| Sant Tukaram (1608--1650) was a prominent Varkari Sant and spiritual poet during a Bhakti movement in India. He was born and lived most of his life in Dehu, a town close to Pune city in Mahārāshtra, India. He was born to a couple with the family name "More"//the descendent of the Mourya Clan (Āmbile) and first names Bolhobā and Kanakāi.Through a tradition in India in bygone days, Tukaram's family name is rarely used in identifying him. His real name is Tukaram Vhilhoba Aambe. Sant Tukaram's first wife, Rakhumābāi, died in her early youth. SantTukaram and his second wife, Jijābāi (also known as Āvali), had three sons: Santu or Mahādev, Vithobā, and Nārāyan. Sant Tukaram was a devotee of god Vitthala or Vithoba, a form of Krishna. A great saint who lived only for his God vittala. He faced varieties of difficulties with astonishing patience. He refused diamonds and opals offered by Shivaji Maharaj himself. His devotional songs are an invaluable contribution to Marathi spiritual literature. He is arguably the greatest poet in the Marathi language. Tukaram's genius partly lies in his ability to transform the external world into its spiritual analogue. Tukaram's stature in Marathi literature. According to Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Sant Tukaram was initiated and was a disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sant Tukaram is said to have received guru-mantra containing names of Krishna, Rama and Radha - at the hands or by the media of a dream, of Chaitanya The Gatha of Sant Tukaram confirms ... |
