Dnyaneshwar

History glossary

Also called: Jnaneshwar, Sant Dnyaneshwar, Jnanadeva · Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"

Meaning

Dnyaneshwar (also Jnaneshwar or Jnanadeva) was a Marathi bhakti saint of the late 13th century. He wrote the Jnaneshwari (c. 1290), a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Marathi, and he is honoured as the founding figure of the Varkari tradition, whose devotees worship Vitthala at Pandharpur.

He matters because he took the Gita out of Sanskrit and put it into the language ordinary people spoke. This opened the way for the Marathi sant tradition that came after him.

Explanation

Background: family and early life

According to tradition, his father Vitthalpant became a sannyasi (a monk who gives up home life). He later returned to family life on his guru's order.
Local Brahmanas expelled the family from caste, because a monk was not supposed to go back to being a householder. The children grew up as outcasts.
There were four children:
Nivruttinath, the eldest brother, who was also Dnyaneshwar's guru.
Dnyaneshwar.
Sopandev.
Muktabai, his sister, who was herself a poet-saint.
Through Nivruttinath, Dnyaneshwar was linked to the Nath tradition (a line of yogis who worshipped Shiva).
This harsh treatment by caste rules shaped his message: God is open to everyone.

His works

Jnaneshwari, also called Bhavarthadipika, was composed c. 1290, traditionally at Nevasa (Maharashtra).
It explains the Bhagavad Gita verse by verse in Marathi poetry.
It is one of the earliest great works of Marathi literature.
Amritanubhav is a shorter work of philosophy. It explains how the soul and God are one.
Abhangs (short devotional songs in Marathi). The Haripath, a set of abhangs on chanting God's name, is credited to him and is still sung by Varkaris.

His main ideas

Bhakti is open to all. You need love for God, not high caste, Sanskrit learning or costly rituals.
Use the people's language. Sacred knowledge should not stay locked in Sanskrit.
God is worshipped as Vitthala (Vithoba), a form of Vishnu/Krishna, at Pandharpur.
Stay in daily life. Devotees could worship God while living ordinary family lives, without becoming monks.
He brought Gita philosophy, Nath yoga and popular bhakti together in one tradition.

Results and later influence

According to tradition, he took samadhi (a saint's chosen final meditation and death) at Alandi, near Pune, in 1296, while still very young.
He became the first great figure of the Varkari ("pilgrim") tradition.
Varkaris go on the wari, a yearly walking pilgrimage to Pandharpur, most famously for Ashadhi Ekadashi.
A palkhi (palanquin) carrying his padukas (sacred sandals) still sets out from Alandi.
Later saints followed his path: Namdev (his contemporary), Eknath (16th century) and Tukaram (17th century). Saints also came from lower castes, such as Chokhamela.

Time, place and evidence

Period: late 13th century (traditionally c. 1275–1296; these dates are approximate).
Region: Maharashtra, under the Yadava kings of Devagiri.
Named places:
Alandi: his samadhi.
Nevasa: where the Jnaneshwari was composed, according to tradition.
Pandharpur: shrine of Vitthala, the centre of the Varkari tradition.
Key people: Nivruttinath (brother and guru), Sopandev, Muktabai, and Namdev (contemporary saint).
How we know:
His own texts: the Jnaneshwari, Amritanubhav and his abhangs.
The songs of later sants.
The living Varkari tradition.
Many details of his life, such as the expulsion from caste, come from hagiographies (life stories written by devotees). Treat these as tradition, not proven fact.
The wider setting: Maharashtra bhakti grows from the 13th century. Its centre is Pandharpur, its saints are called sants, and their songs are abhangs in Marathi.

Don't confuse with

Ramdas (Samarth Ramdas): a 17th-century saint of Maharashtra who worshipped Rama, is linked to Shivaji and wrote the Dasbodh. He belongs to the Ramdasi tradition, not the Varkari tradition.
Tukaram: also a Varkari saint of Pandharpur, but from the 17th century, about 350 years after Dnyaneshwar. He is famous for his abhangs, not for a Gita commentary.
Namdev: lived at the same time as Dnyaneshwar and was also a Varkari, but he was a tailor by caste. Some of his verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Dnyaneshwar's are not.
Basavanna's vachanas: vachanas are free-verse sayings in Kannada from Karnataka (12th century). Abhangs are devotional songs in Marathi from Maharashtra (from the 13th century).

Prelims Hooks

Jnaneshwari (c. 1290) = a Marathi commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, by Dnyaneshwar.
Vitthala/Vithoba at Pandharpur = the deity of the Varkari tradition. Dnyaneshwar's samadhi is at Alandi.
Muktabai = his sister. Nivruttinath = his elder brother and guru.
Order of Marathi sants: Dnyaneshwar (13th c.) → Namdev (13th–14th c.) → Eknath (16th c.) → Tukaram (17th c.).
Abhang = a Marathi devotional song. Do not mix it up with the Kannada vachana or the Tamil hymns of the Alvars.
Trap: the Jnaneshwari is a commentary on the Gita, not on the Bhagavata Purana or the Ramayana.

Mains Points

Regional language as a challenge to Brahmana control: by explaining the Gita in Marathi, Dnyaneshwar let ordinary people reach sacred knowledge directly. This mirrors Basavanna's Kannada vachanas. In both regions, religious authority moved away from Sanskrit and from Brahmana control.
Bhakti that stays inside the tradition but opens it to all: unlike the Virashaivas, Dnyaneshwar did not reject the Vedic-Gita framework. He worked inside it but opened it to all castes and to women, such as Muktabai. This makes him a good contrast with Basavanna, whose movement broke away from that framework, when answering a question on the many forms bhakti took.
Continuity and social impact: the Varkari tradition he began has lasted more than 700 years. Through the wari and the abhangs it mixed people of different castes, shaped Marathi identity and literature, and built the cultural ground for later Maharashtra, including the age of the Marathas.

Related concepts

Reforming the south: Ramanuja and the Virashaiva tradition

Sources

1Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions" (primary)