The Spiritual Message of Indian Saint-Poets

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Medieval India (between the 12th and 18th centuries), under Muslim political rule, was politically turbulent and culturally undergoing many significant changes. Hinduism and Islam co- existed but were in a great part limited to rituals. India's high philosophy laid down in the Veda and available in Sanskrit was beyond the reach of the common people.

During this age of confusion, an incredibly significant literary and spiritual development took place the emergence of Saint- poets. In their own way, these saint-poets went on to define what is man, what is the purpose ose of man's life, what is spirituality, what is the right way to lead one's life, why should a man do his duty properly. etc. Concerning themselves with universal issues, they aimed beyond the formal religion, centering on how to reach the highest goal: God, conceived as saguna or nirguna.

The medieval Saint-poets had diverse social backgrounds. Mostly living the life of a householder, they ranged from the learned Brahmin Tulsidas to the unlettered Kabir, from the cobbler Raidas to the princess Mirabai, from the renowned Nanak to the visually challenged Surdas.

Their poems had tremendous appeal, as they were in the popular dialects spoken and understood by even the unlettered ones. They were recited and sung by the common people, passing from generation to generation and giving a solid spiritual basis for society at large. The range and quality of the poems written or recited by the Saint-poets continues to fascinate students of literature and seekers of spirituality. Their words are still very much relevant in the modern world submerged in the mad pursuit of materialism.

In the closing months of 2019 a pandemic named COVID- 19 shook the world upside-down and people found themselves on a journey of horror, uncertainty, anxiety, etc. of the most disturbing kind, killing millions of people. Tragedies such as loss of jobs, confinement within the four walls of the house, migrants being cut-off from their native places, students stuck abroad for want of flights looked lesser evils compared to sure death in pandemic times with dead bodies denied a proper burial/cremation. The 2-3 years of pandemic, till a remedy arrived in the form of vaccine, prompted many (including this writer) to have a re-think about the worth of life, the very foun- dations of life, the survival packages available and, above all, life itself.

I belong to an area of India where in medieval times many Saint-poets happened to soothe the suffering common people through the appropriately worded spiritual messages contained in their poems. Their poems had tremendous appeal to the people, as they were in a dialect/language easily understood by even the unlettered ones. Subsequently their poems became part of the messages/teachings of the most valuable kind passed from generation to generation for the overall growth of a person, myself being no exception. As I grew older I read the poems in their original, again and again, pondered over the spiritual message contained therein and became convinced that the poems were a great asset for me and for the human race itself from not only the spiritual angle but also from the angle of running one's day to day life in a socially, culturally and morally correct manner.