Shree Muktabai
Sudha Bhavana and the Making of a Yogi
Muktabai’s Tati Ugada Dnyaneshwara, Bhagavan Nityananda’s Teachings, and the Wisdom of Vivekachudamani
Among the great treasures of India’s spiritual heritage are certain teachings that appear simple on the surface but conceal within them the entire path to Self-realisation. One such gem is the celebrated abhang Tati Ugada Dnyaneshwara composed by Shree Muktabai, the enlightened sister of Shree Dnyaneshwar Maharaj.
For centuries, devotees have sung these verses with devotion, often seeing them as an affectionate appeal by a younger sister to her elder brother to open the door of his hut. Yet, to stop at the historical incident alone is to miss the profound spiritual instruction hidden within the composition. Muktabai was not merely speaking to Dnyaneshwar; she was speaking to every seeker. Her words are not merely poetry—they are a manual for the making of a Yogi.
The saint does not describe mystical powers, esoteric practices, or extraordinary spiritual experiences. Instead, she speaks of forgiveness, humility, patience, purity of mind, equanimity, compassion, and the ability to perceive Brahman behind the apparent diversity of the world. In doing so, she reveals the inner qualifications required for spiritual awakening.
It is precisely these qualifications that Bhagavan Nityananda repeatedly emphasised throughout His life.
Bhagavan seldom encouraged seekers to pursue spiritual powers, visions, siddhis, or even Kundalini experiences. Instead, He directed attention toward the purification of the inner instrument. Again and again, He spoke of:
- Sudha Bhavana (Pure Contemplation or Pure Feeling)
- Nirmal Maan (Pure Mind)
- Nishchal Maan (Steady Mind)
- Vishal Maan (Expansive Mind)
- Anyanasharanam (Exclusive Refuge in the Sadguru)
- and ultimately the recognition that all worldly pursuits are “Sabh Mithi” when compared to the realisation of the Self.
To many devotees, these teachings may appear simple, but in reality, they represent the very foundation upon which spiritual life rests. Bhagavan was not teaching philosophy merely to be understood intellectually. He was teaching the transformation of consciousness itself.
This naturally raises an important question:
How is such a transformation accomplished?
What is the actual process by which an ordinary individual becomes a Yogi?
What transforms an ego-centred mind into a pure mind?
What transforms emotional devotion into liberating Bhakti?
What transforms scriptural knowledge into living wisdom?
What transforms a seeker into a knower of the Self?
The answers to these questions are found in one of the greatest works of Advaita Vedanta—Adi Shankaracharya’s Vivekachudamani.
Particularly significant are the verses beginning around Sloka 254 and continuing through the subsequent sections, where Shankaracharya explains the science of contemplation (Nididhyasana), the purification of the mind, the withdrawal from externality, and the establishment of consciousness in Brahman.
If Muktabai describes the qualities of the Yogi, Shankaracharya explains the mechanism by which those qualities are cultivated.
If Muktabai gives us the portrait of the realised seeker, Vivekachudamani provides the blueprint.
If Muktabai reveals the fragrance of the flower, Shankaracharya explains how the flower is grown.
And if Bhagavan Nityananda demonstrates the living embodiment of these truths, He also points to the practical means by which they can be cultivated in daily life.
Thus, these three streams meet beautifully:
Muktabai reveals the characteristics of the Yogi.
Shankaracharya explains the inner science behind the making of the Yogi.
Bhagavan Nityananda demonstrates how these truths are to be lived and realised.
A significant aspect of this study is the concept of Bhavana.
Modern seekers often translate Bhavana merely as imagination, feeling, or contemplation. However, in the spiritual traditions of India, Bhavana represents something much deeper. It is the power by which understanding descends from the intellect into the Heart and becomes lived experience.
Swami Chinmayananda beautifully explains that knowledge (Dnyana) is the function of the intellect, while devotion (Bhakti) is the function of the mind. Neither by itself can lead to realization. Realisation begins when the mind and intellect unite in the Heart. The resulting process is Bhavana—fully feeling what one has understood and fully understanding what one has felt.
This insight becomes particularly important when we study Bhagavan Nityananda’s emphasis on Sudha Bhavana.
Pure contemplation is not merely positive thinking. It is the gradual purification of perception itself. It is learning to see the world through the eyes of Truth rather than through the conditioning of ego, likes, dislikes, attachment, fear, and separation.
In our earlier studies, we examined numerous traditional Bhavanas:
- Anitya Bhavana
- Asharana Bhavana
- Sansara Bhavana
- Ekatva Bhavana
- Anyatva Bhavana
- Samvara Bhavana
- Nirjara Bhavana
- Dharma Bhavana
- Bodhi Durlabh Bhavana
- Loka Bhavana
and many others with their permutations and combinations.
Each of these Bhavanas serves a specific purpose. Each purifies a particular distortion of the mind. Together, they gradually refine perception until Sudha Bhavana emerges naturally.
Muktabai’s abhang may be viewed as a practical exposition of these Bhavanas in action. Every stanza addresses a different aspect of spiritual maturation. Every verse points toward the purification of the Heart. Every instruction dismantles some aspect of egoity and reveals a higher vision.
