Jnaneshwar was just 22 years old when he took mahasamadhi.  His childhood was marked with suffering, namely persecution by the rigid and overly orthodox Brahmins of his home, which contributed to the early demise of his parents.  He was left orphaned along with his older brother Nivrittinath (who became his beloved Guru), his younger brother Sopan, and his young sister Muktabai.  Together, they embodied true religious spirit and courage and determined to overcome their adversity.

Their story is highlighted by miracles Jnaneshwar performed which served to remove any taint on their social standing.  Jnaneshwar soon became revered as a saint and drew large audiences to listen to his teachings on the Bhagavad-Gita and the singing of his abhangas.  He became a leader in a powerful resurgence of devotional expression in Maharashtra.

Jnaneshwar wrote many famous works, including his most famous, Jnaneshwari. This wonderful treatment of the Bhagavad-Gita was written at the tender age of fifteen.  Drawn from the lectures he gave in Alandi, thus written in the Marathi language of the people he was addressing, Jnaneshwari is a rich embellishment of Krishna’s message to Arjuna.  It is adorned by colorful, often humorous similes that elucidate the original text with warmth.

His Amritanubhav, or Anubhavamrit (the nectar of experience), is an original terser, philosophical treatise, containing his exposition of the oneness of Shiva and Shakti.   From his own experience, Jnaneshwar describes the state of a living liberated soul (jivanmukta) - the state that transcends words and speech - the meaning of Sat-Chit-Ananda (existence, consciousness, and bliss).

“Changdev Pashashthi” is Jnaneshwar’s 65-verse response to a 1400-year-old yoga adept named Changdev, who had heard of Jnaneshwar‘s spiritual prowess and wished to meet him.  Changdev sent a blank letter to Jnaneshwar and his siblings, not knowing how to address them so young in age yet so complete in spiritual knowledge.  Upon seeing the blank page, Muktabai said, “After 1400 years, Changdev is still blank.”  Jnaneshwar’s response lovingly and deftly welcomes Changdev, but states that their meeting will occur without the existence of “otherness” because such a duality is truly unreal.  In the few verses contained in Changdev Pashashthi, he poetically describes how Reality, Consciousness, or Shiva manifests as the entire universe; the seer, seeing and the seen are created from one and the same consciousness; hence there can be no duality whatsoever.

With his dear friend Namdev, Jnaneshwar wrote and sang the praises of Vitthal/Panduranga far and wide, much to the joy of those who had their darshan (vision).  To this day, there has hardly been a waning of his popularity.  He remains one of India’s most beloved saints and his Samadhi Shrine in Alandi (in which he was voluntarily entombed in Nirvikalpa Samadhi while alive) is visited by thousands of people yearly.