In this blog, let us learn about the famous Bhakti saints of India.

Who started the Bhakti Movement?

The roots of the Bhakti movement lie in Hindu philosophy. It was headed by Adi Shankaracharya. Another prominent bhakti saint was Sri Ramanujacharya who raised his voice against the increasing orthodoxy. He was the founder of a new school of Vaishnavism based on love and devotion.

Do you know about any famous Bhakti saint from North India?

One of the examples of Bhakti saints was Ramananda.

He is believed to have lived in the first half of the fifteenth century. According to him, Rama was the supreme God and salvation could be attained only by chanting his name.

In Maharashtra, the Bhakti movement was popularized by Sant Jnaneshwar and Tukaram.

Sant Jnaneshwar

Sant Jnaneshwar or Dnyaneshwar is one of the great Bhakti saints of Maharashtra. He was born in 1275 at Apegaon to a Brahman family. He was blessed with divine knowledge. He wrote a beautiful commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in Marathi known as Dnyaneshwari.

Although Sant Dnyaneshwar was a Sanskrit scholar, he sang in Marathi. He wrote Amritanubhava and Bhavartha Dipika in Marathi. His followers belonged to all castes and condemned rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices in religious worship.

What were the followers of Sant Dnyaneshwar known as?

Sant Dnyaneshwar�s followers were known as Varkaris who believed in attaining the presence of God through bhajans, prayers, and religious songs. They are the Vaishnavas of Maharashtra who worshipped Lord Vithoba, believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sant Dnyaneshwar died in 1296 at Alandi near Poona at the age of 21.

Tukaram was another Bhakti saint from Maharashtra during the sixteenth century. He composed wonderful verses of Lord Krishna. He preached against casteism, idol worship, ceremonies, and rituals. Bhakti was not just reserved for male saints but was preached by women as well. Let us learn about one of the most prominent bhakti saints, Mira bai.

Do you know the name of famous women in the Bhakti Movement?

Mira Bai was one of the foremost exponents of the Bhakti cult. She was a Rajasthani Princess of Mewar. She was married in 1516 to Bhoja Raj of Rana Sanga�s family. She became a devotee of Lord Krishna. She believed that one could achieve salvation through complete devotion to Krishna. Her melodious bhajans became popular and are sung even today.

Mira�s poetry is known as Padavali. She portrays her association with Lord Krishna through her verses. She sang in Braj-bhasha mixed with Rajasthani in praise of Lord Krishna. She died in about 1546 AD at Dwarka.

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