Women Saints of Maharashtra : Part 2

 Wisdom of The Women Saints Of Maharashtra:

Part 2:

Preface:

Spiritual ignorance translates into social dysfunction. In the course of the story of Muktabai we saw the phenomenon of unconscious bias. The remedy for bias is increased awareness. Awareness has no social identity such as age, gender, race. Taking shelter in awareness can bring reform and liberation. 

We often see a disconnect between spirituality and social issues. When we talk about freedom in the social context, there is a lot of talk about physical, intellectual, emotional, economic, professional or political freedom. But spiritual freedom is frequently overlooked, forgotten or neglected. If any, it gets secondary consideration. It is considered irrelevant.

Spiritual freedom shares a complex relationship with other types of freedom such as intellectual or financial freedom. The power that comes from physical and intellectual freedom poses a barrier for achieving spiritual freedom. Because along the way, the ego gets strengthened and now you are fighting to defeat it. All along, this ego learned not to accept defeat from others. Now you are making it sing a different tune. It’s not easy. It keeps asserting itself constantly. Historically it has been easier for the humble men and women raised in poverty and experiencing social suffering to have exceptional devotion. Their ego was at a minimum and that was their biggest advantage. 

To enjoy spiritual freedom, one is constantly trying to silence the chaos of the talkative mind and boastful ego. How much ever divergent spiritual and other liberties appear at the outset, eventually they seem to converge. One tends to pull towards the other despite contradictory goals and facing different sets of challenges. Especially, if spiritual insights come early, reconciliation with physical and intellectual freedom becomes easier. The concepts of physical and intellectual independence undergo significant change under the lens of spiritual insights. Their orientation undergoes a shift. Initially the physical and intellectual freedoms are directed to be pulled out from the hands of other people or prevented from being controlled by others. That translates into your own ego taking charge of your life. Any other person becomes an adversary. The same ego when it comes under the roof of the spirit, the perspective towards the world changes dramatically, without surrendering physical and intellectual independence to the world. Instead of viewing the world as an adversary, it becomes the beneficiary of the fruits of labor that arise out of your physical and mental freedom. 

Perhaps because spirituality was not afforded much sociopolitical and economic importance, generally patriarchy has not posed a serious obstacle for spiritual empowerment of women. Religious freedoms were suppressed but spiritual freedoms could not be restricted. Men did not suspect that spiritual empowerment could bring intellectual empowerment and thus threaten their authority. 

Spiritual liberation is a beast that is quite different from the rest. The enemy blocking its path is within you. In many ways it is much more formidable and deceptive than the enemy outside. While formal education for women faced obstacles for centuries, devotion(bhakti),

Wisdom( dnyan) and moksha( spiritual liberation) were not out of the reach for women.  Therefore many women saints could make their mark in the spiritual field without any formal education. The path of devotion or bhakti was especially easiest and most accessible for the women, notwithstanding their social status. Muktabai was one of the few women whose path leaned more on dnyan (wisdom)than bhakti ( devotion), though when you look carefully, Bhakti is unmistakably infused into her dnyaan. And dnyan is invariably seen in the women whose primary inclination was bhakti. 

There were always women in every era who successfully achieved spiritual freedom and spearheaded movements to enlighten others whether primarily through bhakti or dnyan. Taking examples from Maharashtra there are a number of names that come to mind besides the dynamic Muktabai. 

Janabai:

A contemporary of Muktabai and perhaps a bit older and more long lived than her was Sant Janabai. She lived in Pandharpur as a maid in the household of Sant Namdev. 

She was born in a family from the Matang community, which had a very lowly status. She was very young when her mother died. Her father brought her to the home of Dama Sheti and Gonai who were from a tailor community. This couple was inclined towards devotion to Vitthala. They had a son Namdev who was even more devoted to Vitthala. He was a few years younger than Janabai. They were growing up together in the same household and Janabai being older of the two, took care of Namdev. She had heard that she could attain God by serving his devotee. As Namdev’s spiritual strength matured, recognizing his earnest dedication to Vitthala, Janabai became Namdev’s disciple. 

