Dnyaneshwar was born in 13th century Maharashtra, before the Muslim invasions of the region

started. During this period, arts and sciences prospered under the patronage of the newly

ascended Yadava kings.[3]

However, this period also witnessed religious degeneration,

superstitions, and rituals which involved animal sacrifices and worship of many deities.[4]

Jnandeva emerged as one the first original philosophers to write in Marathi language in this

era.[5]

Some of his works were critical of the notions of asceticism and deity worship prevalent in

the time.[4]

According to Nath tradition Dnyaneshwar [6]

was the second of the four children of Vitthal

Govind Kulkarni and Rukmini, a pious couple from Apegaon near Paithan on the banks of the

river Godavari. Vitthal had studied Vedas and set out on pilgrimages at a young age. In Alandi,

about 30 km from Pune, Sidhopant, a local Yajurveda Brahmin, was very much impressed with

him and Vitthal married his daughter Rukmini.

After some time, getting permission from Rukmini, Vitthal went to Kashi(Varanasi in Uttar

Pradesh, India), where he met Ramananda Swami and requested to be initiated into sannyas,

lying about his marriage. But Ramananda Swami later went to Alandi and, convinced that his

student Vitthal was the husband of Rukmini, he returned to Kashi and ordered Vitthal to return

home to his family. The couple was excommunicated from the Brahmin caste as Vitthal had

broken with sannyas, the last of the four ashrams. Four children were born to them; Nivrutti in

1273, Dnyandev (Dnyaneshwar) in 1275, Sopan in 1277 and daughter Mukta in 1279. According

to some scholars their birth years are 1268, 1271, 1274, 1277 respectively. It is believed that later

Vitthal and Rukmini ended their lives by jumping into the waters at Prayag where the river

Ganges meets Yamuna hoping that their children would be accepted into the society after their

death.

The couple set out on a pilgrimage with their children to Tryambakeshwar, near Nashik, where

their elder son Nivrutti (at the age of 10) was initiated into the Nath tradition by Gahininath. The

paternal great grandfather of Dnyaneshwar had been initiated into the Nath cult by Goraksha

Nath (Gorakh Nath). The orphaned children grew up on alms. They approached the Brahmin

community of Paithan to accept them but the Brahmins refused. According to the disputed

"Shuddhi Patra" the children were purified by the Brahmins on condition of observing celibacy.

Their argument with the Brahmins earned the children fame and respect due to their

righteousness, virtue, intelligence, knowledge and politeness. Dnyaneshwar became the student

of Nivruttinath along with his younger siblings Sopan and Mukta at the age of 8. He learnt and

mastered the philosophy and various techniques of kundalini yoga.

Start of literary activity

Main article: Dnyaneshwari

The child moved to Nevasa, a village in Ahmednagar district, where Dnyaneshwar began his

literary work when Nivruttinath instructed him to write a commentary on Bhagavad Gita. The

Dnyaneshwari or Bhavartha Deepika was written down by Sacchidananandbaba from discourses

by Dnyaneshwar. By the time the commentary was complete Dnyaneshwar was only 15 years

old.

Considered a masterpieces of Marathi literature, the Dnyaneshwari's 18 chapters are composed in

a metre called "ovi". Dnyaneshwar liberated the "divine knowledge" locked in the Sanskrit

language to bring that knowledge into Prakrit (Marathi) and made it available to the common

man. He was confident that he would write in marathi in as good or better manner than Sanskrit.

Amrutanubhav, written some time after, is difficult and finds fewer readers[citation needed]

.

Containing 10 chapters and 806 ovi, the basis of this book is nondualism (advaita siddhanta).

The seventh and biggest chapter (295 ovi) is the most important. Apart from Dnyaneshwari and

Amrutanubhav works like Changdev Paasashti (a collection of 65 ovi addressed to an allegedly

1400 years old yogi named Changdev Maharaj), Haripath and around 1000 "abhanga"

(authorship of many is disputed due to differences in writing style) are attributed to

Dnyaneshwar.

