Sant Jnaneshwar: Life, Dnyaneshwari and Alandi

Sant Jnaneshwar, also spelt Dnyaneshwar or Jnanadeva, was a 13th-century Marathi poet-saint who wrote the Dnyaneshwari, a verse commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, in 1290. He is honoured as a founder of the Varkari tradition of devotion to Vitthal of Pandharpur. Tradition holds that he entered samadhi at Alandi near Pune in 1296, aged about twenty-one.

Family and early years

His father Vitthalpant had taken sannyasa (renunciation) and then, at his guru's bidding, returned to married life. The Brahmins of the region held this to be against the rules and shut the family out. Tradition says the parents later gave up their lives in atonement, leaving four young children, Nivruttinath, Jnaneshwar, Sopandev and Muktabai.

The children went to Paithan to ask the learned Brahmins there for acceptance. Hagiographies tell how Jnaneshwar made a buffalo recite the Vedas there; this is a story of the tradition, not a recorded event. Nivruttinath, who had been initiated into the Nath yogic lineage by Gahininath, became his younger brother's guru.

The Dnyaneshwari

At Nevasa, on the Pravara river, Jnaneshwar explained the Bhagavad Gita verse by verse in Marathi, and a scribe named Sachchidananda wrote down his words. The work, which he called Bhavartha Deepika ("lamp of the inner meaning") and others call the Dnyaneshwari, was completed in 1290. It runs to about 9,000 ovi verses, depending on the manuscript, and is one of the first great works of Marathi literature. By writing in Marathi rather than Sanskrit, he opened the Gita to people who knew no Sanskrit.

Amrutanubhav and other works

• Amrutanubhav ("the experience of immortality") is a shorter philosophical poem on non-dual awareness, written after the Dnyaneshwari.
• Changadev Pasashti is a letter of 65 verses to the yogi Changadev. Tradition tells that Changadev rode to meet him on a tiger and Jnaneshwar came riding on a wall; the story is a legend of the tradition.
• Haripath is a short set of songs (usually counted as 27 or 28) on the power of chanting God's name, still sung daily by Varkaris.
• Many abhangas (devotional songs) to Vitthal are attributed to him.

The Varkari path

With Namdev, who travelled with him on pilgrimage, Jnaneshwar is honoured as a founder of the Varkari sampradaya, the movement of pilgrims who walk to Pandharpur to see Vitthal. Every year at Ashadhi Ekadashi his padukas (sandals) are carried in a palkhi (palanquin) procession from Alandi to Pandharpur, joined by hundreds of thousands of walkers.

Samadhi at Alandi

In 1296, according to tradition and the account in Namdev's abhangas, Jnaneshwar entered sanjivan samadhi, a living samadhi, in a chamber at Alandi on the dark-fortnight thirteenth of Kartika. The day is marked each year by a large fair at Alandi. His brothers and sister died within about a year.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Dnyaneshwari?

Sant Jnaneshwar, in 1290 at Nevasa. It is a Marathi verse commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.

Where is Sant Jnaneshwar's samadhi?

At Alandi, on the Indrayani river just north of Pune.

How old was Jnaneshwar when he took samadhi?

About twenty-one, in 1296, as tradition holds.

Who was Jnaneshwar's guru?

His elder brother Nivruttinath, of the Nath lineage.

What is the Haripath?

A short set of abhangas by Jnaneshwar on chanting the name of God, sung daily by Varkaris.

What is the Alandi palkhi?

The procession that carries Jnaneshwar's padukas from Alandi to Pandharpur for Ashadhi Ekadashi each year.

Sources

• Sahitya Akademi, Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, entry "Jnanadeva".
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Jnaneshvara".
• Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Sansthan Committee, Alandi Devachi.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related: Famous Hindus · Kartiki Ekadashi and the Pandharpur wari · Purandara Dasa · Tyagaraja