Changdev Pasashti

 Last evening I wrote a post about an interaction I had during the day’s work with a young man whose life was stalled due to stress. As I was writing about the experience I was realizing within me, the meaning of a remarkable text like I had not understood after two readings of it prior. 

That text is Changdev Pasashti.

Dnyaaneshwar is credited with several important works of literature in Marathi. The most well known amongst them is the Bhavartha Deepika, popularly known as the Dnyaaneshwari. He has several abhangas in his name. Haripath is a collection of prayers that is widely recited by the warkaris but also other people. Besides that Dnyaneshwar authored two other texts that are considered Crown Jewels in Marathi spiritual literature. The Dnyaaneshwari was recited as part of discourses given during the stay at the town of Nevase where the siblings stayed for some time, soon after the incident of making a buffalo recite the Vedic verses in the presence of the elite priests in Paithan. A disciple took down what Dnyaneshwar was explaining in Marathi about the Sanskrit verses of the Bhagwad Gita. The idea was to make the meaning of an important text accessible to the common man from all walks of life, not just to the privileged Brahmin class. This was an act of democratization of Brahma Vidya for all. 

Although the examples Dnyaaneshwar used to illustrate the concept were entirely original, the basic premise of that text rested on the Bhagwad Gita. It was a commentary, A brilliant one without doubt but nevertheless based on a borrowed message. No one perhaps knew the real potential of Dnyaaneshwara better than his Guru and elder brother Sant Nivrittinath. Therefore, once the Dnyaaneshwari was completed, he commanded Dnyaaneshwara to write a treatise that would be entirely original based on his own knowledge. Dnyaaneshwar eventually wrote not one but two original treatises. One was Amritanubhav( also known as Anubhavamrit) and the other was Changdev Pasashti.

Amrutanubhav is addressed to an enlightened person like Nivrittinath, known as a Siddha. Changdev Pasashti, although it has the same underlying theme, it is addressed to a serious sadhak who has the qualifications required to grasp the philosophy but who is not there yet. He is short of being a siddha. Thus the Amrutanubhav is a conversation between two enlightened souls and the Changdev Pasashti is between one enlightened soul and the other who wishes enlightenment. 

Changdev was an advanced yogi practitioner who had employed his powers successfully to extend the longevity of his physical body to as many as 1400 years. He could experience the state of samadhi but once he was out of that state he could not experience the state of non dual consciousness like Dnyaaneshwar or Nivrittinath. In that sense he was incomplete in his knowledge. He had heard about the siblings in the context of the buffalo incident in Paithan and was convinced that they had special powers. He expressed his desire to meet them in person. Confused with himself being so much considerably older than these siblings he wasn’t sure how to address them. So he sent them a blank letter through a messenger who convey his request for a meeting. Upon Nivrittinath’s command Dnyaaneshwara responded to the blank letter and Chaangdev’s request with sixty five exclusive and original verses. This letter from a young yogi to the older yogi is what comprises the Changdev Pasashti.

f it is in God’s will, someday I may write in more details about the Changdev Pasashti. Today I just want to highlight perhaps the essence of the message of that book which is the oneness of consciousness. 

From Dnyaaneshwar’s standpoint not only his own true nature that of pure consciousness or Brahman, but even Chaangdev’s true nature was of the same pure consciousness. And in that state, there could be no real transaction of thought or ideas since they were both the identical consciousness. Dnyaaneshwar in fact was hesitant about a meeting in person, not because he wasn’t eager to meet Changdev, quite the contrary. But because the in-person meeting would risk descending from a state of immovable uncorrupted consciousness into a physical state, exercising a mind in the process, which would be inferior and unbecoming for both of them. 

As I was describing in last evening’s post how the day’s work flowed with contactless communication between me and the patients when I remained in the present moment and did not allow my conditioning to come in the way, Dnyaaneshwar’s philosophy was becoming more and more clear in my head. There is still work to be done because although I had learned yesterday the trick to keep the conditioning out of the way, the conditioning has not been erased and replaced permanently by the knowledge of pure consciousness. In other words, when the conditioning comes into effect, I still see myself as different from other people. Until that ceases to happen, there is still work to be done. I am not even in Changdev’s shoes, let alone Dnyaaneshwar’s . But I feel blessed to understand what Dnyaaneshwar is trying to convey. I hope more people are blessed to receive that unparalleled wisdom from the Master Himself . 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Would add here that one thing I learned from yesterday’s experience is that the conditioning or conditioned self is entirely disposable to be able function in the world. It is non essential. 

In some sense, it is an imposter! And needs to be closely watched over for mischief!

The reason it still exists in me is probably because prarabdha still remains to be exhausted.