Eknath From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Sant Eknath (1533–1599) was a prominent Marathi Saint, scholar and religious poet. In the

development of Marathi literature, Sant Eknath is seen as a bridge between the towering

predecessors Dnyaneshwar and Namdev and the equally noble successors Tukaram and Ramdas.

Origins

Eknath was born sometime around 1530 AD in an illustrious Brahmin family of Pratisthan

(Paithan today). They were said to be the Kulkarnis of the village, his real name is Eknath

Suryajipant Kulkarni.[citation needed]

Sant Bhanudas, who brought back the sacred image of Lord

Pandurang, from Vijaynagar to Pandharpur, was Eknath’s great grandfather.

Eknath was born under the star sign of ‘Mula’ in the Sagittarius constellation, traditionally

considered a bad omen for the parents of the child. The omen was borne out for Eknath’s father

Suryanarayan and mother Rukmini, who died shortly after his birth and Eknath was brought up

by his grandparents, Chakrapani and Saraswatibai. As an orphan, Eknath had to suffer the taunts

of other children. He began avoiding their company and found refuge as a child in prayer and

other devotional practices.

Tutelage by Janardanswami

When about twelve years old, Eknath heard about Janardanswamy. This great scholar lived in

Devgiri renamed as Daulatabad by the Muslim rulers of the time. Eager to become his disciple,

Eknath trudged all the way to Devgiri. Janardanswamy was amazed by this extraordinarily gifted

boy and readily accepted him as his disciple. He taught Eknath Vedanta, Nyaya, Meemansa,

Yoga etc. and most importantly, Sant Dnyaneshwar’s works. Janardanswamy was a devotee of

Lord Dattatreya, and this meant that Eknath's social and religious outlook consisted of tolerance

and kindness toward all fellow beings.

The Guru asked Eknath to go on a pilgrimage. He himself accompanied Eknath up to Nasik-

Tryambakeshwar. there, Eknath wrote his famous treatise on the Chatushloki Bhagavat. In this

Marathi commentary, he explained the significance of four sacred shlokas of the Bhagavat in

1036 specially metered verses known as ovee.

After completing his pilgrimage, consisting of various holy places of west and north India,

Eknath returned to Paithan. His grandparents were extremely delighted to see him again and

implored him to marry. Girija bai wife of Eknath was daughter of Hilalpur gram of Vaijapur

tehsil, Eknath and his wife Girija were truly made for each other and established an ideal

examples of ethical living. In time, the couple was blessed with two daughters, Godavari and

Ganga and a son Hari.

Revival of the Dnyaneshwari

Eknath was responsible for the rediscovery of the great work of Dnyaneshwar, the first bard of

Marathi literature, the epic poem the Dnyaneshwari, which had been forgotten like many Hindu

epics after the grinding Muslim invasions. About 230 years before the birth of Eknath,

Dnyaneshwar had written an important commentary in Marathi in verse form on the geat sacred

text in Sanskrit Bhagawad Geeta. It was called the Bhawarth-Deepika and it had come to be

known as the Dnyaneshwari.

During the intervening period between Dnyaneshwar and Eknath, Maharashtra, like the rest of

the country, had been ravaged by Muslim invasions. Defeat after defeat had left the people

demoralized. The people did not have their epics, their ballads, their poems to turn to, these had

all been forgotten in a generation or two. Eknath saw that the need of the hour was a revival of

Marathi literature, of the great epics, an education in the old values and if the once popular

Marathi-worded Dnyaneshwari could be brought again to the people, they could be uplifted,

morally and spiritually.

Eknath devoted himself to bringing about the epic poem's revival. His first task was to locate the

"samadhi" of Dnyaneshwar to show to the people that Dnyaneshwar was not a mythological

being, but a real man, one of their own. He then devoted a few, hard years in compiling an

undistorted version of the Dnyaneshwari.

