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{{Short description|Hindu Bhakti Saint from the medieval era}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
| name               = Namdev 
| image              = namdev maharaj.JPG
| caption            = Shri Sant Namdev Maharaj
| religion           = [[Hinduism]]
| birth_date         = {{circa|26 October 1270}} CE
| birth_place        = Narsi, Bamani [[Seuna (Yadava) dynasty|Yadava Dynasty]], <br /> <small>Currently [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]</small>
| birth_name         = 
| death_date         = {{circa|3 July 1350}} CE
| death_place        = Pandharpur [[Bahmani Sultanate]], <br /> <small>Currently [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]</small>
| philosophy         = [[Warkari]]
| literary_works     = [[Abhanga]] devotional poetry
| honorific prefix   = Sant
| honorific suffix   = Maharaj
}}

'''Namdev''' (Pronunciation: [[Help:IPA/Marathi|[naːmdeʋ]]]), also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, (traditionally, {{circa|26 October 1270|3 July 1350}}<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo, Volume 1 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1987 |isbn=9788126018031 |pages=79 |quote=}}</ref>) was a [[Marathi people|Marathi]] [[Vaishnav]]a [[saint]] from [[Narsi, Hingoli|Narsi]], [[Hingoli district|Hingoli]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Medieval India]] within the [[Warkari|Varkari]] tradition of Hinduism. He was as a devotee of the deity [[Vithoba]] of [[Pandharpur]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Beck|first=Guy L.|url=|title=Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity|date=2012-02-01|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-8341-1|pages=118|language=en}}</ref>

Namdev was influenced by [[Vaishnavism]] and became widely known in India for his devotional songs set to music (''bhajan-kirtans''). His philosophy contains both ''[[nirguna brahman]]'' and ''[[saguna brahman]]'' elements, with [[Monism#Vedanta|Vedanta]] themes.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|p=39|ps=}} Namdev's legacy is remembered in modern times in the ''Varkari'' tradition, along with those of other ''gurus'', with masses of people walking together in biannual pilgrimages to [[Pandharpur]] in Maharashtra.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=186|ps=}}{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=83-84|ps=}} He is also recognised in the North Indian traditions of the Dadu Panthis, Kabir Panthis and Sikhs.<ref name=":0" />

Some hymns of Namdev are included in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/little-maharashtra-in-punjab-village-62948|title=Little Maharashtra in Punjab village|first=Tribune News|last=Service|website=Tribuneindia News Service|access-date=13 November 2022|archive-date=13 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113182228/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/little-maharashtra-in-punjab-village-62948|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Life==
[[File:Saint Kabir with Namdeva, Raidas and Pipaji. Jaipur, early 19century, National Museum New Delhi (2).jpg|thumb|left|Namdev (second from right) with other [[bhagat]]s of Hinduism: Ravidas, Kabir and Pipa.]]
{{Hinduism}}
{{Sikhism sidebar}}
Details of the life of Namdev are vague.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} His family name was believed to be as Relekar which is common in Bhavsar and Namdev shimpi caste. He is traditionally believed to have lived between 1270 and 1350 but S. B. Kulkarni has suggested that 1207-1287 is more likely, based on textual analysis.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=45-46|ps=}} Some scholars date him to around 1425{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=184|ps=}} and another, R. Bharadvaj, proposes 1309-1372.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=48|ps=}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Namdev {{!}} Indian poet|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Namdev|access-date=2020-11-01|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=14 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714055323/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Namdev|url-status=live}}</ref> He is, according to Christian Novetzke, "one of the most prominent voices in the historical study of Maharashtrian ''Sant'' figures". His well-known and first miracle is that, in childhood, he got an idol of Lord Vitthal to drink milk.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Namdev was married to Rajai and had a son, Vitha, both of whom wrote about him, as did his mother, Gonai. Contemporary references to him by a disciple, a potter, a guru and other close associates also exist. There are no references to him in the records and inscriptions of the then-ruling family and the first non-Varkari noting of him appears possibly to be in the ''[[Leela Charitra]]'', a [[Mahanubhava]]-sect biography dating from 1278. ''Smrtisthala'', a later Mahanubhava text from around 1310, may also possibly refer to him; after that, there are no references until a ''[[bakhar]]'' of around 1538.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=42-44, 46|ps=}}{{efn|There was a revival of interest in the Marathi-language [[bhakti movement]], of which Namdev had been a part, in the 16th century following the collapse of the [[Vijayanagara empire]].{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=185|ps=}}}}

