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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
The Vaisnava Saints of ....
Acharya Shri Kailashsagarsuri Gyanmandir
715
Namadeva is supposed to be a contemporary of Jñānadeva. Along with Namadeva the other prominent saints like Ekanātha, Tukārāma, Rāmadāsa possess remarkable achievements. It is a fact worth-noting that in Maharashtra saintly persons arose from all the different castes and thus the Bhāgavata religion which is characterised by the pure and sincere devotion of the devotee to God and the abolition of caste-distinctions in the sphere of spiritual devotion, came to be more firmly established and its roots were strengthened. The other well-known saints of Maharashtra from different castes are Gora Kumbhāra (Potter-13th century), Visoba Khechar (13th century), Samvată Maii (Gardener-13th century), Narahari Sonar (Goldsmith-14th century), Chokha (an Untouchable-14th century), Janābai (Maid-servant of Namadeva), Sena Nhavi (Barber-15th century), and Kanhopātra (a Dancing girl-15th century). Similarly the brothers of Jñanes'vara - Nivṛtti and Sopana and his sister Muktābai also were saintly persons, and each has left behind some bhakti-songs.
For Private And Personal
Tukarāma lived as a very powerful and most ardent devotee of the God Vithoba of Pandharpur belonging to the Sholapur District. Tukārāma was born in a Kunabi family, and possessed his spiritual nature, inborn. He was not much conversant with Sanskrit, but he has written quite extensively in Marathi. His songs are known as Abhangas and they exceed four thousand in number. Tukārāma, displays his genius in his writings, and what is peculiar