His Writings Eknathi Bhagavata Bhagavata Purana.Bhawartha-Ramayana. Eknath wrote Rukmini

Swayamwar 'Hastamalak, comprised 764 owees, and it was based on a 14-shlok

Sanskrit hymn with the same name by Shankaracharya.

His other works were the Shukashtak (447 owees), the Swatma-Sukha (510 owees), the Ananda-

Lahari (154 owees), the Chiranjeewa-Pad (42 owees), the Geeta-Sar, and the Prahlad-Wijaya.

He introduced a new form of Marathi religious song called Bharood, writing 300 of them. He

performed them in varkari sampradaya. He wrote variations of Bharuds in other languages.[1]

He

also wrote 300 religious songs in the Abhang form. He was also a preacher, and gave many

public discourses.

Eknath initiated in Maharashtra a movement called Wasudewa Sanstha. It involved house-to-

house visitations by individuals known as Wasudewa, who, standing in front of peoples' houses,

spread religious messages through bhajans (ballads).

His Teachings

Tukaram From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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"Sant Tukaram" redirects here. For 1936 Marathi film, see Sant Tukaram (film). For 1973 Telugu film, see

Bhakta Tukaram. For 2012 Marathi film, see Tukaram (film).

Tukaram

Sant Tukaram

Born 1577

Dehu, near Pune, India

Died indrayani, Maharashtra

Titles/honours Sant in Marathi

Sect associated Varkari

Literary works Abhanga devotional poetry, Tukaram

Gatha

Sant Tukaram (1577–1650) was a prominent Varkari Sant and spiritual poet of the Bhakti. He

is often referred to with an honorific, Sant Tukaram. Tukaram was a devotee of Vitthala or

Vithoba, a form of God Vishnu.

Life and Works

Tukaram was born in the year 1577 and lived most of his life in Dehu, a town close to Pune in

Mahārāshtra, India. Kumar,[1]

Munshi,[2]

Kincaid and Parasanisa,[3]

consider him to be of the

Kunbi Maratha or agricultural tillage caste or vaani. In accordance with an Indian tradition,

Tukaram's family name is rarely used in identifying him. His real name is Tukaram Bolhoba

Aambile. Rather, in accord with another tradition in India of assigning the epithet "sant" (संत) to

persons regarded as thoroughly saintly, Tukaram is commonly known in Maharashtra as Sant

Tukaram (संत तकुाराम). He is known as Bhakta Tukaram to southern Indian people.

Scholars assign various birth years to Tukaram: 1602, 1608, 1618 and 1639 CE. The year of

Tukaram's departure —1650 CE— is much more certain.[4]

Tukaram's first wife, Rakhumābāi, died in 1602 in her early youth. Sant Tukaram and his second

wife, Jijiābāi (also known as Āvali), had three sons: Santu or Mahādev, Vithobā, and Nārāyan.

Dilip Purushottam Chitre, a well known Marathi Scholar, identifies Tukaram as the first modern

poet of Marathi. Chitre believes that Tukaram was the successor to Dnyaneshwar who denied

caste hierarchy in Hindu religion and attacked rituals present in Hinduism. Tukaram has attacked

almost every form of myth existing in Hindu society during his time. He opposed the existing

system of human's by misunderstanding chaturvarna in veda's as un-touchability or division's of

politic's.

Spiritual life and poetry

Tukaram leaves for Vaikuntha, Supreme Abode of God Vishnu.

Tukaram was a devotee of Vitthala or Vithoba, a form of God Vishnu.

Tukaram is considered to be the climactic point of the (वारकरी)[clarification needed] tradition, which is

thought to have begun in Maharashtra with Namdev. Dnyaneshwar, Janabai, Eknath, and

Tukaram are revered especially in the (वारकरी) Dharma in Maharashtra. Most information about

the lives of the above saints of Maharashtra comes from the works Bhakti-Wijay and Bhakti-

Leelāmrut of Mahipati. Mahipati was born 65 years after the death of Tukaram, (Tukaram having

died 50 years, 300 years, and 353 years after the deaths of Ekanath, Namdev, and Dnyaneshwar,

respectively.) Thus, Mahipati undoubtedly based his life sketches of all the above "sants"

primarily on hearsay.

