The Warkari Movement III - Namdeva: The pioneer of Nirguna Bhakti

By
Rupa Abdi

एक अनेक बिआपक पूरक जत देखउ तत सोई ॥

माइआ चित्र बचित्र बिमोहित बिरला बूझै कोई ॥
One is in all and all is in One,

Wherever I look there is One

Enchanting is the world of Maya

Only the wise know, they are the only one

सभु गोबिंदु है सभु गोबिंदु है गोबिंद बिनु नही कोई ॥

सूतु एकु मणि सत सहंस जैसे ओति पोति प्रभु सोई ॥
All is Govind,** in all is Govind

Without Govind there is nothing

Like one thread that pierces all beads

God traverses all beings

जल तरंग अरु फे न बुदबुदा जल ते भिंन न होई ॥

इहु परपंचु पारब्रह्म की लीला बिचरत आन न होई ॥
Waves, foam, bubbles from water are not apart

Think and you will see,

the world is an illusion

of the Lord, they are all a play and part

मिथिआ भरमु अरु सुपन मनोरथ सति पदार्थु जानिआ ॥

सुक्रित मनसा गुर उपदेसी जागत ही मनु मानिआ ॥
You desire false illusions and dream objects

Real and true to the mind they appeareth

At Gurus counsel the desire for good deeds

in the a mind awaketh

 कहत नामदेउ हरि की रचना देखहु रिदै बीचारी ॥
घट घट अंतरि सरब निरंतरि के वल एक मुरारी ॥
Says Namdev gazing at Lords creation my heart decides

the One and only Murari** in every pore, the Eternal resides

(Namdev’s Bani in Guru Granth Sahib,Ang 485,21934-21941)1

Namdeva stands in the company of courageous revolutionary poets like Kabir, Raidas and
Nanak, who apart from being saints were also radical reformers who stood above caste and
organised religion, broke the bonds of ritual and ceremonies, denounced idolatry and
brushed aside the authority of religious scriptures. Being a Shudra, Namdeva had to face the
contempt of the Brahmins. He was also one of the pillars of the Warkari movement. He walks
among the few in the world who rose from the pits of sin to the realisation of the highest
principals of Nirguna bhakti and Advaita

Between the 13th and 17th century a religious and literary renaissance flooded the region of
Maharashtra. It was a spiritual awakening, the kind of which was never seen before or after.
It scarcely left a soul untouched.
Some even believe that this movement whose basis was Bhakti, which later came to be
known as the Warkari movement, was far more powerful than its counterpart in northern and
central India. In Maharashtra, this religious revival spanned over 500 years during which
more than 50 saints breathed life into it and left their mark. These saints came from all walks
of life: Marathas, kunbis, tailors, gardeners, potters, gold smiths, reformed prostitutes and
Muslims2p45.
Sant Namdeva was one of the saints under whose guidance the Warkari movement gathered
extraordinary saints in its fold. But apart from being one of the stalwarts of the Warkari
movement Namdeva is also known as the first major saint poet of Nirguna Bhakti. A
‘Chimpi’ or variously interpreted as a tailor, dyer-cloth printer by caste, he also stands among
those few saints who rose from the pit of evil doers 3p.16;4p.85to a Saguna bhakti saint and
ultimately reached the unfathomable heights of Nirguna bhakti. The 61 hymns of Namdeva,
which are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, pertain to the period when he had achieved
enlightenment through devotion to the formless Absolute – Nirguna Bhakti. This change in
the nature of his devotion and perception, from being a passionate devotee of Vithoba of
Pandharpur to a nirgunibhakta who considered Vithoba to be a symbol of the supreme Soul
that pervades the Universe is apparent in his Abhangs. Namadeva’s guru, Shri Visoba
Kechar, who himself was a disciple of Gyanadeva, is believed to have shown the path of
Nirguna bhakti to Namadeva4p.120. In his Abhangs one can see the synthesis of knowledge and
devotion.
Namadeva’s contribution to Bhakti literature is significant. Apart from bhajans (devotional
songs set to music), he is believed to have written over 2500 abhangs(a form of devotional
poetry sung in Marathi in the praise of Vithoba during pilgrimage to the temples of
Pandharpur, the centre of Warkari movement) and about 250 padavalis – simple passionate
lyrics in Hindi. These padavalis are beautiful syncretic lyrics in which Namadeva used
various dialects of northern India that he came across during his travels. These include Khadi
boli, Brajabhasha, Purvi Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic and Persian. In these Padvalis we get a
glimpse of this saint and his beliefs.
He ridiculed idol worship:

एकै पाथर कीजै भाउ ॥

दूजै पाथर धरीऐ पाउ ॥
जे ओहु देउ त ओहु भी देवा ॥
कहि नामदेउ हम हरि की सेवा ॥४॥१॥
One stone is worshiped while the other is trodden upon
If one is god why the other is not?
Says Namdeva I worship Hari** none other ought
(Namdev’s Bani in Guru Granth Sahib,Ang 525,23502-2194)1

He was of the opinion that saguna bhakti i.e. the worship of God with attributes with its
rituals is only a ladder to be discarded once the goal of Nirgun bhakti, the worship and
oneness with the Formless Reality is achieved:

तीरथ ब्रत जगत की आस। फोकट कीजै बिन बिसवास।।

एकादसी जगत की करनीं। पाया महल तब तजी निसरनीं।।
भणंत नामदेवतुम्हारै सरणां। मुझा मनवां तुझा चरणां।।2p.283-84,Pad56
In pilgrimages and fast the world’s hope lies
Without true faith useless they lie
The ladder of fasts and outward rituals
Once the divine palace is attained it is of no use
Says Namdev he seeks Your shelter,
my heart lies at your feet’s shelter

He was brutal in his criticism of the hypocrisy and façade among Hindus and Muslims alike:

ब्रह्मा पढ़ि गुंनि बैद सुनावै मन की भ्रांति न जाइ रे

करम करै सौ सूझै नांहीं बहुतक करम कराइ रे
मास दिवस लग रोजा साधै कलमां बंग पुकारैं रे
मन मैं काती जीव बाधारैं नांव अलह का सारैं रे
के वल ब्रह्म सती करि जांनैंसहज सुंनि मैं ध्याया रे
प्रणवंत नांमदेव गुर परसादैं पाया तिनिहीं लुकाया रे 2 Pad 64, p291
They read Brahma, Veda yet deluded they remain
Offer endless rituals yet ignorance they gain
They observe the month long Ramzan fast
by the muezzin a call for prayer is requested
recite the name of Allah yet
with violent minds they are afflicted
Only those who know the One Brahma
can dwell effortlessly in the Formless
To the grace of guru Ramdev bows
 keeps it hidden he who knows

हिन्दू अन्हा तुरक काणा दुहां ते गिआनी सिआणा

हिन्दू पूजे देहुरा मुसलमाणु मसीत
नामे सोई सेविया जह देहुरा न मसीत 2 pad 208,p.367
The Hindu is blind and the Muslim is half-blind
None has true knowledge
In the temple worships the Hindu, the Muslim in Masjid
Namdev worships Him who is neither in temple nor Masjid

It is obvious from Namdeva’s Padvalis that like, Kabir after him, Namdeva was well versed
in the ways of the Sahaj, Nath and Advaita panths:

चंद सूर दोउ समि करि राषौं मन पवन डीढ डांडी

सहजैं सुषमन तारा मंडल इहि बिधि त्रिस्नां षांडी
बैठा रहूं न फिरूं न डोलूं भूषां रहूं न षाऊं
मरूं न जीऊं अहि निसि भूगतौं नहीं आऊं नहीं जांऊं
गगन मंडल मैं रहनी हमारी सहज सुनिं ग्रीह मेला
अंतरधुनि मैं मन बिलमा ऊं कोई जोगी गंमि लहैला
पाती तोड़ि न पूजौं देवा देवलि देव न होई
नांमां कहै मैं हरि की सरना पुनरपि जनम न होई 2p.292.Pad 65
The sky resounds with the music of the flute
The sound of Anhad every where
Ignorant of his Self, O Lord, the fool wanders
here and there, nowhere
United the Sun and the Moon with ease
Held firm the mind the breath and the spine
Rose I through the subtle to the star constellation
Thereby all desires I cease
Neither stay still nor move nor vacillate I
Neither hungry nor satiated am I
Neither live nor die nor suffer do I
Neither come or go
My home I have made in the cosmic skies
Dwell I effortlessly in the Void within
Enrapt is my mind with the music within
Rare is a Yogi who can hear such a hymn
I gather no leaves for the Deva in the temple
 No God dwells in the idol
Only in Hari, in Hari I have lain
Never to be born again

According to the tradition available Namdev (1270-1350) was a close companion of Sant
Jnanesvar also known as Gyanadeva, another great Marathi saint and the author of
Gyaneshvari2p.43 Namdeva was a householder and a married man. After Gyanadeva’s death,
Namdeva moved to north India and settled in Punjab in a village called Ghuman in
Gurdaspur. Here he spent 20 years of his life spreading the message of devotion. However,
some scholars question whether Namdev was a contemporary of Gyanadeva and whether the
two came in contact with each other at all3p18.

While Gyanadeva’s influence was limited to Maharashtra, Namdeva along with

Ramananda*** spread a more evolved form of Bhakti in North and Central India and laid
ground for future Nirguna saint poets like Kabir, Nanak and Raidas.

Notes
*All English translations of the poetic compositions are by Rupa Abdi
** Govind, Hari, Murari, Ram etc. are various names, avatars and attributes of Vishnu,
however in case of Namdeva, they are the various names by which he addressed the Ultimate
Reality.
***A 14th century Bhakti saint who founded a new school of Vaishnavism based on love and
devotion

References and further reading:

1. https://www.searchgurbani.com/
2. Sadarangani N.M. 2004.Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural
Encounter and Impact. Sarup and Sons. New Delhi
3. MacNicole, N.1919.The Heritage of India: Psalms of Maratha Saints. Association
Press. Calcutta
4. Adkar.S.K. 1972. हिंदी निर्गुणी काव्य का प्रारम्भ और नामदेवकी हिन्दी कविता. Rachana Prakashan.
Allahabad
5. Callewaert, Winand M & Mukund Lath. 1989. The Hindi Padavali of Namdev.
Motilal Banarasidass Publishers Pvt.Ltd. Delhi