wife. However, the couple was shunned by the orthodox society, as Vitthal Pant had broken the rules of sanyas. They began to mistreat the family and look upon his children as social outcasts. Vitthal Pant and Rukminibai had four children: the eldest was Nivrittinath, the second was Jnanadev, the third was Sopana, and the youngest was a daughter, Muktabai. The couple tried very hard to have their children accepted by the society, but their efforts failed. In frustration, both of them committed suicide in the river Indriyani.

THE TURNING POINT

The death of their parents made it very difficult for the children. Jnaneshwar was only nine years old at that time. Before the parents died, Jnaneshwar and his brother Nivrittinath had studied the scriptures from their father. Now after their death, Jnaneshwar made it a goal to wear the holy thread in respect of his parents’ desire, who had sacrificed their lives for that purpose. He and his brothers went to Paithan to obtain a testimonial of purity, so that the sacred ceremony could be performed.

Paithan was then a center of learning. However, the priests there condemned the boys and did not allow them to meet the head priest. Jnaneshwar challenged the priests on the meaning of purity. His simple explanation of the scriptures surprised the priests, but they did not yield. They made fun of his name, which meant “Lord of Wisdom.” Seeing their arrogance, Jnaneshwar quoted a verse from the Bhagavad Geeta, explaining that a God-realized person sees the Lord in every creature, be it a brahmin or an animal. The priests argued with him that if the Lord was in all creatures, then even a buffalo should be able to recite the Vedas. Jnaneshwar accepted the challenge. He walked over to a nearby buffalo and placed his hand on the buffalo’s head. Much to the surprise of the priests, the buffalo started chanting the Vedic mantras. The head priest witnessed this too and without any questions gave Jnaneshwar the purity letter, and the thread ceremony was performed.

Saints of India

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