Namdev as Guru

Tukaram accepted 'Namdev maharaj as his Guru. One of his abhanga is proof for this.[नामदेवे केऱे स्वप्नामाजी जागे....सवे पाांडुरांगे येवूननया.] Namdev gave knowledge, who came along with

Lord Vitthal in Dream of Tukaram. Sant Tukaram has also mentioned in one of his abhanga that

his sadguru's name is 'Babaji Chaitanya'. [बाबाजी चतैन्य सांगितऱे नाम, मंत्र ददऱा राम कृष्ण हरी]

Namdev

Sant Namdev or Namdeo or Namadeva (29 October, 1270 - 1350) (Marathi: संत नामदेव) or

Bhagat Namdeo (Gurmukhi: ਭਗਤ ਨਾਮਦੇਵ) is a poet-saint from the Varkari sect of Hinduism.

He is also venerated in Sikhism.

He was born on October 29, 1270 in the state of Maharashtra village of Narasi-Bamani, in

Hingoli district (presently called Narsi Namdev). His father, a calico printer/tailor (Bhavsar), was

named Damshet and his mother's name was Gonai / Gonabai. Most of the spiritual messages of

Namdev emphasized the importance of living the life of a householder (िहृस्थ जीवन) and that

through marriage and having a family, one could attain Moksha.

Background

The first biographer and auto-biographer in Marathi and the foremost proponent of Bhagawad-

Dharma who propagated the religion right up to Punjab.

Saint Namdev, a contemporary saint-poet of Saint Dnyaneshwar, is considered a prominent

religious poet of Maharashtra. He was one of the earliest writers who wrote in the Marathi

language. He is the foremost proponent of the Bhagwad-Dharma who reached beyond

Maharashtra, right into Punjab. He also wrote some hymns in Hindi and Punjabi. His depth of

devotion and talent in delivering Kirtan was of such a high standard that it is said even the Lord

Pandurang swayed to his tune. Despite being a proponent of the Warkari sect, Saint Namdev

established religious unity across the country.

Saint Namdeo was born in the year 1270 in the village of Narasi-Bamani, now located in the

Hingoli District in Maharashtra. He was born to a tailor named Damasheti Relekar and his wife

Gonai. Yadusheth, his ancestor in the seventh generation, was a devotee of Bhagawad-Dharma.

Soon after his birth, his family moved to Pandharpur, where the prominent temple of Lord

Vitthal (also called Vithoba) is located. Saint Namdev’s spent the better part of his life, spanning

eighty years, at Pandharpur. His parents were devotees of Vithoba.

Namdev showed little interest in the family profession. Even as a child his devotion to Lord

Vitthal was extraordinary - his sole occupation was to spend day and night in devotion to

Vithoba. His devotion was so sincere that sometimes he would consider Vithoba to be his dearest

brother or his play mate. According to a legend, when Namdev was five years old, his mother

once gave him some food offerings for Vithoba and asked him to give it to Vithoba in the

Pandharpur temple. Namdev took the offerings and placed it before Vithoba's idol in the temple,

asking Vithoba to accept the offerings. When he saw that his request was not being met, he told

Vithoba that he would kill himself if Vithoba continued to ignore the offerings. Vithoba then

appeared before him and ate the offerings in response to the utter devotion of young Namdev.

At the age of eleven, Namdev was married to Rajai. Namdev and Rajai had four sons namely

Nara, Vitha, Gonda, Mahada and a daughter called Limbai. His elder sister, Aubai also lived

with them. There were in all fifteen people in the household.

