verse 48 and 49 

‘The Saints are the repository of Jnana, ever witnessing the Paramatman. Selfless service to them is the gateway to their hearts. One should enter through it into their hearts by offering them own mind, body, and soul, wholeheartedly, and entering into their servitude, full of humility.’ (48, 4- 166 and 49, 4-167, Dny).

Verse 50 and 51 

‘Once they are satisfied with you, they will bless you with their diction of the Paramatman (Upadesha of the Mahavakya). It will pierce your heart with the Jnana. You will never again be given to this world of desires and dreams. When you are so blessed with that real vision of the Paramatman, you will envision all the beings, including yourself in Me (My Swaroopa). Thus, you will gain the absolute knowledge (Jnana) of who I - the Ishwara/the Paramatman, am, and the nature of the world and its beings.’ (50, 4-168 and 51, 4-170, Dny).

Verses 52 

‘Because of the Grace of the Jnanin/your Guru, when you will see the entire Creation in the light of that Divine knowledge (Jnana) thus, the dark night of your longing for this world’s objects and its pleasures (Moha), which arises out of ignorance (Ajnana) of the real nature of the beings, the world, and the Paramatman (Jeeva-Jagat-Ishwara Triune), will vanish, rendering you back to your pristine state of the Atman (Swaroopa).' (52, 4-171, Dny).

Verses 53 and 54 

‘In that blessed state of Jnana, even if you had been a sinner sowing seeds of great vices and reaping them; and were an unfathomable large ocean of ignorance and a mountain of worldliness, all these before the Jnana are like a molehill before a mountain. The powerful Jnana will drive them all away, lock, stock and barrel.’ (53, 4-172 and 54, 4-173).

Verse 55 

'This Jnana is actually at the heart of everyone from their Origin. It starts to appear at the time of the Guru’s blessing. It transforms into the experience of one’s own Self, gradually after the Guru’s blessing.’ (55, 9- 49, Dny).

Verse 56 

‘The world and I - the Ishwara, have a relationship like that between the fire and the smoke from it. The fire gives rise to the smoke. Can we say that it is in the smoke? 7 Likewise the world arises from me, but I am not pervading the world, although it may appear to be so.’ (56, 7-59, Dny).

Verse 57 and 58 

‘Let me tell you what the body is. Arjuna! It is just made out of the five Mahabhootas, the Prithvi, the Aapa, the Teja, the Vayu and the Akasha. The thread of Karma passes through them all which is integral to them. Tied thus, the body undergoes the cycles of births and death. It is like the butter-ball that is fed into the fire of the Time. How much time will it take to be consumed by it? By the time a fly spreads its wings, it is gone!’ (57, 13, 1101 and 58, 13- 1102, Dny).

Verse 59 

‘This is the condition of the body of beings, just ephemeral. Compare it to the state of the Atman. It is primordial and is forever in its own state. It requires no proof that it exists.’ (59, 13-1106, Dny).

Verse 60 

‘You may ask what the state of the Atman is. I, Shri Krishna, say that it is neither the World (Saguna) nor it is not the World (Nishkala). Neither is it acting, nor it is not acting. Neither it is subtle, nor it is gross. That is its state if one views it as Nirguna. (60, 13-1107, Dny).

Verse 61 

‘In that state, one can neither call it to be Blissful, nor without the Bliss. It is neither singular, nor plural. It is neither Mukta, nor in bondages. That is its state as the Atman.’ (61, 13-1110, Dny).

Verse 62 

‘Know O Partha! The Saints who attain to Him, the Paramatman, become such themselves, verily the Parama Tattwa. They are the 'Swans Royale' (Rajahamsa) who innately discriminate between the Atman and the Anatman (what is not the Atman).’ (62, 13-1142, Dny).

Verse 63 

‘They are the Jnanins who have integrated with the Self (Atman). They play in the World, suffering no pains but enjoying only the Bliss of the Atman.’ (63, 10-117, Dny).

Verse 64

‘To them, the World is their own home. Nigh! They become the Universe itself.’ (64, 12-213, Dny).

Verse 65 to 70

Verse 65: 

The Lord says that: ‘And above all, they have My devotion at their hearts. Why would I not give them the highest place of honour in My abode?’

Verse 66 

‘I may not remain in my abode, the Vaikunttha; maybe at times not even behind the Sun. I may even desert the minds of the Yogins.’

Verse 67: 

‘But O Arjuna! Even when these things may happen, I will always be found to be there where My Bhaktas chant My names aloud.’

Verse 68: 

‘They always sing volumes of My names - Krishna, Vishnu, Hari, and Govinda, et al, and their visions of the Atman.’

