Eknath | |
|---|---|
 Eknath on a 2003 stamp of India | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1533 |
| Died | 1599(1599-00-00) (aged 65–66) |
| Parents |
|
| Honors | Sant (Saint) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Philosophy | Advaita,Varkari |
| Religious career | |
Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha,Marathi pronunciation:[eknath]) (1533–1599),[1]pronunciationⓘwas an IndianHinduVaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deityVitthal and is a major figure of theWarkari movement. Eknath is often viewed as a spiritual successor to the prominent Marathi saintsDnyaneshwar andNamdev.
Precise details of his life remain obscure. It is generally believed that Eknath lived during the latter three-quarters of the 16th-century. He was born into aDeshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family ofVishwamitra gotra to Suryanarayan and Rukmini Bai at Paithan, present-day Maharashtra and was a follower of the Ashvalayana Sutra. His father probably held the title ofKulkarni and kept financial accounts. Their family deity isEkvira Devi (or Renuka).[1]
His parents died while Eknath was young. He was then raised by his grandfather, Chakrapani. His great-grandfatherBhanudas was another revered saint of theWarkari sect.[2][3] Eknath was a disciple ofJanardan Swami[4] who was a devotee of the Hindu deityDattatreya.Eknath'ssamadhi shrine is located at Paithan near theGodavari river. Celebrations commemorating Eknath are held every year around the month of March at Paithan.[5]
Eknath was a creative person, who utilized his literary skills to compose religious work invernacularMarathi language, promoting local devotional religious practice, and opposing the suppressive caste-system.
Eknath's writings include a variation of the Hindu religious textBhagavata Purana, known asEknathi Bhagavata.[6] He also wrote a variation of the Hindu epicRamayana, known asBhavarth Ramayan. He also composedRukmini SwayamwarHastamalak, a literary piece consisting of 764owee (poetic metre) and based on aSanskrit hymn of the same name. He has also tried to shift the emphasis of Marathi literature from spiritual to narrative composition and introduced a new form of Marathi religious song called Bharood.
His other literary works includeShukashtak (447owee),https://shikshaved.com/category/marathi-essay/-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, ...
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