Namdev was born in 1270 to a low-caste family of tailors in Maharashtra. Namdev was married before he was eleven years of age and had four sons and one daughter. He would spend many hours in worship and kirtan, chanting verses of his own composition to Lord Vitthala (a form of Krishna worshipped in Maharashtra). At age twenty, influenced by close friend Jnanadev, Namdev converted to the path of bhakti which was highly influential in northern India between the 12th and 17th century. He went on a five year pilgrimage with Jnanadeva and traveled all over India to many holy places. Deeply grieved when his friend Jnanadev died at the age of twenty-one, he stopped in Punjab where he stayed for more than twenty years. Sixty-one of his hymns are included in the Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib. Namdev passed from this world on January 14, 1350 at Ghoman.

Namdev's Poetry

          the true Giver

The Lord alone is the Great Giver 
Mankind cannot give us anything. 
Whatever pleases Him, comes to pass 
not recognizing this brings loss and frustration. 
Many have proclaimed their sovereignty 
over the kingdoms here on the earth, 
but they have all departed, alone, empty handed, 
dragged off with ropes through their noses. 
The Lord alone is the Great Giver
Make it your goal to focus your mind on Him
Make it your calling to have faith in the true Name.

 
          the true Name
 
The thundering resonance of the Word
has liberated me while living
Such is Thy service, O Lord, 
rendered by Thy minister, the Saint.
How can I ever repay Thee, O my Benefactor?
Thou art my mother, Thou art my father, 
Thou art my generous Lord.
Thou hast blessed me with Thy overflowing love within.
Through Thee have I experienced the glory of freedom. 


Thou art the Creator, Thou alone art my Friend
Thou, O Lord, art all-pervading.
True meditation revealeth Thee in all Thy perfection
And the snares of illusion are rendered ineffective.
Vast and vicious is this mesh of illusion,
Whose intricate tentacles suck one dry.
Sing with all thy heart, the Name of the Lord
It costs thee nothing, O Nama, to repeat His Name. 


The Saints are an Ocean of Mercy, says Namdev, 
they bestow upon us Knowledge, Devotion, and Love
He alone is a Saint, says Namdev,
who is able to reveal God within. 
How fortunate am I that I have been able to see Him
in the company of such Saints.
Without the favor of these Saints 
the secret of spiritual life does not reach us.
The Names of God are various,
but unless the Saints confer favor upon us,
we'll never know how to meditate on the true Name of God


The true Name is like sandalwood
my mind absorbs its fragrance 
I perform worship and adoration within my heart 
I perform worship and adoration by meditating on the Naam
the Name of the Lord 
without the Name, there is no worship and adoration 
The Name will wash your inner heart 
Your darkness will be removed 
Your soul will be cleansed 
and you will be free when you depart this life 
Without the Naam, this mortal's life is cursed.