Eknath
Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Eknath was a Marathi saint-poet of the 16th century from Paithan in Maharashtra. He belonged to the Varkari bhakti tradition, which worships Vitthala at Pandharpur. He made sacred ideas easy to reach by writing in everyday Marathi. He also wrote bharuds, lively songs that used drama and humour to teach. He criticised caste discrimination and connected the early sant Jnaneshwar with the later sant Tukaram.
Example
Eknath wrote the Eknathi Bhagavat, a Marathi commentary on the 11th book of the Bhagavata Purana. He also prepared a corrected text of the Jnaneshwari, Jnaneshwar's famous Marathi commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. One well-known story says he gave food and water to "untouchables", which angered the orthodox Brahmanas of Paithan.
Don't confuse with
- Jnaneshwar (Jnanadeva): the 13th-century founder figure of Marathi bhakti, who wrote the Jnaneshwari. Eknath lived about three centuries later and edited that work.
Related concepts
- Adi Shankaracharya
- Advaita Vedanta
- Shankaracharya mathas
- Ramanuja
- Vishishtadvaita
- Madhvacharya
- Haridasa movement
- Purandara Dasa
- Kanaka Dasa
- Annamacharya