Abhangs of Sant Tukaram
Tukaram, also known as Sant Tukaram, was a 17th-century poet-saint of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra He was part of the egalitarian, personalized devotionalism t radition called Varkari. Having being born during the times of a prevalently strong caste system into a so-called lower caste then, he believed and propagated equality in devotion and access to worship by all. Tukaram is known for his Abhangs in Marathi (devotional poetry) and community-oriented worship with spiritual songs known as kirtans - basically, group songs sung in a rhythmic and repetitive fashion to facilitate an immersive and meditative experience with devotion. His poetry was devoted to Vitthala or Vithoba , an avatar of Hindu god Vishnu . Tukaram encouraged kirtan as a music imbued, community-oriented group singing and dancing form of devotion and reverence to the supreme deity. The greatest merit in kirtan, according to Tukaram, is ...