Her own life is independently marked with remarkable devotion (bhakti) and surrender to Vitthala. There are multiple stories from her journey that describe how Vitthala helped her in her household chores. Rather than understand( or question) these stories by seeing them in a physical context, it becomes more realistic to consider them as tasks executed through her physical body while she remained in a devotional trance with the thought of Vitthala. Similar to the story of Ram weaving Kabir’s shawl. 

Speaking of Sant Kabir, a popular incident from her life involves her meeting with this saint in the village of Gopalpur on the outskirts of Pandharpur. Kabir had made the long pilgrimage from northern India to meet Namdev and Janabai upon hearing about their greatness. As he entered Gopalpur he saw Janabai having a heated argument with another woman over govarya ( cakes dried out of cow dung). The dispute was about ownership, which govarya belonged to which woman. Kabir was almost on the verge of disillusionment about Janabai’s reputation when he decided to enquire how Janabai could be confident about which govarya were hers. Janabai’s answer was simple. For Kabir, it was hard to believe. Janabai told him that with the grace of her Guru Namdev she had immersed herself into Vitthal and the name of Vitthal was automatically embodied in her tasks. Kabir has his doubts. These doubt ended when he put his ear to the individual govarya and heard the sound of Vitthala coming out of Janabai’s govarya. Such was the power of her devotion. The fight with the other woman was simply staged with the intention to teach her the difference between work done with and without devotion. 

Some highlights from Janabai’s poetry:

While many of her abhangas are popular amongst the warkaris, let’s see two out of these. 

One of them is recorded in the voice of Smt Manik Verma. Jani Namayachi rangali keertani.

The other, jyacha sakha Hari tyavari, is rendered by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. 

Jani Namayachi Rangali Keertani:

Jani Namayachi Rangali Keertani

Tithe Chakrapani dhaav gheyi 

Mukhi Hari naam, netra pail teeri 

Devachi Pandhari moksha vatey 

Dalitaa kanditaa vaahataa kaavadi 

Chintanaat godi Vitthalachya

Chakra takuniya dalavey Hari ne

Bhaktaanche Deva ne daas vhaave 

Julo asey naate, jalo garva hevaa 

Tuzi aas Devaa Panduranga 

जनी नामयाची रंगली कीर्तनी

तिथे चक्रपाणि धाव घेई.

मुखी हरी नाम, नेत्र पैलतीरी

देवाची पंढरी मोक्ष वाटे

दळिता कांडिता, वाहता कावडी

कीर्तनात गोडी विठ्ठलाच्या

चक्र टाकूनिया दळावे हरीने

भक्तांचे देवाने दास व्हावे

जुळो असे नाते, जळो गर्व हेवा

तुझी आस देवा पांडूरंगा 

Here, she is describing her own life. Referring to herself as Namayachi Jani ( Namdev’s Janabai) she tells us, she got immersed in the keertan of Vitthala. Namdev’s home routinely hosted spiritual discourses in the evening. Villagers would gather and either Namdev himself or another qualified devotee would present in prose and musical style the stories in praise of Vitthala. Janabai though herself never been through a formal school, was drawn to hear these discourses with great interest and enthusiasm. In the course of standing at a distance and listening intently she would forget herself and drown in the thought of Vitthala by means of the keertan. The keertan would color her entire being. Jani Namayachi Rangali Keertani. जनी नामयाची रंगली कीर्तनी !

तिथे चक्रपाणि धाव घेई. There Chakrapani rushed to be. Chakrapani is Vishnu or Krishna, one holding the Sudarshan Chakra in his hands. Vitthala is considered a later incarnation of Krishna. Where Janabai stood immersed in the thought of Vitthala, there Vitthala rushed promptly. Both stood in a unified presence there. 

