Eknath

Eknath Biography

Eknath was a scholar, saint and poet from Maharashtra. His works are written in Marathi language. He is regarded as a prominent figure in the development of Marathi literature. Eknath bridged between his predecessors, Dnyaneshwar and Namdev, and the later Tukaram and Ramdas. Eknathi Bhagavata, Bhagavata Purana and Bhawartha-Ramayana are among his prominent works. He wrote Rukmini Swayamwar, comprising of 764 owees. 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 are his other significant contributions to Marathi literature. He also wrote 300 religious songs in the Abhang form and was a preacher as well.

Exact place and date of birth of Eknath is unknown. According to sources, he lived in during the last three-quarters of the sixteenth-century and was born in a Brahmin family at Paithan. He lost both his parents at a younger age and thus brought up by his grandfather. Later his grandfather, Bhanudas was sketched as the hero of the Varkari sect.  It’s also believed that Bhanudas was his great-grandfather. As per beliefs, his guru, Janardan, was a Sufi. Eknath was one of the earliest reformers of untouchability in Maharashtra. He started to give social messages about such bad effects of the society, in the second and last phase of his life. Saint Dnyaneshwar was his idol.

Apart from writing many religious and spiritual works, he is credited as the founder of a new form of Marathi religious song called Bharood. Eknath himself has written about 300 religious songs that can be grouped under this genre. He also initiated a movement in Maharashtra called Wasudewa Sanstha.

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Updated: March 01, 2014