Muktabai: as I have known her

 The following is the actual script used for a talk earlier this morning for the weekly zoom meeting I am part of. A large portion of this text was shared earlier on this blog as part of women saints of Maharashtra series. A few thoughts have been added to the original essay. 

Let us with a prayer to foster better understanding, growth and harmony with our study and discussion.

ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥

Muktabai: as I have known her

मला समजलेली मुक्ताबाई

Preface:

May 1st is observed as Maharashtra Day in India. It marks the formation of the modern day geopolitical state and the occasion serves as an opportunity to celebrate the long traditions linked to the people of this region. It is a matter of great pride to talk about Muktabai on this occasion because of the legacy she has left behind as a Marathi speaking saint.

In March, on occasion of Women’s month, you heard personal stories to get a perspective from a woman of the present times.

Social and spiritual journeys although blend together in any single individual, they have some stark differences which need to be understood with clarity, to be able to live without internal conflict. 

Those of you who listened to my story probably gathered and may recall that the entire adult years were spent asserting the rights as an individual, as a woman, as a medical professional, as a person of Indian origin and what not. Contrary to this, the spiritual journey was calling for undoing all those identities internally. Or, to put it differently, to distance from these identities. Needless to say, there were several occasions in real life when confusion would arise in the mind, whether to assert one’s viewpoint or let go. Whether to fight back or allow things to remain as they are. Because assertion risked strengthening the ego.

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.

Having studied the lives of these women saints and also reviewing personal experiences, I came to recognize that support from men plays a role in many ways in women’s achievements.. 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, guiding them, and motivating them. 

In the past I have spoken to this group about Muktabai and her literary work in Taatiche Abhang. Today I am going to again keep Muktabai at the center of the discussion. But go a bit further into the story that involves her brothers( Nivrittinath, Dnyaaneshwar and Sopandev), a yogi named Changdev and their contemporary saint Namdev. Through these interwoven stories it is my hope to portray before you the enigma of Muktabai. 

The story dates back to the thirteenth century.

Muktabai!

She was youngest of four siblings. The only sister to three brothers. All of them were very young when their parents passed away. For first time listeners, their father had returned to grihasthashram after a brief period of becoming a sanyasi. A death sentence was imposed on him for this lapse. His wife joined him and both proceeded to end their lives leaving these kids orphaned. Muktabai was barely 2 years old then. 

Her most famous writings comprise of 11 short abhangas which were spontaneous verses she mouthed, to console and advise an older sibling who was consumed by dejection and anger after being repeatedly mistreated by people. These verses are steeped in deep spiritual wisdom, and went on to be earmarked as a literary classic. It was no ordinary feat for a 8 or 9 year old girl to speak of such profound philosophical truths. Every time I read those abhangas I get astounded by the breadth and depth of wisdom they encompass. 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, not just of 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, I find to be of 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 acquired some extraordinary yogic powers. With these powers he had extended the longevity of his physical body to 1400 years. He could remain in the state of yog- samadhi for extended periods, suspending body and mind movements. The ego would be subdued in that state. Once he was out of that transcendental state, however, he was like any other human, completely identified with the body and with a manifested ego, virtues and vices. A good amount of disciples were attracted by his powers and they 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 enlightened 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 priests of high order. Changdev was intrigued by their powers on one hand, and also confused, 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. With this messenger he sent a letter with no inscription on it. Some sources claim Changdev couldn’t make up his mind about how to address the young ascetics. He was much older by age but their spiritual prowess appeared superior to his own. Another 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 blank letter gimmick kindly. She mocked Changdev that despite so many years of yoga practice, he has remained blank. Her pointed remarks were reflective of her unmistakable instinct that recognized the unspoken arrogance within Changdev. It was a raw reaction that was not filtered by consideration of age or empty etiquette. In fact she was proven right soon thereafter when Changdev approached Alandi riding a tiger and holding a snake in his hand as a whip. All this to display his supernatural powers. 

In contrast to Muktabai, Nivrittinath read the blank letter from a different angle. He maintained a poised stance. There was benevolence in his assessment. To him, the blank letter indicated that Changdev’s mind was a clean slate. It was ready to receive knowledge. 

This scenario is an example of how a single reality is perceived in different ways depending on the lens of the observer. Imagine if two separate investigators were blindfolded and asked to feel an object with their hands, say a piece of plain printer paper, and describe it. One would describe its perceived thickness, texture, estimated dimensions. Another would describe its characteristic of getting easily crumpled or giving a paper cut if handled improperly. Both would be right in their own way. 