मुखी हरी नाम, नेत्र पैलतीरी

देवाची पंढरी मोक्ष वाटे

दळिता कांडिता, वाहता कावडी

कीर्तनात गोडी विठ्ठलाच्या

What was her daily routine like? Constant chanting of the holy name मुखी हरी नाम, whether mentally or aloud, and thought( inward eye) turned to the abode of the divine spirit  नेत्र पैलतीरी. For her, that abode, the home of Vitthala, Pandharpur were synonymous with liberation देवाची पंढरी मोक्ष वाटे. 

Deriving joy from the keertan of Vitthala कीर्तनात गोडी विठ्ठलाच्या she went through the day performing laborious tasks such as grinding grains manually in the traditional stone grinder दळिता, sifting the husk कांडिता , carrying containers of water over both shoulders वाहता कावडी from the river to the home. These tasks never felt burdensome to her because at every moment she was experiencing joy in the thought of Vitthala. 

When an individual earns his or her place as a true devotee of God, he/she gets the right to expect things from Master. Even rightfully dictate orders to the Lord. Ropes are reversed without a problem. भक्तांचे देवाने दास व्हावे! This is not to be misinterpreted as egoistic behavior. It is coming from a place of love. Just like a wife can ask her husband to give her a massage or a child can make his father lift him in the arms when he feels tired. With the same emotional authority Janabai says instead of standing in his own glory with the chakra ( wheel) in his hand चक्र टाकूनिया, God must get down to share the load of his devotee’s work. She calls on him to grind the grains दळावे हरीने with her. Give her some respite. 

Then she explains, that may such be the understanding between God and his devotees, where both become equals. There remains no false pride, superiority or envy between them. 

चक्र टाकूनिया दळावे हरीने

भक्तांचे देवाने दास व्हावे

जुळो असे नाते, जळो गर्व हेवा

तुझी आस देवा पांडूरंगा 

She breaks the stereotype of a God standing idly watching the world serve him as slaves. This is quite a revolutionary take on the hierarchy that had been prevalent for eons. If you expect me to serve you, I expect you to lend me a hand in my work. Square and fair! She sets new standards for the relationship and introduces the concept of equality in a give and take relationship. I have these hopes from you oh Panduranga. I will surrender myself completely to you if you come halfway. 

Janabai remained single all her life. Her relationship with men was twofold: as a disciple to Namdev (who she saw as having greater spiritual authority), and as a devotee to Vitthala. But through her definition of surrender she has indirectly spelled out how an ideal marriage between a woman and a man ought to be. In the Hindu tradition women are taught to consider their husband as God. पती देव भव! Husband is God. Indeed, if, he comes through as an equal! Until then the woman shall remain her own boss or consider God as her boss. Janabai was a trailblazer who laid down terms and her expectations for God! And God obliged because she showed the earnestness in her service. Ladies, God is no fool to massage your feet when you have no real inclination to work for him, to do your assigned duties with love and diligence. Every woman needs to see the full picture of Janabai’s life. She worked day and night, hard jobs involving manual labor, doing it all happily and with dignity and devotion. God would be at fault if he did not serve her! And he was smart enough to not invite fault upon himself. Janabai showed us the power of a true devotee. 

Let us study the second abhang from Janabai.

Jyacha sakha Hari tyavari:

ज्याचा सखा हरी ।

Jyacha sakha Hari tyavari

Vishwa krupa kari 

Une pado nedi tyanche 

Vare sosi aaghaatache 

Tayavina kshanbhari 

Kada aapan navhe doori 

Anga apule odhoni 

Tyala rakhi jo nirvani 

Aisa ankit bhaktansi

Mhane Namayachi dasi 

ज्याचा सखा हरी ।
त्यावरी विश्व कृपा करी ॥१॥
उणें पडों नेदी त्याचें ।
वारें सोसी आघाताचें ॥२॥
तयावीण क्षणभरी ।
कदा आपण नव्हे दुरी ॥३॥
आंगा आपुले ओढोनी ।
त्याला राखे जो निर्वाणीं ॥४॥
ऐसा अंकित भक्तांसी ।
ह्मणे नामयाची दासी ॥५॥

Here she elaborates more on the theme about the two way relationship between God and his devotees. 

