THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT TELLS ABOUT VARIOUS WORKS BY DNYANESHWAR (JNANADEVA). FOR THOSE WHO CHERISH MADHURYA-RASA TOWARDS BHAGAVAN SHREE VISHNU, "VIRAHINI"-ABHANGAS WILL BE THE MOST INTERESTING ONES.
CHANGADEVA PASASHTHI
The Changadeva Pasashthi of Jnanadeva contains only 65 verses. They are addressed to Changadeva who was a hathayogi.
When Changadeva came in contact with Jnanadeva he realized the futility of his yogic powers. He gave up his Hatha-yoga and became Jnanadeva’s disciple.
This small work gives a clear exposition of the philosophy of Jnanadeva within a short compass.
HARIPATHA
The word Haripatha means remembering the Name of the Lord Hari with intense affection. The Haripatha consists of 28 Abhangas.
Jnanadeva describes in it the importance of the Name of the Lord. The utterance of the name of God is the only royal road to meet Him. All the other means like yogic practices, performance of sacrifice, wandering from one holy place to other, and bathing in the sacred waters, are of no avail.
The devotees of God feed upon the Nectar of His Name. There is neither time nor season for the utterance of God's Name. The name of God is like a door of His Temple.
If any one stands for a moment at this door he goes beyond the 4 salvations. The Haripatha is the outcome of the natural devotion described in the Amritanubhava.
NAMANA
The Namana is the hymn in praise of the Lord of the universe. It contains 108 in the ovi metre. Describing the importance of the prayer, Jnanadeva says:
“Prayer is the supreme end. It is the precious secret. It is the Divine experience. Prayer is the faith in God, nay, it is God Himself.”
VIRAHINI AND MISCELLANEOUS ABHANGAS.
The Abhangas are religious lyrics. About 900 Abhangas of Jnanadeva are available.
They are written on various subjects such as the description of the lovely form of God Vithal, the sweetness of the Name of the Lord, the advice to the aspirants, the greatness of the spiritual teacher, a criticism of religious superstitions and hypocricy, the futility of asceticism and the supremacy of the path of devotion (Bhakti).
There are some Abhangas of Jnanadeva, called ‘Virahini.’ The Virahini is a woman experiencing viraha or the pangs of separation from her lover.
In these Abhangas the Lord of the Universe is depicted as The Lover and His devotee as His beloved.
Divine Love is infinite an the finite individual who has tasted its sweetness is never satisfied. He wants to experience it again and again and always pines for fresh draughts.
This sweet and the highest experience of a devotee is expressed in the Virahini Abhangas. It is the culmination of the Haripatha or uttering the Name of the Lord with intense love.
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