This negative definition of the Absolute by the Vedāntins would be very unsatisfactory to the followers of tantric Hinduism. For them reality is not an illusion but the very manifestation of the Absolute. The supreme consciousness congeals itself into the materiality of the manifest universe. The unmanifest consciousness, Śiva, manifests itself in this world through his inherent Śakti, the feminine principle inseparable from Śiva (or in academic-speak, they are ontologically the same but manifest differently).

The non-dual consciousness, though devoid of all materiality, is the source of all materiality. The yogi realizes this unity of reality in the deepest recess of his consciousness. Verbalizing this ontology through poetry is exceedingly difficult. This is a far cry from the dualistic Bhakti poetry where God has a form and participates in the worldly līlā, and therefore it becomes easier to describe the deeds and glory of the Lord through poetry. Among the tantric practitioners, Jñānadeva, Lāl Ded and Utpaladeva, are some of the few saints who have composed devotional poetry. In what follows, I will highlight Jñānadeva attempt to capture this non-dual reality via poetry.

The great 13th-century saint of Maharashtra, well known for his commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā, Jñānadeva was an initiated Nātha Yogi, a practitioner of Śaiva tantra. In Nātha world-view, the reality is one; bhakti and its object is one; the name of God is God itself! When a devotee worships God in devotion, it is God worshipping God! The world appears dual due to the Śakti of Śiva, but in reality, everything is Śiva. Jñānadeva, in his brilliantly evocative Marathi poetry, Amṛtānubhava manages to capture this non-dual nature of reality, the mysterious interplay of Śiva and Śakti, that is unmatched in the history of Hindu literature. If you are lucky enough to read the first few chapters of Amṛtānubhava, please read it in the original Marathi. For our purposes, we will quote the verses from the first chapter of Amṛtānubhava, translated by S.Abhayananda.

Jñānadeva here is trying to describe the paradoxical nature of reality. The consciousness manifests itself out of sheer fullness of its being, but this manifestation is impossible without an active principle which is called Śakti. But Śakti is the very being of Śiva. When they separate, the world of diversity manifests itself, but this separation is not possible because if everything is one, there is nothing to separate from. Jñānadeva writes,

The entire universe is a play or manifestation of Śiva and Śakti, who are both one but manifest differently. Without Śiva, Śakti cannot exist, while Śiva cannot manifest itself without Śakti. They are twins but united in a primal bond. Jñānadeva says they are like sugar and sweetness or sun and its rays; both different and yet have the same source. In the same vein, Jñānadeva writes

Here Jñānadeva is describing the interplay of Śiva and Śakti. When one does not recognize Śiva, one can only see his manifestations, Śakti, but when one sees Śiva (or gain enlightenment), the Śakti disappears into the unmanifest void of Śiva. Jñānadeva says that the seeming duality of Śiva and Śakti will vanish once the devotee can set their ego aside. In the deepest state of mediation, as the ego dissolves into nothingness, at that very moment, Śiva embraces Śakti in an eternal embrace, both merging into the primal unity of the uncreated existence.

Note: I have just captured the beginning few pages of Amṛtānubhava. Meditation on this profound poetry of Jñānadeva itself is a means to transcendence. As mentioned, I have followed the translation of S.Abhayananda, which I find more poetic than other translations. Readers wanting to read Amṛtānubhava in English can also use the translation of OP Bhairut, widely used in academia for Jñānadeva studies.