The year 1291 was a turning point in his life at the age of twenty-one when he met Saint

Jnaneshwar. Several records in various saint literatures have been found to the following event :-

Once, all the Saints like Dnyaneshwar, Nivruttinath, Sopandev, Muktabai, Namdeo,

Chokhamela, Visoba Khechar, etc. had congregated at Saint Goroba’s house in Terdhoki. As

instructed by Saint Dnyaneshwar, Saint Goroba tapped each saint’s pot (head) to find out who

was spiritually mature. The reference to the pot being tapped is because Saint Goroba was a

potter and him being selected for the test shows his own spiritual maturity. On testing Namdev,

Saint Goroba expressed his opinion that Namdev was still immature, which was backed by Saint

Muktabai. Miffed by this, Namdev complained to the Lord himself. But the Lord advised him to

accept the guidance of Visoba Khechar and Namdev acquired a Guru.

He accepted Visoba Khechar as his guru, through whom he actually saw the form of God.

Namdev's Kirtans have references to many holy books. This shows that he was well read and a

great scholar. His Kirtans were so effective that it is said –

Namdev Kirtan kari, pudhe nache dev Panduranga (Namdev delivers his kirtan, in front of him

dances the Lord Pandurang)

His goal in life was –

Nachu Kirtanache rangi, Dnyandeep lavu jagi (Will dance to the tune of Kirtan, light the lamp of

knowledge the world over)

Namdev travelled through many parts of India, reciting his religious poems (Kirtans). In difficult

times, he played the difficult role of uniting the people of Maharashtra spiritually. He is said to

have lived for more than twenty years in the village of Ghuman in the Gurdaspur district of

Punjab. The Sikh brethren in Punjab consider him one of their own, singing praises of him as

Namdev Baba. Bahordas, Laddha, VishnuSwami and Keshav Kaladhari were his disciples in

Punjab. He composed around 125 Abhangas in Hindi. Sixty-one of these came to be included in

the Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib as Namdevjiki Mukhbani (The holy songs of

Namdev). There is an amazing similarity between the ShabdaKirtan of Punjab and the Warkari

Kirtan of Maharashtra. A memorial in Ghuman, Punjab commemorates him. Temples in his

memory have also been built in Rajasthan by the Sikhs.

In his early fifties, Namdev settled down at Pandharpur where he gathered around himself a

group of devotees. His Abhangas became very popular and people thronged to listen to his

Kirtans. Approximately 2500 of Namdev's Abhangas have been collected in NamdevVaachi

Gaatha. The book also includes the long autobiographical poem Teerthaavali, talking about his

travels in the company of Saint Dnyaneshwar. This poem makes him the first auto-biographer in

Marathi literature. He has also written a biography on Saint Dnyaneshwar through Aadi,

Samadhi and Teerthavali, which makes him the first Marathi biographer. He continued to

propagate the Bhagawad-Dharma for 50 years after the death of Saint Dnyaneshwar. Saint

Namdev is regarded to have had a significant influence on Saint Tukaram.

He died in July, 1350 at the age of 80 in Pandharpur at the feet of the Lord at Pandharpur. He

preferred to be a stepping stone at the temple in Pandharpur so that he would be forever blessed

by the touch of innumerable saints and devotees stepping on him into the temple.

गोब ांद गोब ांद गोब ांद सांगग नामदेउ मन ुऱीणा ॥ आढ दाम को छीपरो होइओ ऱाखीणा

Gora Kumbhar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Sant Gora Kumbhar is one of the notable saints in history. He has been depicted in the Marathi

and Kannada movie, he completely immersed in the name of vittala god and accidentally his

child comes in search of his father and get struck in the mud and die, you should understand

from this that human life is transitory and god only is permanent Sant Gora Kumbhar and other

saints also wrote and sung hundreds of Abhangs(Shabads which can not be destroyed). The

central ideology of this sect was chanting of Namas-kirtana(Kirtan) daily. This sampardaya

attached least importance to the position/status of person in society. Rendering of Namaskirtana

attaches a great importance to "Nāma" (Naam Japna) and chorus singing (Kirtan)

Samarth Ramdas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Samarth Ramdas

Samarth Ramdas

Born

Narayan Thosar

1608

Jamb (present-day Jalna District,

Maharashtra, India)

