Eknath | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Eknath on a 2003 stamp of India | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 1533 |
| Died | 1599(1599-00-00) (aged 65–66) |
| Parents |
|
| 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 IndianHinduVaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee ofVitthal, a Hindu deity. He is a major figure of theWarkari tradition. He is often viewed as a spiritual successor to prominent Hindu Marathi saintsDnyaneshwar andNamdev.
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 aDeshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family to Suryanarayan and Rukmini Bai atPaithan, a town in present-dayMaharashtra. He was known to be an adherant of theAshvalayana Sutra, a collection of Indian texts detailing domestic rituals for householders. His father held the title ofKulkarni and kept financial accounts. The ancestral family deity wasEkvira.[1]
His parents died while Eknath was young. He was then raised by his grandfather, Chakrapani. His great-grandfatherBhanudas was another revered saint of the Warkari sect.[2][3] Eknath was a disciple ofJanardan Swami,[4] who was a devotee of the Hindu deityDattatreya. Asamadhi or shrine venerating Eknath is located at Paithan, near theGodavari river. Celebrations commemorating Eknath are held every year around the month of March in Paithan.[5]
Eknath is considered to be a creative poet, who utilized his literary skills to compose religious works invernacularMarathi 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 textBhagavata Purana, also known asEknathi Bhagavata.[6] He also wrote a variation of the Hindu epicRamayana, also known asBhavarth Ramayan. He also composedRukmini SwayamwarHastamalak, a literary piece consisting of 764owee (poetic metre). It is based on aSanskrit 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:[7]
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 includeShukashtak (447owee),Sukha (510owee),Ananda-Lahari (154owee),Chiranjeewa-Pad (42owee),Geeta-Saar andPrahlad-Vijaya. He introduced a new form of devotional melodies calledBharood and wrote nearly 300 of them.[6]
Citations
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, ...
Bibliography
