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Medieval Period16

Sant Tukaram was a significant saint and poet during the Bhakti movement in India, known for composing over 5,000 abhangs in Marathi. Born in Dehu, Maharashtra, his works celebrated Lord Vitthala and reflected personal experiences within a spiritual context, despite facing persecution from elite Brahmins. His notable work, Tukaram Gatha, is believed to contain around 4,500 abhangs and has been influential in the development of pan-Indian Bhakti literature.

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42 views2 pages

Medieval Period16

Sant Tukaram was a significant saint and poet during the Bhakti movement in India, known for composing over 5,000 abhangs in Marathi. Born in Dehu, Maharashtra, his works celebrated Lord Vitthala and reflected personal experiences within a spiritual context, despite facing persecution from elite Brahmins. His notable work, Tukaram Gatha, is believed to contain around 4,500 abhangs and has been influential in the development of pan-Indian Bhakti literature.

Uploaded by

Yash Wadgaonkar
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INDIAN WRITERS AND POETS: SANT TUKARAM

Sant Tukaram was a prominent saint and spiritual poet during the Bhakti
movement in India. Tukaram is considered to be one of the greatest poet saints
in India. He was also referred to as Bhakta Tukaram, Tukaram Maharaj, Tukoba
and Tukobaraya.

Personal Life

Tukaram was born in a village called Dehu in Maharashtra. It’s not clear when
Tukaram was born. Different scholars assign various date of birth to him: 1577,
1598, 1608 and 1609 CE. However, the year of his death is more definitive – 1650
CE. He was married twice. His first wife Rakhama Bai unfortunately died of
starvation during a period of severe famine. He married again to Jijabai. He had
three sons: Santu or Mahadev, Vithoba, and Narayan.

His Works

Tukaram sang the praises of the Lord in the form of abhangs which he wrote in
Marathi. He composed over 5,000 abhangs. Abhang or abhanga is a form of
devotional poetry sung in praise of Lord Vitthala. Many of his abhangs speak of
events in his life but focused on god. His abhangs
became very popular with the masses. It was this very
popularity that caused the elite Brahmins to hate and
persecute Tukaram.

One of his famous works, Tukaram Gatha is said to


have composed between 1632 and 1650. Also called
Abhanga Gatha, it is believed that it includes around
4,500 abhangs. Many modern scholars have
questioned the authenticity of most of the abhangs.
His poems cover a wide range of human emotions and
life experiences and place them in a spiritual context. Many of his compositions
are autobiographical.

Tukaram was a devout follower of Lord Vitthala or Vithoba who is an avatar of


Lord Vishnu. Tukaram's literary works, along with those of his predecessors -
Sants Gyandev and Namdev are credited to have propelled Bhakti tradition into
pan-Indian Bhakti literature.

DID YOU KNOW…


Sant Tukaram is a 1936 Marathi film,
produced by Prabhat Film Company and based
on the life of Sant Tukaram - spiritual poet of
the Bhakti movement in India.

ACTIVITY
1. Find out some poems/abhangs composed by Sant Tukaram and what you
understand from them.
2. Watch the Marathi movie Sant Tukaram with subtitles and share what you saw in
the movie.

References
http://www.iloveindia.com/spirituality/gurus/tukaram.html
https://www.poemhunter.com/sant-tukaram/biography/
www.wikipedia.org

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