Died 1681

Sajjangad (present-day India)

Titles/honours Sant in Marathi, meaning "Saint"

Literary works

Shri Manāche Shlok,

Shrimat Dasbodh,

Maruti Stotra

Ramdas (Rāmdās) (Marathi: रामदास) (1608–1681) was noted 17th-century saint

and spiritual poet Maharashtra. He is most remembered for his Advaita Vedanta(Non-dualism)

text Dasbodh. [1]

Samarth Ramdas was a devotee of Lord Hanuman and Lord Rama. His birth

name was Narayan Suryajipant Kulkarni Thosar.

Contents

1 Early life and background 2 Residences 3 Spiritual Development 4 Writings 5 Disciples 6 Shree Datta Darshan 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 Sources 10 External links

Early life and background

Ramdas Swami was born in a Deshastha Rugvedi Brahmin family to Suryāji and Rānu-Bāi

Thosar in Jāmb in Jalna District of Maharashtra on Ram Navami (the birth festival of Lord

Ram), 1530 according to "Shāliwāhan Shak" calendar. His given name was Nārāyan.

As a child, Ramdas showed an inclination toward metaphysical contemplation and spirituality.

When Ramdas was eight, his father died; and when he was 12, his mother arranged his marriage.

However, he wanted to pursue a monastic life. He ran away in the middle of the wedding

ceremony, before the marriage ceremony was completed.

During the Hindu marriage ceremony, the last word which seals the marriage is "Saavdhan"

meaning, 'be careful'. Swami Ramdas interpreted that word to mean that he had to be careful not

to get entangled in the bonds of Maya, and must seek Self-realization.

Residences

Samadhi of Samarth Ramdas at Sajjangad.

Ramdas moved around quite a lot, and in the process, used several Ghal (Marathi: घळ), which

are small caves used for meditation. The famous ones include: [2]

Ramghal, on Sajjangad Morghal, at Morbag village near Sajjangad Tondoshi Ghal, North of Chaphal Taakli, near Nashik Chandragiri, opposite Vasantgad, near Karad Helwak, near Helwak village Shiganwadi, near Chandragiri Shivthar Ghal, near Mahad[3]

Spiritual Development

Hanuman

For the next twelve years, Ramdas devoted himself to studying Indian spiritual scriptures, to

meditation, and to prayers in a place named Takli, near Nashik on the banks of the Nandini

River. At the of age 12 as soon as he ran away from his home he took the name "Ramdas",

meaning "servant of Lord Ram," an incarnation of God.

Ramdas practised physical yoga exercises as well as meditation. The Surya Namaskara or Sun

Salutation was his favourite as it involves every part of the body. It is said that he would do

1,200 Sun Salutations every day, believing that no spirituality could be attained if the physical

body was not strong.

In addition to his veneration of Ram, Ramdas worshipped Ram's divinely strong servant Lord

Hanuman. He established 11 temples of Hanuman in Maharashtra and promoted physical

exercise to develop a healthy society.

Writings

Ramdas Swami was a gifted composer. He produced considerable literature in verse form in

Marathi. Among his works, two compositions particularly stand out: A small book of

meditations, Shri Manāche Shlok, advises ethical behaviour and love for God, and a large

volume, Dasbodh, provides advice on both spiritual and practical topics. Apart from Dasbodh,

Ramdas also wrote the Shri Māruti Stotra, a poem in praise of Hanuman, the AatmaaRaam, 11-

Laghu Kavita and Raamayan (Marathi-Teeka).

His most popular composition is the Marathi Aarti to Lord Ganesh Sukhkartā Dukhhartā Vārtā

Vighnāchi. He also composed several other Aartis such as Satrane Uddane Hunkaar Vadani to

Lord Hanuman and Panchanan haivahan surabhushan lila to Lord Khandoba. Most Famous

book written by Samarth Ramdas, "DASBODH"[4]

is translated in most of the prominent Indian

languages, and available to readers all over the world. The original copy of DASBODH which

was written by his disciple is in Thanjavur Big Mutt. This mutt was established by him when he

came to south India for Sethu Himachal padayathra. This is the first mutt established by him in

south India. In this mutt his own picture is there, the specialty of this picture is, he saw that

picture in his lifetime directly,like we are seeing our picture and many special stories of him is

there.