According to [[Mahipati]], a [[Hagiography|hagiographer]] of the 18th century, Namdev's parents were Damashet and Gonai, a childless elderly couple whose prayers for parenthood were answered and involved him being found floating down a river. As with various other details of his life, elements such as this may have been invented to sidestep issues that might have caused controversy. In this instance, the potential controversy was that of [[Caste system in India|caste]] or, more specifically, his position in the Hindu [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna system]] of ritual ranking. He was born into what is generally recognised as a [[Kshatriya|Kshatriya (क्षत्रिय)]]  caste, variously recorded as ''[[shimpi]]'' (tailor) in the [[Marathi language]] and as ''Chhipa'', ''Chhimpa'', ''Chhimba'', ''shimpi'', ''chimpi'' ([[Calico (textile)|calico]]-printer) in northern India. His followers in Maharashtra and northern India who are from those communities prefer to consider their place, and thus his, as [[Kshatriya]].{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=185|ps=}}{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=54-55|ps=|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EeU8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA54]}}

There are contrary traditions concerning his birthplace, with some people believing that he was born at [[Narsi, Hingoli|Narsi Bahmani]], on the [[Krishna River]] in [[Marathwada]] and others preferring somewhere near to [[Pandharpur]] on the [[Bhima]] river.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=55|ps=}} that he was himself a calico-printer or tailor and that he spent much of his life in Punjab.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}}{{sfnp|Prill|2009|ps=}} The ''Lilacaritra'' suggests, however, that Namdev was a [[Cattle raiding|cattle-thief]] who was devoted to and assisted [[Vithoba]].{{sfnp|Prill|2009|ps=}}{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=43|ps=}}{{efn|The Mahanubhavs and [[Varkari]]s were antagonists and this is often reflected in their writings, especially in those of the former sect. Novetzke discusses the chronological and [[Philology|philological]] difficulties relating to the purported origins of the ''Lilacaritra'' and the traditionally-accepted year of birth and spelling of Namdev.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=44|ps=}}}}

A friendship between Namdev and [[Jñāneśvar]], a [[yogi]]-saint,{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=42|ps=}} has been posited at least as far back as circa 1600 CE when Nabhadas, a hagiographer, noted it in his ''[[Bhaktamal]]''.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} Jñāneśvar, also known as Jñāndev, never referred to Namdev in his writings but perhaps had no cause to do so; Novetzke notes that "Jnandev's songs generally did not concern biography or autobiography; the historical truth of their friendship is beyond my ken to determine and has remained an unsettled subject in Marathi scholarship for over a century."{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=42-43|ps=}}

Namdev is generally considered by [[Sikh]]s to be a holy man ([[bhagat]]), many of whom came from lower castes and so also attracted attention as social reformers. Such men, who comprised both Hindus and Muslims, traditionally wrote devotional poetry in a style that was acceptable to the Sikh belief system.{{sfnp|Prill|2009|ps=}}
[[File:Photograph_of_the_shrine_of_Bhagat_Namdev_in_Ghuman,_as_published_in_'The_Sikh_Religion'_(1909).jpg|thumb|Photograph of the shrine of Bhagat Namdev in Ghuman, as published in 'The Sikh Religion' (1909)]]
A tradition in Maharashtra is that Namdev died at the age of eighty in 1350 CE.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} Sikh tradition maintains that his death place was the Punjabi village of [[Ghuman (Gurdaspur)|Ghuman]], although this is not universally accepted. Aside from a shrine there that marks his death, there are monuments at the other claimant places, being Pandharpur and the nearby [[Narsi, Hingoli|Narsi Bahmani]].{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=43, 48|ps=}}{{sfnp|Sadarangani|2004|p=146|ps=}}

===Reliability of hagiographies===
Scholars note that many miracles and specifics about Namdev's life appear only in manuscripts written centuries after Namdev's death.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=11-12; see also pp. 14-20 for examples of biographical inconsistencies among manuscripts}}{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=53, 55|ps=}} The birth theory with Namdev floating down a river, is first found in Mahipati's ''Bhaktavijay'' composed around 1762, and is absent in all earlier biographies of Namdev.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=53, 55|ps=}} Mahipati's biography of Namdev adds numerous other miracles, such as buildings rotating and sun rising in the west to show respect to Namdev.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=62-64|ps=}}

