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The Genius of Dnyaneshwar
The sky is unique And so are you Kings of yonder7 Are in praise of you The god of death Is in fear of you The enemy know They will succumb to you The water of the Ganges That is you …201 The mention of the river Ganges (the river is actually called Ganga and flows in the north and northeast of of India) is important. The banks of the Ganga have been the seat of civilisation in India from times immemorial and so the river is thus revered, like the now extinct river Saraswati (Chapter 17, Dnyaneshwari Verse 21). Dnyaneshwar evokes the breadth, expanse and the purity of the Ganga (in the original verse in Dnyaneshwari) to describe Arjun. Dnyaneshwar adds They know in their bones A diamond cuts Even a stone …202 Elephants flee as the lions roar Fearful they To their innermost core …203 The enemy cowers and also shakes Like when pounced by an eagle Does a snake …204 These pairs are to indicate how superior Arjun is to his enemy. From this enemy You cannot run You will be caught And at your cost They will make Merry and fun …205