Eknath

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Eknath
Eknath 2003 stamp of India.jpg
Depiction of Eknath on a 2003 stamp of India
Personal life
Bornc. 1533
Paithan, Ahmadnagar Sultanate
Died1599(1599-00-00) (aged 65–66)
Parents
  • Suryanarayan (father)
  • Rukminibai (mother)
Honors Sant (Saint)
Religious life
Religion Hinduism
Philosophy Advaita Vedanta, Vaishnavism
Religious career

Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha, Marathi pronunciation: [eknath]) (c. 1533 – c. 1599), [1] pronunciation ⓘ was an Indian Hindu Vaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of Vitthal, a Hindu deity. He is a major figure of the Warkari tradition. He is often viewed as a spiritual successor to prominent Hindu Marathi saints Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.

Contents

Biography

Historical information about his life is obscure. He is believed to have lived during the latter three-quarters of the 16th-century. He was born into a Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family to Suryanarayan and Rukmini Bai at Paithan, a town in present-day Maharashtra. He was known to be an adherant of the Ashvalayana Sutra, a collection of Indian texts detailing domestic rituals for householders. His father held the title of Kulkarni and kept financial accounts. The ancestral family deity was Ekvira. [2]

His parents died while Eknath was young. He was then raised by his grandfather, Chakrapani. His great-grandfather Bhanudas was another revered saint of the Warkari sect. [3] [4] Eknath was a disciple of Janardan Swami [5] , who was a devotee of the Hindu deity Dattatreya. A samadhi or shrine venerating Eknath is located at Paithan, near the Godavari river. Celebrations commemorating Eknath are held every year around the month of March in Paithan. [6]

Literary contribution

Eknath is considered to be a creative poet, who utilized his literary skills to compose religious works in vernacular Marathi language. He was a promoter of native religious practices. He opposed the suppressive caste-system.

Eknath's writings include a variation of the Hindu religious text Bhagavata Purana, also known as Eknathi Bhagavata . [7] He also wrote a variation of the Hindu epic Ramayana, also known as Bhavarth Ramayan . He also composed Rukmini SwayamwarHastamalak, a literary piece consisting of 764 owee (poetic metre). It is based on a Sanskrit hymn of the same name. He also made attempts to shift the emphasis of Marathi literature from a spiritual to a narrative style of composition.

  To assert the significance of the Marathi language, he once claimed the following: [8]

If Sanskrit was made by God, was Prakrit born of thieves and knaves? Let these errings be of vanity alone. God is no partisan of tongues. To Him Prakrit and Sanskrit are alike. My language Marathi is worthy of expressing the highest sentiments and is rich, laden with the fruits of divine knowledge.

His other literary works include Shukashtak (447 owee), Sukha (510 owee), Ananda-Lahari (154 owee), Chiranjeewa-Pad (42 owee), Geeta-Saar and Prahlad-Vijaya. He introduced a new form of devotional melodies called Bharood and wrote nearly 300 of them. [9]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare (1994). Eknath. Sahitya Akademi. p. 4. ISBN   9788172014568. EKNATH : A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH* (A. D. 1533–1599). A reference to the Marathi Vangmaya Kosh (A biographical dictionary of Marathi writers) shows that there were three authors called "Eknath" and seven authors who used the mudrika (Pen-name) "Eka-Janardan" used by our author Eknath. Eknath was a Rigvedi Deshastha Brahmin, a follower of the Ashvalayana Sutra. His Gotra was Vishvamitra. His family deity was Ekaveera Devi (or Renuka). His family lived at Paithan, ...
  2. ↑ Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare (1994). Eknath. Sahitya Akademi. p. 4. ISBN   9788172014568. EKNATH : A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH* (A. D. 1533–1599). A reference to the Marathi Vangmaya Kosh (A biographical dictionary of Marathi writers) shows that there were three authors called "Eknath" and seven authors who used the mudrika (Pen-name) "Eka-Janardan" used by our author Eknath. Eknath was a Rigvedi Deshastha Brahmin, a follower of the Ashvalayana Sutra. His Gotra was Vishvamitra. His family deity was Ekaveera Devi (or Renuka). His family lived at Paithan, ...
  3. ↑ Novetzke (2013), pp. 141–142
  4. ↑ Schomer & McLeo (1987), p. 94
  5. ↑ "Coming Soon Page". Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  6. ↑ George Michell (1 May 2013). Southern India: A Guide to Monuments Sites & Museums. Roli Books Private Limited. p. 115. ISBN   978-81-7436-903-1.
  7. ↑ Keune, Jon Milton (2011). Eknāth Remembered and Reformed: Bhakti, Brahmans, and Untouchables in Marathi Historiography (Thesis). New York, NY, USA: Columbia University press. p. 32. doi:10.7916/D8CN79VK. hdl:10022/AC:P:11409 . Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Chandra, Satish (2018). History of Medieval India. ISBN   978-93-5287-457-6.
  9. ↑ Keune, Jon Milton (2011). Eknāth Remembered and Reformed: Bhakti, Brahmans, and Untouchables in Marathi Historiography (Thesis). New York, NY, USA: Columbia University press. p. 32. doi:10.7916/D8CN79VK. hdl:10022/AC:P:11409 . Retrieved 9 March 2016.

Bibliography

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