Eknāth (1533-1599) was a prominent Marāthi religious poet in the Hindu tradition in India.
Eknath was born and lived most of his life in Paithan in Mahārāshtra, India.He was a Kulkarni of that Village. Eknath's family name is not known. In accord with a tradition in India of assigning the epithet "sant" (संत) to persons regarded as thoroughly saintly, Eknath is commonly known in Maharashtra as Sant Eknath (संत एकनाथ).
At age 25, he married Girijābāi, and the couple had three children.
Eknath was well-versed in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Hindi languages besides Marathi.
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Brotherhood concepts
Saint Eknath is believed to be the first person in Middle-age Maharastra who have abolished concept of Untouchability by his actions. He saved the life of a Mahar child flowing in flood water of Godavari. He also behaved very politely and gently with untouchable people. His well described poems advocate soft corner and equal treatment among all living beings even with animals.His one poem is famous in Marathi literature like- जे जे भेटे भुत, ते ते मानिजे भगवंत.He also started activities related to reading of Dyaneshweari which was sidelined due to Islamic invasion.
Religious Writings
For his spiritual development in his youth, Eknath had accepted the discipleship of a Guru named Janārdan Swāmi. At the suggestion of this Guru, Eknath wrote as his first composition a Marathi commentary in verse form named Chatushloki Bhāgwat based on certain four verses (shlok: श्लोक) in Sanskrit Bhāgwat. The elaborate commentary consisted of 1,036 owees (ओव्या).
About 230 years before the birth of Eknath, Dnyaneshwar had written an important commentary in verse form (ओव्या) in Marathi named Bhāwārth-Deepikā, (popularly known as Dnyāneshwari) on Sanskrit Bhagawad Geetā. After elaborate research, Eknath meticulously prepared an authentic edition of Dnyaneshwari.Eknath is beliewed to main man in Marathi.
Almost all of Eknath's writings were in verse form in Marathi.
Eknath wrote a scholarly and lucid commentary, Eknāthi Bhāgawat, on the Eleventh Canto of Sanskrit Bhagavata Purana. The commentary involved 18,800 owees.
His worte the first 25,000 owees of his another major work, Bhāwārtha-Rāmāyana. A disciple of his had added 15,000 owees to complete this work.
Eknath wrote Rukmini Swayamwar comprising 1,711 owees; it was based on 144 shlok from Bhagawat Purana. His work, Hastāmalak, comprised 764 owees, and it was based on a 14-shlok Sanskrit hymn with the same name by Shankarāchārya.
He further wrote Shukāshtak (447 owees), Swātma-Sukha (510 owees), Ānanda-Lahari (154 owees), Chiranjeewa-Pad (42 owees), Geetā-Sār, and Prahlād-Wijaya.
Eknath introduced a new form of Marathi religious songs called Bhārood (भारूडे), writing 300 of them. He wrote 300 religious songs in the Abhang form (अभंग).
In his adult life, Eknath gave many lucid religious public discourses (कीर्तने).
Eknath initiated in Maharashtra a movement called Wāsudewa Sansthā. It involves house-to-house visitations by individuals known as Wāsudewa, who, standing in front of people's houses, spread religious messages through bhajan chants (भजने).He spread bhagwat dharma from village to village in detail and in a simple manner
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