The earliest surviving Hindi and Rajasthani biographies from about 1600 only mention a few miracles performed by Namdev.<ref name= CallewaertNamdevParcai/>{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=11-12; see also pp. 14-20 for examples of biographical inconsistencies among manuscripts}} In Namdev biographies published after 1600 through the end of the 20th century, new life details and more miracles increasingly appear with the passage of time.<ref name= CallewaertNamdevParcai>Winand Callewaert (2003), Pilgrims, Patrons, and Place: Localizing Sanctity in Asian Religions (Editors: Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara), University of British Columbia Press, {{ISBN|978-0774810395}}, page 205</ref> The earliest biographies never mention the caste of Namdev, and his caste appears for the first time in manuscripts with statements from Ravidas and Dhana in early 17th century.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=11-12; see also pp. 14-20 for examples of biographical inconsistencies among manuscripts}} Namdev's ''Immaculate Conception'' miracle mentioned in later era manuscripts, adds Novetzke, is a story found regularly for other sants in India.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=54|ps=}} The Namdev biographies in medieval manuscripts are inconsistent and contradictory, feeding questions of their reliability.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=11-12; see also pp. 14-20 for examples of biographical inconsistencies among manuscripts}}

==Work==
[[File:Painting of Bhagat Namdev, from a folio within an illustrated manuscript of the Prem Ambodh Pothi.jpg|thumb|Painting of Bhagat Namdev, from a folio within an illustrated manuscript of the ''Prem Ambodh Pothi'']]
The literary works of Namdev were influenced by [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] philosophy{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} and a belief in [[Vithoba]]. Along with the ''[[Jñānēśvarī]]'', a sacred work of Jñānēśvar, and of [[Bhakti movement]] teacher-writers such as [[Tukaram]], the writings of Namdev form the basis of the beliefs held by the Varkari sect of Hinduism.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=186|ps=}} He was thus among those responsible for disseminating the monotheistic Varkari faith that had emerged first in [[Karnataka]] in the mid-to-late 12th century and then spread to Pandharpur in Maharashtra.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|pp=184-185|ps=}}

Namdev and Jñānēśvar used the [[Marathi language]] to convey their beliefs. Namdev's style was to compose simply worded praise for Vithoba and to use a [[melody|melodic device]] called ''[[samkirtana]]'', both of which were accessible to common people. Shima Iwao says that "He taught that all can be saved equally, without regard to caste, through devotion (''bhakti'') to Vithoba" and that he greatly influenced groups of people who were forbidden by the Brahmin elite from studying the [[Vedas]], such as members of the Shudra and [[Untouchability|untouchable]] communities.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|pp=184-185|ps=}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-03|title=संत नामदेव महाराज ने दुनिया को मानवता का संदेश िदया : धर्मवीर|url=https://www.bhaskar.com/state/haryana/news/haryana-news-saint-namdev-maharaj-gave-the-message-of-humanity-to-the-world-dharmaveer-082118-6535121.html|access-date=2020-11-01|website=Dainik Bhaskar|language=hi|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422172813/https://www.bhaskar.com/state/haryana/news/haryana-news-saint-namdev-maharaj-gave-the-message-of-humanity-to-the-world-dharmaveer-082118-6535121.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The earliest anthological record of Namdev's works occurs in the ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'', the Sikh scriptures compiled in 1604,{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} although Novetzke notes that while the manuscript records of Namdev mostly date from the 17th and 18th centuries, there exists a manuscript from 1581 that presents a rarely recounted variant version of Namdev's ''Tirthavli'', a Marathi-language autobiographical piece.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=41-42|ps=}} It is evident that the ''Guru Granth Sahib ji'' record is an accurate rendition of what Namdev wrote: the oral tradition probably accounts significantly for the changes and additions that appear to have been made by that time. The numerous subsequently produced manuscripts also show variant texts and additions that are attributed to him. Of around 2500 [[abhang]]s that were credited to him and written in the Marathi language, perhaps only 600 - 700 are authentic.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} The surviving manuscripts are geographically dispersed and of uncertain provenance.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=41|ps=}}

