Muktabai

Muktabai Biography

Muktabai, also known as Muktai was a saint in the Varkari tradition. Dnyaneshwar, the first Varkari saint was her elder brother. Nivruttinath and Sopandev too were their siblings and all these four were known for their spiritual teachings. "Tati ughada dnaneshwara" is one of her most noted works. She was a saint who believed in the concept that, a saint is the one who can digest criticism of people. Muktabai is believed to be the spiritual guide of Changdev Maharaj. Now also she is regarded as one of the role model women poets of Maharashtra. In her short life span of 18 years, she has enriched Marathi poetry a lot. Her Abhanga poetries are truly classics!

Muktabai was born as the last of the four children of Vitthal Govind Kulkarni and Rukmini in 1279 in Alandi, Maharashtra. The four kids – Nivrutti, Dnyandev, Sopan and Mukta were born to them in the years, 1273, 1275, 1277 and 1279 respectively. Some scholars assume their birth years to be 1268, 1271, 1274 and 1277 respectively. As Vitthal broke the customs of attaining sanyasa and got married he was excommunicated from the Brahmin caste. Later the couple committed suicide hoping that the society will later accept their kids. The orphaned kids grew up on alms and later they became great scholars and saints and made significant contributions, of course the basement to Marathi literature. They were later purified according to Brahmin traditions when they gained an argument over Brahmins with their intelligence, knowledge and politeness.

She ended her life at the age of 18 or 19 by entering into a terminal yogic trance. Yet through her life she has worked on liberating people oppressed by Brahman practices. She initiated them to direct experience of God without the intervention of Brahmins or their cultural rituals which later became a movement for spiritual liberation. Vithoba is worshipped by non-Brahman communities since then.

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Updated: March 12, 2014