Verse 69: 

‘They speak only about Me; and they praise Me alone. Their eyes see none but Me. Their minds think of none but Me only.’

Verse 70: 

‘Their ears are always full of My praise and glory. They bodies are devoted to My service forever.’ (65, 12-214; 66, 9-207; 67, 9-208; 68, 9-210; 69, 9-445 and 70, 9-446; Dny).

Verse 71 

‘My Bhaktas may belong to the lowest social class; they may not be entitled to the Vedas; but they are equal to Me in every respect. (71, 9-449, Dny).’

Verse 72 

‘They may merge in Me by devotion of any sort. Once they have united with Me, their social rank, their entitlement or otherwise of the Vedas, and everything else, does no longer matter.’ (72, 9-457, Dny).

Verse 73 

‘All the streams and rivulets have any identity only before meeting the River Ganges. Once they meet and merge into it, they lose their individual identity and become the Ganges itself.’ (73, 9-458, Dny).

Verse 74 

'Likewise, everyone, the Kshatriya, the Vaishya, the Shoodra, or the women, remain so until uniting with Me. Once they unite with Me through devotion supreme, their disqualifications and individuality vanish.’ (74, 9- 460, Dny).

Verse 75 

‘Listen O Arjuna! Everyone irrespective of caste or creed, low or high birth, of any class, all of them enter My abode supreme who are devoted to Me.’ (75, 9-474, Dny).

Verse 76 

‘I just value their devotion, nothing else matters to Me, rank or caste. I am hungry for their spirit of devotion to Me, whatever may be their standing in society, high or low.’ (76, 9-395, Dny).

Verse 77 

‘Whatever be the ways of worshipping Me that My devotees adopt, whether they offer Me a fruit, a leaf of vegetables, or a flower, or even a drop of water, I am pleased with that. Really speaking, they may not even offer Me anything. I am just hungry for their spirit of devotion to Me.’ (77, 9-396, Dny).

Verse 78 

‘My devotee is devoid of the discrimination between beings because he sees only Me everywhere and in everything. Therefore, he becomes devoid of enmity to every being. Thus, seeing Me everywhere, he worships Me in all the beings and the World.’ (78, 11-698, Dny).

Verse 79 

‘He sees Me, the Ishwara Vasudeva, in everything. That is the hallmark of My supreme devotee; and the Jnanin that he is.’ (79, 7-136, Dny).

Verse 80 

‘Arjuna! Fill your mind with Me. Devote to Me seeing Me thus in everything. Bow down before Me alone who is everywhere.’ (80, 9-517, Dny).

Verse 81 

‘There is this Yajna of the Divine way. It is ignited with the fire of singleminded devotion to Me. In it one offers the desires that burn and one becomes free of the bondages to Karma. That is the real Yajna that pleases Me,’ (81, 9-518, Dny).

Verse 82 

‘When you will become so filled with My devotion, you will become Me and merge into My Swaroopa. I am telling this from My heart.’ (82, 9-519, Dny).

Verse 83 

‘When you offer into My Swaroopa your mind and intellect, you will definitely come into Me. This I am telling you on oath.’ (83, 8-79, Dny).

Verses 84 to 89 

‘And Listen, O Partha! If you find it impossible to give your mind and intellect to Me completely, then do it this way. Give just a moment to Me in the twenty-four hours a day. Then the mind will experience Me and the attendant bliss momentarily. It will become deflected from its usual objects of desire at least during that small time. Look here. The mind is such that when it experiences a pleasure, it becomes attracted to it and wants to have more and more of it. Taken in by bliss of meditation upon Me, it will try to obtain that bliss again and again. Then like the full Moon vanishing slowly into nothingness as the fortnight grows, the mind, too, will be lost fully in My meditation; and then it will become Myself in the course of time. This is a practice that I recommend to you. There is nothing that cannot be achieved through constant practice. Hence become one with Me by practice of this Yoga I have just narrated to you.’ (84, 12-104; 85, 12-105; 86, 12-106; 87, 12-108; 88, 12-109; 90, 6-420 and 89, 12-113; Dny).

Verse 90 

‘The cardinal principle behind this Yoga practice is the mind's nature. It has the trend that it goes after what it likes and desires. Hence if you show it a moment of blissfulness, it will be attached to its pleasure and run amok after it. Thus, the practice will continue by itself once the mind is lured thus.’ (6-420, Dny).