===Bhajans===
[[File:Detail of Bhagat Namdev from a fresco depicting Guru Arjan meeting the Bhagats and composing the Adi Granth with the assistance of Bhai Gurdas, circa mid-19th century.jpeg|thumb|Detail of Bhagat Namdev from a [[Sikh art|Sikh fresco]], circa mid-19th century]]
Namdev's ''padas'' are not mere poems, according to Callewaert and Lath.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=55}} Like other Bhakti movement sants, Namdev composed ''bhajans'', that is songs meant to be sung to music.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=55-56}} A ''Bhajan'' literally means "a thing enjoyed or shared".{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=276|ps=}} Namdev's songs were composed to be melodious and carry a spiritual message. They built on one among the many ancient Indian traditions for making music and singing.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=55-56}} Namdev's bhajans, note Callewaert and Lath, deployed particular species of ''Raag'', used ''Bhanita'' (or ''Chhap'', a stamp of the composer's name inside the poem, in his case ''Nama''), applied a ''Tek'' (or ''dhruva'', repeated refrain) and a meter than helps harmonise the wording with the musical instrument, all according to ''Sangita'' manuals refined from the 8th to 13th centuries.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=55-56}}

The musical genre of Namdev's literary works was a form of ''Prabandha'' – itself a very large and rich genre that includes ''dhrupad'', ''thumri'', ''tappa'', ''geet'', ''bhajan'' and other species.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=56-57}} In some species of Indian music, it is the music that dominates while words and their meaning are secondary.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=57-58}} In contrast, in Namdev's bhajan the spiritual message in the words has a central role, and the structure resonates with the singing and music.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=57-58}} The songs and music that went with Namdev's works were usually transmitted verbally across generations, in a ''guru-sisya-parampara'' (teacher-student tradition), within singing ''gharanas'' (family-like musical units).{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=57-58}}

Callewaert and Lath state that, "each single song of Namdev is a musical and textual unit and this unit is the basis for textual considerations".{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=64-65}} The unit contained ''Antaras'', which are the smallest independent unit within that can be shifted around, dropped or added, without affecting the harmony or meaning, when a bhajan is being sung with music.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=67-68}} In Namdev's songs, the dominant pattern is ''Caturasra'', or an avarta with the 4x4 square pattern of musical matras (beat).{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp=68-70}}

===Compilations===
Namdev's work is known for ''abhangs'', a genre of hymn poetry in India.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} His poems were transmitted from one generation to the next within singing families, and memory was the only recording method in the centuries that followed Namdev's death.{{sfnp|McGregor|1992|pp=29-30|ps=}} The repertoires grew, because the artists added new songs to their repertoire. The earliest surviving manuscripts of songs attributed to Namdev, from these singing families, are traceable to the 17th century.{{sfnp|McGregor|1992|p=29|ps=}} A diverse collection of these manuscripts exist, which have been neither compiled nor archived successfully in a single [[critical edition]].{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=41-42|ps=}}{{sfnp|McGregor|1992|pp=29-33|ps=}} The state Government of Maharashtra made an effort and compiled Namdev's work from various manuscripts into the ''Sri Namdev Gatha'' in 1970.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=41-42|ps=}}
[[File:Trilok Singh Chitarkar 1933.jpg|thumb|Oil painting work of [[Trilok Singh Chitarkar]] from 1933 depicting bhagat Namdev in his hut]]
The ''Adi Granth'' of Sikhism includes a compilation of 61 songs of Namdev.{{sfnp|McGregor|1992|pp=31-33|ps=}} However, of these only 25 are found in surviving Namdev-related manuscripts of Rajasthan.{{sfnp|McGregor|1992|pp=31-33|ps=}}{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| p= 8}} Winand Callewaert suggests that Namdev's poems in the Adi Granth and the surviving Rajasthani manuscripts are considerably different musically and morphologically, but likely to have evolved from a very early common source.{{sfnp|McGregor|1992|pp=30|ps=}}

===Anamnetic authorship===
Of thousands of ''Abhang'' poems credited to Namdev, 600 - 700 are probably authentic.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} The other poems are attributed to Namdev, in a phenomenon Novetzke calls, "anamnetic authorship".{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=137-138|ps=}} The later compositions and their authors hid the true authorship purposefully and collectively over the 14th to 18th centuries, a period described in Maharashtra culture as the dark age.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=138-139|ps=}} This was a period of Muslim conquest and repression of Hindus under the [[Delhi Sultanate]] and the [[Mughal Empire]].{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=138-139|ps=}} The literary works not composed by Namdev, but attributed to Namdev were partly a product of this historical suffering and political situation in [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] region of India.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=137-140|ps=}} Some of the poetries of another Poet named Vishnudas Namadev who lived in 15th century are also attributed to this Namadev, the Saint. This includes the popular Marathi Aartis of Vithoba "Yuge Atthavis" & "Yei O Vitthale".