Chokhamela From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The chief gate of Vithoba temple, Pandharpur. The small blue temple in front of the gate is saint

Chokhamela's memorial (samadhi).

Chokhamela was a saint in Maharashtra, India in the 14th century. He belonged to the Mahar

caste considered "untouchable" in India in that era. He was born at Mehuna raja, a village in

Deulgaon Raja Taluka of Buldhana district. He lived at Mangalvedha in Maharashtra. He wrote

many Abhangas. He was one of the first Dalit poets in India. Chokhamela lived with his wife

Soyarabai and son Karmamela in Mangalvedha. Chokhamela's hereditary task was to remove

dead animals from people's homes and farms and to dispose of them beyond the town limits (this

is task that has traditionally been performed by Mahars in Maharashtra). As a lower-caste person,

Chokha was forced to live outside the town in a separate settlement for members of the

untouchable caste.

His Family also followed varkari cult.[1]

Soyarabai - Wife[2] Nirmala - Sister and her husband Banka (who is brother of Soyarabai)[2][1]:84 Karmamela - Son[2]

He was initiated into bhakti spirituality by the poet-saint Namdev (1270?-1350?). Once when he

visited Pandharpur, he listened to Sant Namdev's kirtan. Already a devotee of Vitthal alias

Vithoba, Chokha was moved by Namdev's teachings.

Later, he moved to Pandharpur. The traditional story is that the upper castes here did not allow

him to enter the temple,[3]

nor did they allow him to stand in the door of the temple. So he built a

hut on the other side of the river Chandrabhaga.

While working on construction of a wall, the wall fell down, crushing some workers. Chokha

was one of them. His tomb is in front of the Vitthal temple, Pandharpur, where it can be seen to

this day. According to a legend the bones of the dead Chokhamela were still chanting Vitthal,

Vitthal, apparently yearning to visit the Vitthal temple. The bones were buried at the footsteps of

the Vitthal temple. In early 20th century, the Dalit leader Dr. Ambedkar, while attempting to

visit the temple, was stopped at the burial site of Chokhamela and denied entry beyond that point

for being a Mahar.[4]

Tukaram:

Tukarama was born in the family of a farmer. He had some cattle and landed property, but lost

them all in a great famine, together with his parents, one of his two wives, and a son. He became

a bankrupt and got disgusted with his life. His other wife was a shrew, who abused his

companion-devotees.

Troubled both at home and outside, Tukarama took to the study of the works of Jnaneswar,

Namadeva, and Ekanatha, and began to meditate on God in solitary places on the hills of

Bhamhanatha and Bhandara..

He wrote several abhangas, which embody his teachings and are widely recited in Maharashtra.

He was a contemporary of Shivaji and refused to accept the offer of rich presents made by him.

Ramdasa:

He was born in 1608. He wandered throughout India for twelve years and finally settled at

Chaphal on the banks of the Krishna where he built a temple. He was the spiritual guide of

Shivaji. Ramdasa was born in a period of political upheaval, and could not but be partly affected

by it.

But he regarded the realization of God as primary, and politics as only of secondary, importance

in life. He was a saint of practical temperament and systematically organized his order. He

established his monasteries throughout Maharashtra to serve as centres of spiritual and practical

activities.

In his monumental work, Dasabodha, be combines his vast knowledge of various sciences and

arts with the synthesizing principle of spiritual life. He also wrote many abhangas and some

minor works, all of which inspire a deep love for the life of God-realization.

The greatest contribution of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra was in uniting the people of

Maharashtra into a nation, which greatly helped in the rise of the Maratha movement under

Shivaji.