Viewed in this light, Tati Ugada Dnyaneshwara becomes far more than devotional poetry. It becomes a step-by-step guide to inner transformation.
The “door” that Muktabai asks Dnyaneshwar to open is not merely the door of a hut. It is the door of the Heart.
It is the door that separates reaction from wisdom.
It is the door that separates ego from surrender.
It is the door that separates duality from unity.
It is the door that separates the individual self from the realisation of Brahman.
The purpose of this study is therefore not merely literary or philosophical. It is contemplative and practical. In each stanza, we shall explore:
- The literal meaning of Muktabai’s words.
- The spiritual qualities being described.
- Their relationship to Sudha Bhavana and Bhagavan Nityananda’s teachings.
- Their foundation in Vivekachudamani and Advaita Vedanta.
- Their application in the life of a modern seeker.
Through this approach, we shall discover that Muktabai’s abhang, Bhagavan Nityananda’s teachings, and Shankaracharya’s Vivekachudamani are not separate teachings at all. They are different expressions of the same eternal truth.
One speaks through poetry.
One speaks through direct spiritual instruction.
One speaks through philosophical precision.
Yet all three point toward the same goal:
The purification of the Heart, the dissolution of the ego, the awakening of Sudha Bhavana, and the realisation of one’s own Nityaswaroopa—the Eternal Self.
Part I – The Pure Mind and the First Door
(Stanza 1: Yogi Pawana Manacha)
Muktabai’s Tati Ugada Dnyaneshwara is not merely a plea to Dnyaneshwar Maharaj to open the door of the hut. It is a plea to open the door of the Heart (Hridaya). What Muktabai describes poetically is precisely what Shankaracharya describes philosophically in the Vivekachudamani.
Stanza -1
Yogi Pawana Manacha,Sahi Aparadha Janacha ||1||
Vishva Raghe Jhale Vani, Sante Sukhe Vhave Pani ||2||
Shabdha Shastre Jhale Klesha, Santi Manava Upadesha ||3||
Vishvapat Brahma Dora, Tati Ughadha Jnaneshwara ||4||
योगी पावन मनाचा । साही अपराध जनांचा ॥१॥
विश्व रागे झाले वन्ही । संती सुखे व्हावे पाणी ॥२॥
शब्दशस्त्रे झाले क्लेश । संती मानावा उपदेश ॥३॥
विश्वपट ब्रह्म दोरा । ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥४॥
When the mind has attained purity, how can you still take offence at others? Why burn with rage at the world? Would you not better become water? When their words pierce our hearts and hurt us, let us take them as their guidance. Weave the worldly fabric with the Essence and Open the Door, dear Brother!
The Context
The background is important.
This moment was also the shaping up of Pasaya Dan and Bhavart Deepika
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj had withdrawn into a hut after being insulted and humiliated by society. Muktabai stood outside and sang these abhangs.
But she is not merely consoling her brother.
She is teaching the highest Vedanta.
She is effectively saying:
“If you are established in Brahman, why are you affected by the world’s behaviour?”
This is exactly the test that Shankaracharya presents to the seeker in the Vivekachudamani.
“योगी पावन मनाचा । साही अपराध जनांचा“
“The Yogi whose mind is purified bears the offences of people.”
The key phrase is:
पावन मनाचा
Pure Mind
Immediately, we are reminded of Vivekachudamani’s emphasis on purification of the mind.
Shankara repeatedly teaches that liberation is not attained merely by scriptural knowledge but by a purified mind capable of abiding in Truth.
Particularly relevant is:
चित्तस्य शुद्धये कर्म
Actions are for the purification of the mind.
The entire seeker’s qualification (Sadhana Chatushtaya) is aimed at purifying the mind.
A pure mind is not one that merely thinks noble thoughts.
A pure mind has become free of:
- resentment,
- hatred,
- reaction,
- egoic injury.
Muktabai asks:
If your mind is truly purified, who remains to be offended?
This is precisely the state Shankara describes when the ego begins to dissolve. Shankara talks about Viveka and Vairagya. If there is development of the power of discrimination (Viveka), the resultant Virakti would not give any scope for the Ego to lift its head. If the ego does not exist, then there will be no scope for anger!
Sudha Bhavana
Notice how closely this resembles Bhagavan Nityananda’s teaching:
Sudha Bhavana
When Viveka reaches its culmination, the Sadhak acquires an unwavering discrimination between the Real and the unreal, the Eternal and the transient. The Buddhi becomes pristine, free from the distortions of attachment, fear, and delusion.
Likewise, as devotion matures, it is purified of selfish desire and dualistic separation. The devotee gradually perceives the One Divine Reality pervading all beings and all existence. Bhakti thus flowers into its pristine form—Para Bhakti.
Where pristine Buddhi and pristine Bhakti meet, the distinction between knowing and loving disappears. Understanding becomes feeling, and feeling becomes understanding. This sacred union is what Shankaracharya calls the Hridaya Guha—the Cave of the Heart. Bhagavan Nityananda speaks of the same reality as the Hridayakasha or Chidakasha, the inner space of Pure Consciousness.