==Philosophy==
Namdev was influenced by Vaishnavite philosophy.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} His poems sometimes invoked Vithoba, sometimes [[Vishnu]]-[[Krishna]] as Govind-Hari, but in the larger context of Rama, which states [[Ronald Stuart McGregor|Ronald McGregor]], was not referring to the hero described in the Hindu epic ''[[Ramayana]]'', but to a [[pantheism|pantheistic]] Ultimate Being.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|p=41|ps=}} Namdev's view of Rama can be visualised, adds McGregor, "only as the one true, or real Teacher of man (''satguru'')".{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|p=41|ps=}} However, this is an observation based on hymns for which Namdev is not definitively known to the author, and might well be interpolated.  For example, the following hymn talks about worshipping One Omnipresent God rather than Hindu deities [[Rama]] or [[Shiva]].

{{Blockquote|<poem>O [[Pandit]], I saw your great god Shiva, riding along on a white bull. In the merchant's house, a banquet was prepared for him - he killed the merchant's son. O Pandit, I saw your Raam Chand coming too; he lost his wife, fighting a war against Raawan. The Hindu is sightless; the Muslim has only one eye. The spiritual teacher is wiser than both of them. The Hindu worships at the temple, the Muslim at the mosque. Naam Dayv serves that Lord, who is not limited to either the temple or the mosque.</poem>|Namdev|Guru Granth Sahib 874-875<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=874|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib|website=www.srigranth.org|access-date=13 November 2022|archive-date=13 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113182515/https://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=874|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

{{Blockquote|<poem>One stone is lovingly decorated, while another stone is walked upon. If one is a god, then the other must also be a god. Says Naam Dayv, I serve the Lord.</poem>|Namdev|Guru Granth Sahib 525<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=525|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib|website=www.srigranth.org|access-date=13 November 2022|archive-date=13 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113182515/https://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=525|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Indian traditions attribute varying theosophical views to Namdev. In north India, Namdev is considered as a ''[[Bhakti movement#Philosophy: Nirguna and Saguna Brahman|nirguna bhakta]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-03-25|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|reason= The anchor (Philosophy: Nirguna and Saguna Brahman) [[Special:Diff/1189756029|has been deleted]].}}'', in Marathi culture he is considered a ''[[Bhakti movement#Philosophy: Nirguna and Saguna Brahman|saguna bhakta]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-03-25|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|reason= The anchor (Philosophy: Nirguna and Saguna Brahman) [[Special:Diff/1189756029|has been deleted]].}}''.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=66, 160|ps=}}

In Namdev literature, devotion as the path to liberation is considered superior to alternative paths. Novetzke states that the envisioned devotion is not one way from the devotee to Vishnu, but it is bidirectional, such that "Krishna (Vishnu) is Namdev's slave, and Namdev is Vishnu's slave". To Namdev, mechanical rituals are futile, pilgrimage to holy places is pointless, deep meditation and loving mutual devotion is what matters.{{sfnp|Novetzke|2006|pp=124-126|ps=}} Namdev and other sant poets of India "were influenced by the [[monism|monist]] view of the ultimate being ([[Brahman]])", which was expressed, in vernacular language, as the loving devotion not of a specific deity but to this ultimate, according to McGregor.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|p=39|ps=}} Namdev's songs suggested the divine is within oneself, its [[Nonduality (spirituality)|non-duality]], its presence and oneness in everyone and everything.<ref>Justin Abbott and NR Godbole (2014), ''Stories of Indian Saints'', Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120804692}}, pp. 62-63</ref>{{efn|Callewaert and Lath translate Hindi Pada 20 of Namdev as,<br/>I worship only God-within,<br/>nothing else, says Namdev.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989|p=156}}}}{{efn|Callewaert and Lath translate Namdev's Hindi Pada 6 as,<br/>[[Rama]] speaks, Rama alone speaks,<br/>Who can speak without Rama, brother?<br/>The elephant and the ant, are one, being both dust.<br/>These are the vessels, many and varied.<br/>The worm and the moth, whatever moves or is still,<br/>everything is filled with Rama.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989|p=146}}}}

