Friday, October 18, 2019

vanished into wonder





What is, simply is,
And "I" am nowhere to be found.


Far from the village,
Road vanished into path,
Path vanished into hillside,
Hillside vanished into Vastness,
The Known vanished into Wonder,

Look!


~ Jnaneshwar
the 13th Century Indian

a 13th century saint who, although he lived only twenty-two years, left a profound impact on Hindu spirituality. In Jnaneshwar's writings, Shiva is the formless, unmanifest Absolute, and Shakti is manifest form. Shiva is "That", and Shakti is "This" – all that arises in and as That. But the most precious gift of Jnaneshwar is his communication in words of the inexpressible truth that Shiva and Shakti are One. Shakti is merely Shiva – unmanifest, objectless, unmoving – moving into and as form. Jnaneshwar brilliantly communicates this inexpressible truth through verse, in which "He" is Shiva, and "She" is Shakti.

commentary by Chuck Surface


2 comments:

Anonymous said...


Thank You.

Mystic Meandering said...

Thank you! I have always seen Hindu Cosmology assign Shiva as the male energy. But everything is genderless! Am glad to see this clarification, as I have seen this "translation" recently as well, from another source, with Shiva being the formless unmanifest Absolute - the "feminine" energy of creation, that is the Mother (or Womb) of Creation. Think I would like to read some of Jnaneshwar's writings! :)