This third volume of Dnyaneshwari in simple English and Marathi by Sudhakar Lalsare contains two chapters (adhyayas 13th and 14th) of Dnyaneshwari. Both these adhyayas have unique importance in the spirituality promulgated by Lord Krushna in Bhagavad Gita. Adhyaya 13 speaks about discrimination of Kshetra and Kshetradnya. It defines and describes certain important concepts of Hindu mythology including Kshetra (physical body of all animate and inanimate things) and Kshetradnya as its knower; Purusha (supreme spirit) and Prakruti (matter with its 36 principles), Dnyana (knowledge of Atman), adnyana (ignorance) and dneya (object of dnyana); Sukha (happiness or bliss), Dukkha (sorrow or grief), Vyakta (manifest) and Avyakta (unmanifest); Ahankar (ego), Man (mind) and buddhi (intellect) etc. The adhyaya depicts a lucid picture of 18 characteristic virtues of a Self-realized Dnyani person and also shows undesirable traits of an adnyani (ignorant) person.
The 14th adhyaya describes bondages created by three gunas (qualities) superimposed by the Prakruti on a human being. These gunas are Satwa (goodness and purity), Rajas (passion and activity) and Tamas (ignorance and darkness). In a way, these gunas indicate psychological attitudes dominating the actions of a person. Every animate and inanimate thing in the universe is governed by and falls prey to these gunas. If a person has to realize the Atman (Self), he must win over and transcend these gunas. Surest way to achieve this is to develop unswerving devotion towards the Lord. This adhyaya suggests ways for such conquest and also describes characteristics of a person who has succeeded in transcending the gunas.
Shri Sudhakar Lalsare
Shri Sudhakar Lalsare is neither a linguist nor a critique of saintly literature. By profession, he was an Advocate working in legal departments of financial institutions and a company till retirement. However, in his college life at Aurangabad around 1964-65, he come in contact with his Shriguru, a yogi named Vaidyabhushan Shri Dhundiraj Narayan Rushipathak (Modi Rushi), who initiated him in the study of Dnyaneshwari. His shriguru’s guidance was available to him for a considerable period. On the strength of that teaching, he completed English translation of Dnyaneshwari. For that work, he followed original lyric and most of the meaning from Sartha Dnyaneshwari edited by Late Principal Shri Shankar Waman Dandekar. However, in respect of ovis guiding the seekers and depicting their experiences; he has given independent meaning based on experiences narrated by his Shriguru, some of his gurubandhus (colleagues) and also his own experiences.
