Sant Dnyaneshwar, also known as Jnaneshwar, Dnyandev, Mauli or Jnanadeva was a 13th-century Marathi saint, yogi and philosopher of the Nath Vaishnava tradition. He lived just 21 years and authored Dnyaneshwari, a commentary on Bhagavad Gita and Amrutanubhav. He was born in 1275 on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami in a Marathi-speaking Brahmin family.

Shri Dnyaneshwari Jayanti is held every year during the month of Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha Sashti Tithi. Sant Dnyaneshwar was amongst the first to use the Marathi language to spread the message of Bhagavad Gita. He also popularised the teachings of Sanatana Dharma.

Sant Dnyaneshwar's Dnaneshwari or Jnaneshwari is a simplified version of Bhagavad Gita in Marathi to reach out to those who have not read Gita. The original Gita contains 700 verses but Sant Dnyaneshwar's Jnaneshwari contains 900 verses. Dnyaneshwari is still popular among Maharashtrians and is translated into various languages.

After writing Amritanubhava, the spiritual leader went to pilgrimage with other saints and later felt that the mission of his life is over. He then decided to take Samadhi and entered the path of salvation also called as Sanjeevan Samadhi (a practice to voluntarily die) at the age of 21 at Alandi on the banks of River Indrayani. Several religious events are observed on Shri Dnyaneshwari Jayanti 2020 to pay tribute to the spiritual leader.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 11, 2020 07:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).