Jnaneshwar

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Here are some selected verses from Jnaneshwar, a 13th century Indian

mysticpoet.________________Amritanubhav

(The Nectar of Mystical Experience)Chapter One: The Union of Shiva and

Shakti (Selected verses)I offer obeisance to the God and Goddess,The

limitless primal parents of the universe.They are not entirely the

same,Nor are they not the same.We cannot say exactly what they

are.How sweet is their union!The whole world is too small to contain

them,Yet they live happily in the smallest particle.When He awakes,

the whole house disappears,And nothing at all is left.Two lutes: one

note.Two flowers: one fragrance.Two lamps: one light.Two lips: one

word.Two eyes: one sight.These two: one universe.In unity there is

little to behold;So She, the mother of abundance,Brought forth the

world as play.He takes the role of WitnessOut of love of watching

Her.But when Her appearance is withdrawn,The role of Witness is

abandoned as well.Through Her,He assumes the form of the

universe;Without Her,He is left naked.If night and day were to

approach the Sun,Both would disappear.In the same way, their duality

would vanishIf their essential Unity were seen.The book from which

these excerpts are taken, is entitled "Jnaneshvar: TheLife and Works

of the Celebrated Thirteenth Century Indian Mystic-Poet," byS.

Abhyayananda.