Nivrittinath saw Changdev’s childlike mind as qualified for receiving advanced knowledge. Muktabai saw a pressing need for corrective action for his arrogance. On the surface both seemed to agree that Changdev should be taught, but the perception and attitude were very different. Thats the difference between love and tough love. The same blank letter, like anything else, was inert in itself. Yet it could convey both positive and negative messages.

I am no psychologist. But I found it fascinating to try and understand the psychology behind the difference between Muktabai’s interpretation and Nivrittinath’s interpretation of Changdev. My understanding of Muktabai is from the perspective of a woman. 

Consider two scenarios involving a first time meeting between two people.

In the first scenario, a white man going to meet a white man.

In the second scenario, a black man going to meet a white man. 

What do you think would be the level of trust or mistrust in either of the two situations?

There is likelihood of more mistrust in the scenario with men from two different racial backgrounds than if both came from the same background.

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, who she knows to be protective towards her, is not the same as interacting with men who are not known to her. When studying Muktabai’s literature, it is evident that she maintains a no-nonsense attitude and her approach remains direct at all times. Yet her tone softens in the Taatiche Abhang ( where she is talking to her brother Dnyaaneshwar). It is razor sharp when she addresses other men like Namdev and Changdev. This is perhaps Nature’s way to empower a woman to guard her turf, in a world where men have a physical advantage over women. It is also perhaps Nature’s way to intervene when men fail to recognize the wrong and correct fellow men. I suspect there is a bit of Muktabai in every woman for these reasons. 

In his first meeting between Sant Namdev and Muktabai and her siblings, Namdev accepted the sincere namaskars from the siblings but did not reciprocate the gesture. Muktabai wasn’t one to let him off the hook for this oversight. She insisted on testing Namdev’s spiritual maturity and famously, the senior saint Gora Kumbhar, the potter, concluded in that assembly, that Namdev wasn’t( quote unquote)“totally baked!” Namdev’s ego was humbled in that assembly of saints. He became a disciple of Visoba Khechar before he finally attained enlightenment. Muktabai’s sharp criticism was instrumental here and Namdev himself has acknowledged his debt to her in his writings.

It may interest you to know how the story proceeded with Changdev and the siblings.

We saw that Changdev wanted to meet these siblings and sent that blank letter.

The siblings were astute 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 eliminated once he came out of samadhi into the normal waking state. That was Changdev’s shortcoming. When he descended from the Turiya avastha, the waking state was completely real for him. Until and unless he was fully convinced that this state has no reality of its own, he could not taste liberation. Nivrittinath prodded Dnyaaneshwara to convey this lesson to Changdev.

During 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.  Nivrittinath asked Dnyaaneshwara to write an appropriate response to Changdev’s blank letter. And dutifully Dnyaneshwar sat down and wrote the message in sixty five original verses that elucidated two important doctrines. 

This letter came to be known as the Changdev Pasashti because it consists of 65 verses addressed to Changdev. In this letter, the first half describes the nature of the Atman. This part makes the argument 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 treatise is devoted to conclusively demonstrating that the self within any individual and the universal self or Brahman are a single, indivisible entity. Effectively, Atman and Brahman are one non-dual reality.

Dnyaaneshwar begins the letter by saying, dear Vateshwar( one of Changdev’s names), I feel extremely eager to meet you. But my excitement is laced with a serious concern that a physical meeting may actually do grave damage and injustice to who I see you to be. You are the pure self. Luminous by itself and attribute less. I am afraid that a physical meeting may risk descending from that supreme position into a lower mental state.!! 

Upon reading this Changdev Pasashti, 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. For the final realization, Guru’s grace was essential. Changdev was enchanted with Dnyaneshwar’s brilliance and expertise in such a difficult subject. He requested Dnyaaneshwar to become his Guru.

Now the most interesting part for me was how, and why, despite this request from Changdev, Dnyaneshwar and Nivrittinath both believed that the most appropriate Guru for Changdev would be Muktabai and not any of the brothers !! 

Muktabai was only 10 years old at the time. If we decide to believe the legend, Changdev was 1400 years old. 140 times older than Muktabai. Muktabai assumed the important role of Guru and thereby earned the distinguished honor of being the youngest woman to be a spiritual Guru, that too to an advanced yogi. This situation took place in the thirteenth century when women did not even have the privilege to formal education. 

What must be the thought behind this decision? 

First consideration would be whether a person has the right qualifications? 

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. 

