Sunday Special!-Jyot se Jyot Jagatey chalo.............!
Sant Gyaneshwar
Jyot Se Jyot Jalate Chalo
Prem Ki Ganga Bahate Chalo
Raah Mein Aaye Jo Deen Dukhi
Sab Ko Gale Se Lagate Chalo
My own loose translationAs you go along light another’s lamp with your own
Let the river of love flow as you go
If you meet anyone with sorrow along your way
Embrace him as you go
I am reminded of a story I read long ago, yet cannot find. Here is it paraphrased (which I know is not as beautiful as the original).
A man made the long journey to the sacred fire. He crossed rivers and went over mountains. With his candle lit, he began the journey home. Along the way, he came across a women with an unlit lamp, who asked him to light her lamp with his own. Not thinking of the pains he took to light his lamp, he put his candle to hers. As he continued, the rains came down, extinguishing his light. But he had shared his light with another. So instead of having to take the long journey to the fire, he made his way back to the woman and lit his lamp from hers.
As you light your lamp, embrace the nature of its fire that does not diminish when shared with others.
SANT GYANESHWAR
(1275 to 1296 AD.) He died –rather took Samadhi – at the age of 22. He lived his life mostly at Alandi, near Pune
His main contribution is “Gyaneshwari”, a commentary in Marathi in verse form on Bhagwad Gita, written when he was only 15 years old. He felt that Sanskrit was not meant for the common people and wrote the Marathi commentary.
His father Vithal Pant, married but childless left his wife Rukmini and went away to Varanasi. There he took deeksha but his guru came to know that he had abandoned his wife. The Guru cancelled his deeksha and packed him off saying that he should not become a yogi before completing grihasthashram. He then joined his wife and had four children – son Nivrutti, son Gyanesh, son Sopan and daughter Mukta. The four children made one unit in their life, sufferings and happiness. The Chief Brahmin of Alandi made Vithal Pant, and his family, Brahmin outcasts because of his return from sanyasa in Kashi to grihastha in Alandi. This made the life of Vithal family miserable. But the kids had special courage to meet any hardships.
Problem of the children becoming Brahmins: Vithal Pant was told by the chief Brahmin that his children could be made Brahmins if he sacrificed his life. So Vithal Pant and wife Rukmini commit suicide by drowning in a river. But the Chief Brahmin of Alandi wants the four kids to go to Paithan (near Aurangabad and a pilgrim centre) and get their “shuddikaran” (clean up) certificate before the kids could be made Brahmins. The kids trudge to Paithan where initially shuddikaran was refused when Gyaneshwar refused a condition that they would not allow an untouchable’s shadow to touch them. Gyaneshwar argues with the Chief Brahmin of Paithan that all creations are the same and he gets ridiculed. He was asked whether a buffalo is the same as him. At this, a nearby buffalo starts quoting from Vedas. This was a miracle. The boys were then at once invested with sacred thread. Gyaneshwar evolves from a boy into a Sant.
Gyaneshwar’s philosophy:
He went against strict Manu shastra. He believed that all humans are equal, and in fact all God’s creation to be equal. Humanity, compassion, charity, braveness etc were given importance. Caste differences were condemned.
Warkari panth and Pandharpur pilgrimages:
Gyaneshwar adopted the principles of the Nath Panth. (Panth is a group). He wanted all people to become spiritual. He thought that Sanskrit was not meant for the common man. That is why he wrote the Gita commentary in Marathi which all people could read and understand.
Pre-knowledge of heliocentrism:
Could the Sant have known that the sun was stationary and the planets were moving around the sun? That was the time the world believed that the world moved around the Earth.
SAMADHI:
At the age of 22, the Sant decided that his life’s work was accomplished. He announced to the public that he would take Samadhi. Accordingly, he enclosed himself in a closed space and took Samadhi. This Samadhi in Alandi is still extant.
Jyot se Jyot Jagate Chalo (Lata) Prayer song with lyrics - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EyFRTGQ4s
Jul 10, 2017 - Uploaded by Atreyee Ray
Atreyee sings Lata Mangeshkar's Jyot se Jyot Jagate Chalo Bhajan from the 1964 Hindi flim Sant ...Searched ,Compiled and Illustrated by Tejinder Kamboj
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