When you become friends with God you become privy to certain exclusive benefits without asking for them. These are extras thrown in when you just signed up for love. 

The entire universe confers blessings on you. It re-aligns to facilitate you in your task once you enter into a friendship with the creator of the universe. ज्याचा सखा हरी त्यावरी विश्व कृपा करी.

God ascertains that the devotee never lacks anything. उणें पडों नेदी त्याचें  This echoes Shri Krishna’s assurance in the Bhagwad Gita, chapter 9, verse 22 in which he says that he takes over the responsibility of Yoga-Kshem of his sincere devotee. 

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते 
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् 

Yoga in this context refers to providing what is missing and essential, kshema is protecting what is already there and necessary for life. 

The needs of people are not uniform across the board. When a person quits chasing his own desires or ambitions and desists working for acquisition, instead begins to focus on the work in a spirit of submission to God’s will, he witnesses that whatever is truly essential, somehow becomes available for him. A sense of contentment that never arrives when constantly pursuing desires now becomes palpable. Less  begins to seem more. At times, even when you say enough, something valuable lands in your plate out of divine favor and you can’t refuse. 

The opposite also happens. Adversities are stopped in their tracks before they reach you. You are miraculously shielded from them by an unseen hand. वारें सोसी आघाताचें . The universe is in a damage control mode where your life is concerned. Big accidents are averted or mitigated. Situations with potential for serious consequences are dissipated within matter of moments leaving you wondering how it all happened. वारें सोसी आघाताचें. The devotee can recognize that God is actively shielding him from major storms and troubles without having to call for help. Because God doesn’t even for a moment lose sight of his faithful devotee. तयावीण क्षणभरी कदा आपण नव्हे दुरी.

She re-emphasizes saying he pulls the devotee close,so as to guard him under any circumstances until the very last moment. आंगा आपुले ओढोनी ।

त्याला राखे जो निर्वाणीं

Janabai has no hesitation to vouch for God’s commitment to his devotee. She attests that God remains indebted to his devotees and proves it at every turn.

ऐसा अंकित भक्तांसी ।
ह्मणे नामयाची दासी 

It is important to recognize here that all the above attestations on behalf of God are coming from a woman who has had firsthand experiences of these in her personal life. It is not some random person talking through their head. What we are getting from Janabai’s account about the equation with God is that here, there is never unrequited love. Perhaps because with God it is always a legitimate relationship unlike in some other scenarios. And unlike even some legitimate relationships, God never lacks his sense of fairness and forgets to reciprocate. Even with such certainty of reciprocation people don’t turn to God for love! It is truly baffling. 

I have described only 2 of Janabai’s abhangas. She has left behind a rich legacy of literature in the form of nearly 350 abhangas that carry her distinct mark. Most of these are included in the Namdev Gatha. As we saw, she signs off on each of her abhangas as Namayachi dasi, or Namayachi Jani, the servant of Namdev. It is a mark of obeisance, an acknowledgment that her ego is surrendered to her guru. In life and in death she surrendered to him. She passed away soon after him. Her samadhi lies along that of Namdev at the entrance of the Vitthala Temple in Pandharpur true to her vision देवाची पंढरी मोक्ष वाटे.

 Several of her contemporaries and successors have showered genuine praise upon her and acknowledged her spiritual achievements. 

In our modern world and the ongoing fight for women’s rights and empowerment, we put a lot of emphasis on educational and economic freedom. Rightfully so. Yet, it is worth a careful consideration of the fact that Janabai had none of it. In the absence of any formal literacy or financial privilege she reached the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment and this alone was enough to make her empowered. It is a matter to be contemplated upon when a statement is made that God or Guru makes a devotee or disciple his equal in every way. After nearly eight centuries, a poor, orphaned, uneducated woman who worked as a maid in a modest household, in a small town of a third world country, has her name written permanently in history books and literary archives. Her grave is visited by millions of pilgrims every year and automatically when they go to visit Vitthala in Pandharpur. Spiritual Pundits see her as no different from Vitthala or Bramhan or a siddha.