When someone assumes the responsibility of being a Guru, learning is not limited to the disciple. The Guru too grows in his knowledge. Nivrittinath and Dnyaaneshwar were both Gurus of Muktabai. No one knew better than them that Muktabai had her own deficits. They recognized that she needed to overcome the unconscious bias that remained in her intellect as a woman. Changdev needed not only the experience of Atma Vidya. He had to overcome his unconscious bias with respect to age and gender. Unless both their intellects surrendered these residual weaknesses, their education could not be considered complete. They complemented each other better in the Guru Disciple relationship.

There is a particularly important incident described in the lives of Changdev and Muktabai..That story goes like this. One day 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, Muktabai was having a bath and Changdev caught a glimpse of her without clothes on. An embarrassed Changdev hastily made an about turn and pleaded for forgiveness for his error. Muktabai was quick to call him out for that. Her admonition was not because he saw her bathe but for the fact that he had equated her to the physical body!! He had failed to look past the body and see her as her true self. His education was not yet complete. 

When you think deeply you realize these yogis are serious in matters of 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 there is a difference between thinking and knowing. The old conditioning is not so easy to erase from the mind and intellect. In tough situations like this bathing incident, rubber meets the road, and one finds out where they stand with the philosophy.

 It’s about walking the talk.

After having listened to numerous talks on Atma Vidya, do I have the courage to disregard my identity tied to my physical appearance or my thoughts ?

Am I listening to it with only partial faith? 

Or are these talks a rather distinguished kind of entertainment or feel-good therapy for me?

Can I irreversibly be fully aware at any given moment that the world I see is not real? Or that the physical body and mental domain of thoughts and ideas is not real? And is not me?

Each sadhak must answer this question to themselves. 

Often, the attachment to the physical body proves easier to give up than freeing oneself from the grip of old mental and intellectual conditionings. This needs to be examined over  and over again.

To be able to call a spade a spade was one of Muktabai’s distinctive qualities. As we learned, 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 culture of yes-men she was a breath of fresh air to have no reservations whatsoever to speak the inconvenient truths. 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 Dnyaaneshwar and number of other male saints. 

I will review a few highlights from her poetry:

Vishwa pata Bramha dora!

What a beautiful way to describe the universe! She shows us the universe as a large fabric and teaches us to see Brahman in every single thread that went into the weaving of this fabric. A fabric is made of nothing but thread. Thus in merely four words she teaches us that there is nothing but Brahman to see in the entire universe. 

This is equivalent to a Mahavakya! Compare this with’Sarva Khalvidam Bramha!’

In another place she tells us: 

Avaghi sadhan hatavati 

Moley milat nahi haati 

The means and skills for enlightenment or progress cannot be purchased in any market. Each one has to earn them. 

This practical advice for self effort can never be irrelevant. 

Another classic Muktabai pearl:

Jeebh datanni chavili 

Koni battishi todili

When you accidentally bite your tongue, do you knock off your teeth to punish them?

Similarly, forgive the mistakes of others , knowing that they are part of you

The next line gives a glimpse into the generosity of her spirit.

Eka pasun anek zaale

Tyansi pahije sambhalile 

Even the most insignificant person in society must be taken into consideration and cared for, knowing that every single creature has arisen from a single source and that implies we are a family. Same philosophy as Vasudev Kutumbakam! 

Then she teaches us about tolerance.

Sant jene vhave, jag bolane sahave

Learning to tolerate and digest criticism is a sign of spiritual greatness.

Yogi pawan manacha saahi apradh janacha 

Tolerating the wrongdoing of others, or at least making a sincere attempt to do so, is a sign of a pure mind. 

 What makes me marvel is how easily and with such simplicity she tells Dnyaneshwar: how can you lose your temper? Have you forgotten your perfect self? 

अहो क्रोधे यावें कोठें ।अवघे आपण निघोटे

The thought of a bubbly, innocent, nine year old girl speaking with casual confidence about the inherent perfection of the self, and reasoning with her older brother on its basis, that anger is out of place for you, seems just so beautiful and at the same time awe inspiring to me. 

When studying her words, I could see that behind the outward facade of the young girl who often came across as blunt, disrespectful and ruthlessly critical was actually a very thoughtful and caring soul who believed in accepting personal hardships for the larger good. A closer examination of her biography reveals the unique brilliance, spiritual clarity 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 playful and sweet sisterhood. Her life too cannot be seen without taking into account how her brothers displayed democratic values towards her at every step. This was in times that were far more orthodox than our times. 

