Sant Jnaneshwar was a Great Saint of India (state of Maharashtra). His book Jnaneshwari is considered as Gita and available almost in every house of Maharasrtrian. His "abanga" is an example like our idioms in any language. Written in local Marathi language, the Jnaneshwari has become very popular even to common man.

There lived in the village of Apegaon, near Paithan in Maharashtra, river Godavari, one Govindapant Kulkarni. He had a son by name Vithalpant, the father of Jnanadev. Vithalpant developed in his early age a tendency towards the study of the Vedas and the other scriptures, and became a great devotee of God. He felt no interest in the day today worldly affairs, while his mind got attracted towards visiting places of holy waters and other sacred places, association of devotees, and rending services to God. He left his parental home in his teens and in the course to visit to holy places, he came to Alandi near Poona.

During his visit to Alandi, Vithalpant attracted to one Sidhopant of Alandi, whohad a marriageable daughter. Sidhopant opened the subject to Vithalpant, offering him his daughter in marriage. The latter did not however readily assent to the proposal, but later on agreed to it, having a dream vision, giving him a mandate to accept the girl in marriage. Vithalpant took this as divine mandate and soon married Sidhopant's daughter and started his family life.

Although leading the family life, Vithalpant felt no charm for it and began to feel a sort of repentance for getting thus entangled. His wife Rukminibai, who was a most devoted wife, found it rather difficult to keep her husband attached to her. Vithapant was always engaged in God-worship, feeling quite apathetic over family affairs; visiting holy places became a sort of hobby for him. After staying for some days at Alandi, he once accompanied Sidhopant's family members on pilgrimage to Pandharpur, where he felt his stay to be full of bliss. From there he went to his parents at Apegaon along with his wife. It was, however, not given to his parents to enjoy the happy association of their son and daughter-in –law for a long time. Since they soon left this world, making Vithalpant the head of the family. His ascetic tendency, however, went on increasing day by day, and it became a question of grave anxiety to his wife, -how to run the day today family affairs. Sidhopant learnt at Alandi this state of things, and he went to Apegaon and brought her daughter and son-in-law to Alandi. This change of station however did not bring about any change in Vithalpant ascetic tendencies, which went on ever increasing. The absence of progeny further strengthened these tendencies; and on the plea of going out to the river for a bath, Vithalpant one day left the house and went straight to Benares, where keeping his antecedents quite secreat, he acceptedthe disipleship of one Swami Ramananda and became himself a sanyasin [an ascetic].

CONTD-