It is in this Heart—not the physical organ, nor merely the emotional mind, nor the intellectual faculty—that true Bhavana arises. Here, Dnyana and Bhakti cease to be separate paths and become a single movement toward the Self. The Yogi who abides in this Heart perceives the One Reality everywhere and rests in the natural state of Nityananda.
Dnyana is perfected in Bhakti, and Bhakti is perfected in Dnyana. Their union gives rise to Bhavana, and Bhavana matures into direct realisation.
This is perhaps the bridge between Muktabai’s “Yogi Pawana Manacha”, Bhagavan’s “Sudha Bhavana”, and Shankaracharya’s “Hridaya Guha.” They are all pointing toward the same inner sanctum where pure intelligence and pure love become one.
Thus, if the Heart is pure:
- insult cannot stick,
- praise cannot inflate,
- blame cannot wound.
The impurity is not in the insult.
The impurity is in the reaction.
Thus Muktabai begins where every genuine spiritual path begins:
Purify the Heart.
“विश्व रागे झाले वन्ही । संती सुखे व्हावे पाणी“
“When the world burns with anger, the saint should become water.”
This is one of the most profound lines.
The world burns, people burn, societies burn, Egos burn, Desires burn,
Muktabai says:
Do not become another fire.
Become water.
This immediately recalls Vivekachudamani’s description of the realised soul.
Shankara says:
शान्तो दान्तः
Peaceful and self-controlled.
A saint’s purpose is not to increase heat. It is to cool, not to react, but to absorb and transform.
Nirmal Maan and Nishchal Maan
This is exactly Bhagavan’s:
- Nirmal Maan
- Nishchal Maan
The world may become fire. But the saint becomes water. The saint cools the fire rather than feeding it.
“शब्दशस्त्रे झाले क्लेश । संती मानावा उपदेश“
“When words become weapons and cause pain, the saint should accept them as instruction.”
This is pure Vivekachudamani.
Ordinary people hear criticism and react.
The seeker hears criticism and learns.
The saint hears criticism and remains untouched.
Shankara repeatedly teaches:
The ego is the root of suffering.
Why do words hurt?
Because they strike an identity we are trying to protect.
Muktabai says:
Accept it as Upadesha.
This is extraordinary. She transforms criticism into Guru. She transforms insult into instruction.
She transforms suffering into sadhana.
Vivekachudamani and Ego
Shankara’s repeated attack on Ahankara.
The ego constantly seeks:
- validation,
- recognition,
- approval.
When words wound us, it reveals where attachment remains.
Thus, criticism becomes a mirror.
The saint uses that mirror.
The worldly man fights the mirror.
“विश्वपट ब्रह्म दोरा“
“The world-cloth is woven upon the thread of Brahman.”
This is the climax. This line is pure Advaita Vedanta.
Muktabai suddenly shifts from psychology to metaphysics.
The world appears like cloth. But what is cloth? Nothing but threads arranged in patterns.
Similarly:
The universe appears as:
- people,
- animals,
- mountains,
- stars,
- joy,
- sorrow.
But underneath all names and forms is only Brahman.
This is exactly what Shankara teaches throughout Vivekachudamani.
The world is not separate from Brahman.
Just as:
- ornaments are gold,
- pots are clay,
- waves are water,
the universe is Brahman.
Muktabai says:
See the thread, not merely the cloth.
Exact Vivekachudamani Parallel
A particularly relevant verse is:
ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या
Brahman alone is Real; the world is dependent reality.
And later Shankara repeatedly teaches:
Everything perceived is superimposed upon Brahman.
Muktabai poetically says the same thing:
The cloth is visible. The thread is hidden. See the thread.
“ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा“
“Open the Door, O Dnyaneshwar!”
Which door?
Not the hut.
The Heart.
The Door of Vision.
The Door of Understanding.
The Door of Non-duality.
Muktabai is saying:
Do not close yourself off because the world insulted you. See Brahman behind the world. See ignorance behind the insult. See the Divine behind the offender.
Open the Door.
Shankara repeatedly emphasises:
- Bhavana
- Nididhyasana
- Continuous Contemplation
- Abidance in Brahman
Muktabai shows what such contemplation looks like in life.
Not in a cave. Not in philosophy. But in human relationships.
Her teaching is:
Sudha Bhavana
Bear the faults of others.
Nirmal Maan
Do not become angry.
Nishchal Maan
Remain undisturbed by words.
Vishal Maan
See the whole universe as Brahman.
Anyanasharanam
Rest in Brahman alone.
Essence of the First Abhang
Muktabai’s first stanza may be summarised as:
A true Yogi is known not by miracles, austerities, or scholarship, but by the purity of his Heart.
When insulted, he forgives.
When confronted with anger, he becomes peace.
When wounded by words, he learns.
When looking at the world, he sees Brahman.
Such a one has truly opened the Door.
And that “Door” is exactly what both Shankaracharya in the Vivekachudamani and Bhagavan Nityananda through Sudha Bhavana are asking every Sadhak to open within themselves.
Note:
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