Namdev (1270 – 1350), raised in a family of tailors, was one of the most celebrated of Maharashtra’s poet-saints. His many abhangas, devotional songs in the Marathi language, extol the all-pervasiveness of God, the importance of having a Guru, the power of chanting the divine name, and the inner experiences that can come to one on the spiritual path.

Saint Namdev was both a Shaiva (his Guru was from the ancient Nath lineage) and a Vaishnava (he worshipped Lord Vitthal). He led an exemplary life, and all the members of his family—his wife, four sons, and two daughters as well as their servant, Janabai—were recognized to be knowers of God.