Women Saints of Maharashtra: Part 1

 Wisdom of The Women Saints Of Maharashtra:

Part 1

Preface:

Having spent the entire adult years asserting the rights as an individual, as a woman, as a medical professional and what not, the spiritual journey was calling for undoing all those identities internally. Or to be more accurate, to distance from these identities. Needless to say there were several times when confusion would arise in the mind whether to assert or let go. 

Studying the lives of the saints contributed to finding clarity in the path at every turn. Particularly useful were the stories from the lives of the women saints. Each was like a mother who quietly instilled life’s lessons. 

My views on women’s achievements may not sit well with several women but I will be honest about the views and open to fair criticism if it comes my way. Achievements of any individual, whether a woman or a man, can very rarely if ever, be possible without the contributions from the opposite gender. While it is true that in the context of social hierarchies women have always had a tougher fight for their rights and freedoms, yet in those fights and victories, there have been significant contributions from men. The same holds true for battles that men had to fight for their own causes. Women were often instrumental in helping them. 

In the thirteenth century there was Muktabai, the fourth and youngest of siblings amongst Dnyaaneshwar and two other brothers, all orphaned at a tender age. 

An orphaned child of 8 or 9 stepping in, to spontaneously console and advise a sibling, with verses steeped in deep spiritual wisdom that went on to be earmarked as a literary classic is no ordinary feat. The sibling she so earnestly counseled about his purpose in life was no ordinary human either. He was Dnyaaneshwara who came to be regarded as the brightest amongst all spiritual giants, of not just his time but of all times. 

In total, Muktabai lived as a mortal for only 18 years from 1279 through 1297. And everything that history says about her is a cause for great intrigue. How could anyone achieve so much within such a short span? 

The episode revolving around Changdev is something to be studied carefully.  Changdev was a yogi who had extended the longevity of his physical body to 1400 years through yogic powers. He could remain in the state of yoga samadhi for extended periods suspending body and mind movements and subduing the ego in that state. Once he was out of that transcendental state however he was like any other human with a human identity, virtues and vices. A good amount of disciples were taken to him and humored his ego. It was easy to get deluded by such attention and deliberately display his acquired powers to a gathering of cheering supporters. When this vanity was met with its first challenge in centuries in the form of four young siblings it was a major crossing point in his life. 

The siblings had become more visible in the public eye after the incident in Paithan when Dnyaaneshwar elicited Vedic chants from a buffalo in the presence of elite priests. Changdev was intrigued by their powers and also confused about how to communicate with them given the great difference in age. The chronology of events marking their interactions is unclear but certain things are documented by several sources of that period. Changdev sent a messenger to Alandi to express his desire to meet the siblings. He sent along a letter with no inscription on it. The blank letter has been variously interpreted. Some sources claim Changdev couldn’t make up his mind about how to address the young ascetics because their spiritual prowess appeared superior to his own but he was much older by age. Other line of thought is that he was testing them for their ability to read his mind. Upon receiving the letter, the reactions from Nivrittinath and Muktabai differed greatly and serve as mirrors for their respective temperaments. Muktabai was outspoken and did not take the gesture kindly. She mocked that despite so many years of yoga practice, Changdev has remained blank. Her pointed remarks were indicative of her observation of the arrogance within Changdev. Nivrittinath remained poised. There was benevolence in his position. To him, the blank letter meant Changdev’s mind was ready to receive knowledge. It was a clean slate. He saw opportunity for teaching where Muktabai saw a need for corrective action. On the surface both look alike but the perception and attitude are very different. There can be love and then there can be tough love. The same blank letter, like anything else, was inert in itself. Yet it could convey both positive and negative messages.

I find it interesting when I try to understand the psychology behind the difference between Muktabai’s interpretation and Nivrittinath’s interpretation. It is not too difficult to see why each responded the way they did. It is the same difference you may expect to see when a black man goes to meet a white man versus when a white man goes to meet a white man for the first time. There is likelihood of more mutual mistrust in the first scenario than in the second.  This refers to what we call unconscious bias. Whether we acknowledge it or not, unconscious bias plays a role in interactions between men and women. For a woman, interacting with men known to be protective towards her is not the same as interacting with men who are not known to her. If you take note, Muktabai’s direct yet softened tone in the Taatiche Abhang is far different from her addresses to other men like Namdev and Changdev.  

It may interest you to know how the story proceeded with Changdev and the siblings. When I had presented the talk about Taatiche Abhang, someone from the audience had brought up a question about Changdev Pasashti. Contrary to the belief that Muktabai authored that text, Dnyaaneshwar was the real author of that one. Upon receiving the blank letter, Nivrittinath asked Dnyaaneshwara to write an appropriate response to the elder Changdev. 

The siblings were wise enough to recognize where Changdev stands in matters of spiritual maturity. They drew objective conclusions about what his strengths were and what he lacked. His advanced knowledge of yoga was no secret to anyone. With such rare skills he could maintain the fourth state of consciousness or Turiya avastha (state) for extended periods. The ego, mind and intellect could be brought under control in that state. But they were not permanently annihilated. That was Changdev’s shortcoming. When he descended from Turiya avastha, the waking state was real for him. Until and unless he was fully convinced that this state has no reality of its own, he could not be liberated. Nivrittinath prodded Dnyaaneshwara to convey this lesson to Changdev. And therefore Dnyaneshwar sat down and wrote the message in sixty five original verses that elucidated two important doctrines. First is that the self is not what people commonly believe it to be. It is beyond all the sheaths that can be perceptible to the intellect. The second part of the doctrine is to conclusively demonstrate that the self within any individual and the universal self or Brahman are not separate from each other. They are the same entity. That is, Atman and Brahman are a single entity.

