Sant Eknath (1533 - 1599) was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher, and poet associated with the Warkari tradition. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is considered a spiritual successor to the Marathi saints Dnyaneshwar and Namdev. Eknath was born into a Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family in Paithan, Maharashtra. His parents passed away when he was young, and he was raised by his grandfather, Chakrapani. Eknath's samadhi shrine is located in Paithan near the Godavari river, where annual celebrations in his honor take place in March.
Eknath made significant literary contributions during his lifetime. He wrote the Eknathi Bhagavata, a variation of the Hindu religious text Bhagavata Purana. He also authored the Bhavarth Ramayan, a variation of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Additionally, Eknath composed Rukmini Swayamwar Hastamalak, a literary piece consisting of 764 poetic verses based on a Sanskrit hymn.
His other notable works include Shukashtak (447 verses), Sukha (510 verses), Ananda-Lahari (154 verses), Chiranjeewa-Pad (42 verses), Geeta-Saar, and Prahlad-Vijaya. Eknath introduced a new form of devotional melodies known as Bharood, and he composed nearly 300 Bharood songs.
Life span: 1533 – 1599