Verses 91 to 94 

‘Once you start practising, after some time, the Yoga process will become automatic. The senses will be controlled and repose in the mind; the mind will take into the Vayu which will then merge into the Akasha Tattwa. By this process of the Pantharaja aka Layayoga, the practice started with meditating upon Me just for a moment will bring the Samadhi state to fruition automatically. Only the person who has become free of desires, anger because of frustration of desires, and lust, will be able to achieve this final goal. That is the celestial high place where ‘OM’, ‘Tat’ and ‘Sat’, the trine Names of the Ishwara, take you to. It is the highest abode of the Ishwara from where this world originated.’ (91, 6-460; 92, 6-461; 93, 16- 444 and 94, 17-401; Dny).

Verses 95 and 96 

‘Once there in the highest place, you will become one with Me. Like the bead of gold is but only gold, you will be like Me by merging your Self unto Me. The Jnana of ‘Soham’, ‘I am That’, is cardinal to realization. By its assimilation, you will become Me and that is the final state of attainment by Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Yoga.' (95, 18-1400 and 96, 18-1405, Dny).

Verses 97 and 98 

'This is the Secret of the Rajavidya aka Rajayoga. It may be told to only one who is pure of mind and intellect; who is not a heretic; who does not slander Me, the Ishwara; who believes in Me, surrendering his Self unto Me. In the current times, there is none other than you who is eligible to be told this Secret Knowledge of the Rajayoga. That is why I, Shri Krishna, have fully narrated it to you. It could not be kept a secret from you, the most eligible person.’ (97, 9-40 and 98, 9-41; Dny).

Verses 99 and 100 

‘This is the top secret of Gita; call it its Mantra. One who delivers it to My devotees is like one who unites the mother with its separated baby who cannot survive without her. One who so unites My devotees with Gita would become one with Me after his death.’ (99, 18-1512 and 100, 18- 1513, Dny).

Verse 101 

Thus spake Lord Shri Krishna, the One Who is the Vishwatman, the Most Beautiful, Who is the Sight to all and Who inhabits all the Universe. (101, 18-1417, Dny).

Verses 102 and 103 

‘I, Dnyanadeva, say that the Gita is the celestial dialogue between Him, Lord Shri Krishna - the Ishwara, and Arjuna essentially, on the supreme important topic of Paramartha i.e. how to attain the unity with the Supreme. I rendered it into Marathi from original Sanskrit. It is a dialogue beyond words, of the Paramatman with the Atman. The unity with the Paramatman it gives is beyond the experience of the senses. Its objective, the Paramatman, is attained before the dialogue even starts. It is the Dialogue of all the dialogues that attracts even those who have renounced everything. It is the personified experience of the Saints and the Yogins who are at one with the Supreme in the ‘Soham’ state. All of them find this dialogue bewitching. It is the spoken word of the Divine Lord Shri Krishna – the Ishwara Himself.’ (102, 1-58 and 103, 1-53, Dny).

Verse 104 and 105 

‘The world calls it Gita. It is the essence of all the Vedas and the scriptures. It is the key that opens the doors to the antechamber of the Paramatman. Enter it by unlocking the door and embrace Him, the Supreme. It will then adorn you like the Gem which has no equal anywhere in the entire Creation. The cow produces milk for her calf. But the entire household gets to enjoy her milk. Similarly, Lord Shri Krishna narrated Gita for his beloved friend and devotee Arjuna to help him understand the essentials of uniting with the Paramatman and thus go beyond the Dharma and the Adharma. But it has also come handy to everyone in the world to enjoy the dialogue, to understand the secret of the Rajavidya it narrates, and to emancipate from worldly bonds, finally uniting with the Paramatman.’ (104, 18-1323 and 105, 18-1463, Dny).

Verse 106 and 107 

‘I have fully narrated that Divine dialogue to you all. In the end let me pray to the Vishwatman, the Lord of the Creation, that ‘If you are satisfied with this Yajna of the Superior Jnana that I have performed in the form of this narration of Gita, kindly bestow upon me this Prasada , Thine Grace. Let the evil be destroyed. Let the wicked turn to good deeds. Let all the beings love and befriend each other.’ (106, 18-1793 and 107, 18-1794, Dny). 

Verse 108 

The Vishwatman was pleased with Saint Dnyaneshwar’s entreaties. He said to him that ‘Indeed it will be so as you desire.’ The bestowal of the ultimate Grace for all the Beings of the World received thus from Him made Saint Dnyanadeva the happiest of all. (108, 18-1801, Dny).

Verse 109

And Filling to the Brim,

Handfuls Of Flowery

And Fragrant Words These,

Inspired by Him Indeed

And Untainted,

Proffer do I With Devotion,

Upon the Lotus Feet

Of the One Divine,

Who Is at The Heart

Of  Universe Mundane This. (109, 11-708, Dny).