Upon reading this letter Changdev became very well versed in the theoretical basis of what he needed to know. But the actual experience of these truths still remained out of his reach. Having realized that, Changdev requested Dnyaaneshwar to become his Guru. 

Now the most interesting part for me was how, despite Changdev’s specific enchantment with Dnyaaneshwar’s brilliance and skills in teaching a difficult subject, Dnyaneshwar and Nivrittinath both believed that for Changdev, the most appropriate Guru would be Muktabai and not either of the brothers. Muktabai was only 10 years old at the time and if we decide to believe the legend, Changdev was 1400 years old. 140 times older than Muktabai. Thus Muktabai became the youngest woman to assume the important position of a Guru to an advanced yogi. And we are referring to the situation in the thirteenth century when women did not even have the privilege to formal education. 

What must be the thought behind this decision? It has to do with the unconscious bias we talked about earlier. Like Nivrittinath and Dnyaaneshwar, Muktabai too was very well versed in the knowledge and experience of Atma Vidya. This made her qualified to serve as a guru to Changdev. But she still needed to overcome the unconscious bias towards men that remained in her intellect. Changdev needed not only the experience of Atma Vidya but also overcoming of his unconscious biases with respect to age and gender. Unless both their intellects surrendered these residual weaknesses, their education would not be considered complete. 

Moving forward, there is an incident described in the lives of Changdev and Muktabai that may likely be misunderstood by those who do not have the faintest idea about Atma Vidya. That story goes like this. Dnyaaneshwar and Changdev had a long conversation under the banyan tree in Alandi. At the end of it Dnyaneshwar invited Changdev home. When they entered, Changdev caught a glimpse of Muktabai having a bath. An embarrassed Changdev hastily made an about turn. Muktabai called him out for that. Her reasoning for the admonition was that in his mind she was still the physical body!! He had failed to see her as her true self. His education was not yet complete. 

The stories appear strange at first glance. But when you think deeply you realize the truths they are speaking about. It is very easy on the surface to think I am not the physical body, you are not the physical body, you and me are one. But we often tend to forget that there is a difference between thinking and knowing. The old conditioning is not so easy to erase from the mind and intellect. Only in tough situations like this bath incident, does rubber meet the road, and one finds out where they stand with the philosophy. If I really want to master Atma Vidya, do I have the courage to walk the talk? Can I irrefutably know and act at any given moment that the physical domain is not real? Each sadhak must answer this question to themselves. Often, the attachment to the physical body proves easier to give up than free oneself from the grip of old mental and intellectual conditionings. I urge you to read this sentence again and again.

To be able to call a spade a spade was one of Muktabai’s distinctive qualities. She showed the audacity to point out the egoism in a recognized saint of the time like Namdev and became instrumental in his subsequent spiritual growth. In a lifespan of merely 18 years she left behind a legacy that shines bright by itself in the midst of the star power of her illustrious brother and number of other male saints. 

Some highlights from her poetry:

Vishwa pata Bramha dora 

This single line with four simple words is equivalent to a Mahavakya! Compare this with’Sarva Khalvidam Bramha!’

Avaghi sadhan hatavati 

Moley milat nahi haati 

This practical advice for self effort can never be irrelevant. 

Jeebh datanni chavili 

Koni battishi todili

Eka pasun anek zaale

Tyansi pahije sambhalile 

Sant jene vhave, jag bolane sahave

Yogi pawan manacha saahi apradh janacha 

In these words, one can find that behind the outward facade of the young girl who often came across as rude, blunt , disrespectful and ruthlessly critical was actually a very thoughtful and caring soul who believed in taking upon personal hardships for the larger good. 

A closer examination of her biography reveals the unique brilliance and saintliness of her manifestation that maintained its integrity despite a life of immense suffering throughout the short span. The lives of her illustrious brothers would be incomplete without her bridging sisterhood. And her life too cannot be seen without taking into account the democratic values displayed by her brothers at every step towards her, in times that were far more orthodox than our times. The mutual affection they cherished throughout their lives was even more evident when one after another they bid farewell to the mortal existence. 

She outlived Dnyaaneshwar and Sopandev. Her mortal life ended with a dramatic disappearance amidst a lightning bolt in the vicinity of the Tapi River. Her disciple Changdev took the lead in establishing a shrine for her at the site that came to be known as Muktai Nagar( previously called Edalabad). He also is credited with starting her palkhi ritual (yatra) during the annual Pandharpur (wari) pilgrimage. He survived Muktabai by approximately 8-10 years, passing away in 1305. In his writings we can find glorious tributes to her as well as to her brothers. Similar tributes are found in the writings of many other saints from the thirteenth century and later periods. 

It is a paradox that the highest teaching of a self realized saint like Muktabai was to look beyond the gender and such physical attributes, for us to see her not as a woman or even human species but as the single reality that everyone and everything truly is, yet she stands as a perfect role model for any woman who is seriously seeking spiritual progress. We follow what we identify with. At least in the beginning stages until our leader, our teacher, tells us to throw away those identities. From her example we can learn that just like gender, age is no bar for spiritual maturity. Your order of birth too need not come in the way of guiding your family. At any given time if you have more confidence about what is right and what is wrong, then you should not be afraid to speak up. The high and mighty may just listen to you if you are on the side of truth and wisdom. 

Unlike many other women saints of her times, she came from a family of Brahmins. Access to Vedic teachings was a privilege for her because of her family. Nevertheless, circumstances specific to her family brought a lot of social maltreatment to her share. This suffering and the deep devotion to the divine truth is a common thread that links her with the other women saints. Her scholarly brilliance is what makes her stand out amongst them. 

In this series let us study the lives of a few other women saints from Maharashtra. I will post as and when I have more to share about those remarkable women.