Amritanubhava

Definition

Amritanubhava - a text by Gyaneshwara.

Excerpts

Gnaneshwara, such an enlightened soul himself wrote one beautiful book called “Amritanubhava” which I will try to translate, which is very joy giving. To me at least it’s very great joy giving. He went so deep into the understanding of this joy. I wish English language would provide me that subtlety to translate that book.

That he wrote all these things when he was only 23 years of age and at the age of 23 years he got so fed up that he took a living Samadhi that is he entered into a cave and killed himself. They all tortured him very much. Nowadays this ‘Andha Shraddha’, stupid thing, is not tortured as much, but all these saints in this country or any country have been very much tortured, and there was no police protection. There was no one to publish about what these people are up to.(1990-12-17)

You can see that, what description of a realized soul, given by Gyaneshwara, is so beautiful.He says that, “The moon doesn’t run after moonlight, the sun doesn’t run after sunlight. In that way a realized soul doesn’t bother about his own glory. The sun shines till it shines, then it takes back all his rays. Whatever work the rays have to do they do it. And the sun is just watching, watching all the work, then he takes them back. And he gets completely contained within himself”. Samavun ghene, completely contained within himself. The description He has given of realized souls is so beautiful, if you could just experience it. Namadeva, who was born much later, said that even one line of Gyanesha [MEANS Saint Gyaneshwara, fondly called by a short name] if you could experience, you had that.

I wish you all could read Amrutanubhava in English, understanding how He describes a realized soul, and you’ll find that within yourself it has happened. You are different from others very much. You’ll be amazed how you have got such beautiful description of your Self.(1996-12-21)

What Shri Gyandeva has described in His Amruta Anubhav [MEANS Experience of Ambrosia] is something which you can only really appreciate when you know yourself. For example, He was a master of similes, I must say. And He has tried to convince the so called intellectuals and rationalists through His own great expertness in using similes. One of the similes, there are so many of them, He talks of the Amruta Anubhav is the experience of the Ambrosia. Experience, again it is the experience, not just talking about it. And this experience, He has described like this, beautifully, that there is a picture, you see, beautiful painting where you see the rain and see the nature and all the beauty that nature can provide. You’re watching it. You’re enjoying it. But you are just seeing it superficially. You have to enter into that rain. You have to enter into that area of beauty. Otherwise we are just superficially doing everything.(1996-11-25)