The Spiritual Message of Indian Saint-Poets

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.