In Namdev's literary works, summarises Klaus Witz, as with virtually every Bhakti movement poet, the "Upanishadic teachings form an all-pervasive substratum, if not a basis. We have here a state of affairs that has no parallel in the West. Supreme Wisdom, which can be taken as basically nontheistic and as an independent wisdom tradition (not dependent on the Vedas), appears fused with highest level of bhakti and with highest level of God realization."<ref>Klaus G Witz (1998), The Supreme Wisdom of the Upaniṣads: An Introduction, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120815735}}, page 10</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Namdev 1970 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Namdev on a 1970 stamp of India]]
Along with the works of sants such as [[Jnanesvar]] and [[Tukaram]], the writings of Namdev are at the foundation of beliefs held by the Varkari sect of Hinduism.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=186|ps=}} He was among those responsible for disseminating the Vithoba faith that had emerged first in the 12th century.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|pp=184-185|ps=}} Namdev used the Marathi language to compose his poetry, which made it accessible to the wider public. Namdev's simple words of devotion and his use melody appealed to common people. This helped spread his message and songs widely. Namdev thus played a role, states McGregor, in shaping the religious base for the "premodern and modern culture of north India".{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|p=41|ps=}}

Namdev attracted individuals from diverse classes and castes during community-driven bhajan singing sessions. His companions during worship sessions included Kanhopatra (a dancing girl), Sena (a barber), Savata (a gardener), Chokhamela (an untouchable), Janabai (a maid), Gora (a potter), Narahari (a goldsmith) and Jñāneśvar (also known as Dnyandev, a Brahmin).<ref>Karine Schomer and WH McLeod (1987), The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120802773}}, page 93</ref> The close friendship between Namdev and the influential Jnanesvar, a Brahmin [[yogi]]-saint,{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=42|ps=}} is mentioned in ''[[Bhaktamal]]''.{{sfnp|McGregor|1984|pp=40-42|ps=}} The songs of Namdev, also called ''kirtans'', use the term ''loka'', which Novetzke states is a reference to "we the people" and the "human world" as a social force.<ref name=chrisnovijhs>{{cite journal|author=Christian Lee Novetzke |year=2007|jstor=25691067 |title=Bhakti and Its Public|journal=International Journal of Hindu Studies|volume =11|issue=3| pages =264–265}}</ref>

Namdev is considered one of the five revered ''gurus'' in the ''Dadupanth'' tradition within Hinduism, the other four being [[Dadu Dayal|Dadu]], [[Kabir]], [[Ravidas]] and [[Haridasa|Hardas]].{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| p= 4}}<ref>K Schomer and WH McLeod (1987), ''The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India'', Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120802773}}, pp. 76, 193-194</ref> Dadupanthi Hindus thrived in [[Rajasthan]], creating and compiling Bhakti poems including one of the largest collection of Namdev's songs.{{sfnp|Callewaert|1989| pp= 84-89}} They were also among the warrior-ascetics of Rajput heritage who became a widespread phenomena in the 17th- and 18th-century North India, and were [[sannyasa|sannyasis]] who participated in armed resistance to the Islamic Mughal empire, inspired by their Nath yogi heritage and five revered ''gurus''.<ref>Karine Schomer, JL Erdman and DO Lodrick (1994), Idea of Rajasthan, Explorations in Regional Identity, Volume 2, South Asia Books, {{ISBN|978-0945921264}}, pp. 242-250</ref><ref>James Hastings (2002), ''Poets, sants, and warriors: the Dadu Panth, religious change and identity formation in Jaipur State circa 1562-1860 CE'', PhD Thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, {{oclc|652198959}}, pp. 16-17, 113-127</ref> Like Dadupanth, another north Indian warrior ascetic group, the Niranjani Sampraday tradition within Hinduism reveres Namdev as a holy person. The ''Niranjani Vani'', which is their scripture just like the scriptures of Dadu Panthi and Sikhs, includes poetry of Namdev, and is dated to be from the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>Tyler Williams (2014), ''Sacred Sounds and Sacred Books: A History of Writing in Hindi'', PhD Thesis, Columbia University, Reviewers: John Hawley, [[Sheldon Pollock]], Sudipta Kaviraj and [[Francesca Orsini]], pp. 298-300, 337-340. {{doi|10.7916/D8VX0DQG}}</ref>