The world recognizes Dnyaneshwar as the shining star. Numerous books and essays are written about him. His writings, his poetry, his style, his personality is cited, praised everywhere. But the world largely forgets that to present Dnyaneshwar to the world as he was seen, there was a significant hand of Nivrittinath as well as Muktabai and possibly Sopandev. Dnyaaneshwar spares no opportunity to profusely pay tribute to Nivrittinath in all his literary works. But other than that, Nivrittinath, Muktabai and Sopandev remain in the shadows, although they were luminous by themselves. That quality of theirs in itself is a big lesson for us.  A sibling’s popularity and recognition did not ruffle their security or confidence. They were content to support him behind the scenes, and receive no credit for their contributions in his success. He was just the spokesperson for their joint vision for doing good for the world. They saw the work as important, not who gets the credit. 

The mutual affection that the siblings cherished throughout their lives, was even more evident when, one after another they bid farewell to the mortal existence. Muktabai 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 is also credited with starting her palkhi ritual (yatra) during the annual Pandharpur (wari) pilgrimage. He survived Muktabai by approximately 8 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. 

There is an interesting link between the saints of that period in terms of guru shishya tradition or hierarchy. Nivrittinath attained enlightenment from Gahininath who belonged to the Nath tradition whose lineage traces back to Shiva. Nivrittinath became the Guru for his younger siblings. Dnyaaneshwar was the Guru of Visoba Khechar. Visoba Khechar became Guru of Namdev and Namdev became Guru for Janabai. Often the metaphor of a paris is used to describe these saints. Paris is the Philosopher’s Stone mentioned in mythology. It is believed to irreversibly turn iron into gold by a simple contact. If we study the biographies of the saints, each self realized sant converted their sincere disciples into a self realized sant. They cured them of their false identity. Muktabai did that to Changdev. At the end of the day A was equal to B, B equal to C, C equal to D and so on. 

The highest teaching of a self realized saint like Muktabai was to simply exist. To be beyond gender and such physical attributes. She would want us to see her not as a woman or even belonging to the human species, let alone as one defined by language or the community she came from, but as the single reality that everyone and everything truly is.

Paradoxically, 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 earlier stages until our Guru tells us to throw away those identities, like Nivrittinath ultimately made her discard her identity as a woman. In the process of studying Muktabai I was able to largely sort out my personal conflicts regarding individual identities such as being a woman, playing various roles in personal, social and professional life. One is first the Pure Being. Pure Being covers all of the other roles and takes precedence over them all.  Which implies we ought to stand up for all beings, living and non-living. Stand up for the environment, for animal welfare. Being human comes after the pure being. Being a Hindu, being a woman, being Indian American , being a physician, daughter, wife, mother….everything is much lower down and much limited in its practical application than the pure state. 

From Muktabai’s example we can learn that just like gender, age too is no bar for spiritual maturity. The order of your 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, Muktabai 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 from her own community. This suffering and the deep devotion to the divine truth is a common thread that links her with the other women saints. Her brilliance is more scholarly than plain devotion coming from an illiterate person, and that’s what makes her stand out amongst her contemporaries. Her name Muktabai literally means liberated woman! She was a yogini, a mystic of the highest order. Many believe her to be an incarnation of Adi Shakti or Yog-Maya. It seems believable when we consider ourselves or kids of today in the pre-teens or teens. 

I hope Muktabai will have a special place in your thoughts when you think about the saints and it will draw you to read more about her literary work which is not vast in terms of volume. Only 42 abhangas are known to be authored by her. But these are big in terms of the depth of their content and the influence they can have on a person in search of spiritual enlightenment. 

Before I conclude this presentation I would like to share with you some insights from my personal experiences with this philosophy that we study regularly.

 I asked myself at the end of preparing this talk, what are the practical implications or advantages of existing as the pure self? Or from distancing from the lower identities?

My personal experience:

It has progressively simplified the outlook towards life.

To a large extent takes away the pressures of living. These pressures stop at the level of the mind. 

The state of being facilitates to lift the internal resistance to circumstances that present themselves before me.

It has broadened the vision towards everything.

Tends to bring more harmony between even the most opposing viewpoints. 

Opposing viewpoints serve an important purpose. They bring into view the stand that my own mind holds or takes. And in the process it reveals the mind. Once mind is exposed it becomes easy to stand a few inches away from it. 

In general the exercise brings an incomparable sense of peace, contentment and security. A new sense of meaningfulness is felt. 

 I invite your thoughts on the subject. 

Let’s close with a prayer 

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते
पूर्णश्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