A CRITICAL STUDY OF SAINT SAWATA MALI ABHANGAS (Pages 61-78) by Prof. Sunil Raosaheb Raut in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

The present paper is prepared mainly to focus on the work of well-known Marathi Saint poet Saint Sawata Mali. His Abhangs are the small poems that shed light on his life and the philosophy he upholds in his life. In the galaxy of Marathi Saint poets in the Medieval period Saint Sawata Mali preaches people not to indulge much in rites and rituals rather find God in the work. He gives more importance to the sense of duty. Reading his poems is itself of a kind of pleasure because he uses lively simple language. In all thirty seven Abhangs are available in the collection of poems by Marathi Saint poets. Throughout he worked hard in his orchard and uttered god’s name while working there. These poems are key to understand his life and philosophy. These poets employ specific meter and rhyme pattern. The love and devotion to Lord Vitthal is the main theme of these poems. Saint Namdev is said to be the first practitioner of Abhangs in Marathi literature. Keywords: Saint Sawata Mali - One of the Saints in Bhakti Tradition that flourished during medieval ages in Maharashtra. Abhang - One of the forms of poetry in Marathi literature chiefly practiced by saint poets in Maharashtra.