Namdev is one of the revered holy men in Sikhism as well.{{sfnp|Prill|2009|ps=}} He is mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib, where Novetzke notes, "Namdev is remembered as having been summoned to confront a Sultan."{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|p=182|ps=}} There is a controversy among scholars if the Namdev hymns recorded in the Guru Granth of Sikhs were composed by the Marathi Namdev, or a different sant whose name was also Namdev.<ref>[[Charlotte Vaudeville]] (1996), Myths, Saints and Legends in Medieval India, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195634143}}, p. 217: "The question of the identity of the Marathi Namdev with the Hindi Namdev, author of the hymns recorded in the Guru-Granth of the Sikhs, is also a matter for controversy."</ref>

Namdev's legacy continues through the biannual pilgrimage to [[Pandharpur]], near Bhima river, in Maharashtra. His ''paduka'' (footprints) are among those of revered [[Sant (religion)|sant]]s that Varkari communities from various parts of Maharashtra carry with a ''palkhi'' (palanquin) to the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur, every year in modern times.{{sfnp|Iwao|1988|p=186|ps=}}{{sfnp|Novetzke|2013|pp=83-84|ps=}} Namdev composed ''bhajan-kirtans'' are sung during the pilgrimage-related festivities.<ref>Christian Lee Novetzke (2008), ''Shared Idioms, Sacred Symbols, and the Articulation of Identities in South Asia''. Kelly Pemberton and Michael Nijhawan (eds.), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415958288}}, pp. 218-219</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LNtQsB6KX7IC | last= Callewaert|first= Winand M. and Mukunda Lāṭh|year=1989|title=  The Hindi Songs of Namdev| publisher=Peeters Publishers|isbn= 978-906831-107-5}}
* {{citation |url= http://www.ic.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/276.pdf |title= The Vithoba Faith of Maharashtra: The Vithoba Temple of Pandharpur and Its Mythological Structure | journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |volume=15 |issue=2–3 |first=Shima |last=Iwao |date=June–September 1988 |pages=183–197 |issn=0304-1042 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326062749/http://www.ic.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/276.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26}}
* {{citation |title=A History of Indian Literature |first=Ronald Stuart |last=McGregor |author-link=Ronald Stuart McGregor |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |year=1984 |isbn=978-3-44702-413-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SGsOGT8Xej8C&pg=PA40}}
* {{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-X5Nv3gkdGoC |title=Devotional Literature in South Asia |first=Ronald Stuart |last=McGregor |author-link=Ronald Stuart McGregor |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-52141-311-4}}
* {{citation |first=Christian Lee |last=Novetzke |chapter=A Family Affair |year=2006 |title=Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity |editor-first=Guy |editor-last=Beck |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-79146-416-8 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8z-v1p2qrwsC}}
* {{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqUdRVOv9TUC |title=Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India |first=Christian Lee |last=Novetzke |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-23151-256-5}}
* {{citation |last=Prill |first=Susan |year=2009 |title=Representing Sainthood in India: Sikh and Hindu Visions of Namdev |journal=Material Religion |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=156–179|doi=10.2752/174322009X12448040551602 |s2cid=194036093 }}
* {{citation |title=Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural Encounter and Impact |first=Neeti M. |last=Sadarangani |publisher=Sarup & Sons |year=2004 |isbn=978-8-17625-436-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVQrKJbJ2JIC&pg=PA146}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Namdev}}
* {{citation| url=https://archive.org/details/sant-namdev-gatha |title=Sant Namdev Abhang Gatha |year=1250 }}
* {{citation| url=https://archive.org/details/001SantNaamDevachiAbhangGathaMarathi |title=Sant Namdev Abhang Gatha }}
* {{citation| url=https://www.searchgurbani.com/guru-granth-sahib/author/bhagat-namdev |title=Bhagat Namdev Bani in Guru Granth Sahib }}

{{Writers of Guru Granth Sahib}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Warkari]]
[[Category:Marathi people]]
[[Category:Hindu philosophers and theologians]]
[[Category:Medieval Hindu religious leaders]]
[[Category:Bhakti movement]]
[[Category:People from Hingoli district]]
[[Category:Sant Mat]]
[[Category:Kirtan performers]]
[[Category:Vaishnava saints]]
[[Category:Marathi Hindu saints]]