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The 'Dasbodh', a spiritual and practical guide in Marathi, is a compilation of the teachings of:
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Answer: Option B — Samarth Ramdas
Detailed Solution
The "Dasbodh" ("Advice to the Servant", or "Teachings for the Devotee") is a compilation of the writings and teachings of Samarth Ramdas, the 17th-century saint and poet of Maharashtra.
About the Dasbodh:
- It is written in Marathi verse, in the "ovi" metre.
- It has 20 chapters (dashakas), each with 10 sub-chapters.
- It was dictated by Ramdas to his disciple Kalyan Swami, according to tradition.
- It deals with both spiritual and worldly matters: devotion to God, self-knowledge, the qualities of a good disciple, the duties of a householder, how to organise people, politics, and practical wisdom.
- It emphasises effort, discipline, alertness, and service to society, along with devotion.
About Samarth Ramdas:
- He was born in 1608 at Jamb, in the Jalna district of Maharashtra; his original name was Narayan.
- According to tradition, he ran away from his own wedding and spent twelve years in penance at Nashik (Takli).
- He was a devotee of Rama and Hanuman.
- He travelled across India and saw the suffering of the people under foreign rule.
- He founded many "maths" (monasteries) and Hanuman temples across Maharashtra, to promote physical and spiritual strength.
- He promoted the idea of a strong and united society, and the worship of strength (Hanuman) along with devotion (Rama).
His relationship with Shivaji:
According to Maratha tradition, he was a spiritual guide (guru) of Shivaji, and Shivaji respected him greatly; historians debate the extent of his influence on Shivaji.
His other works:
- "Manache Shlok" ("Verses to the Mind"): 205 verses giving moral advice, popular in Maharashtra.
- "Karunashtakas" and aartis, including the popular aarti "Sukhakarta Dukhaharta" of Ganesha.
- He died in 1681 at Sajjangad, near Satara.
Other saints of Maharashtra:
- Sant Jnaneshwar (13th century): wrote the "Jnaneshwari", a Marathi commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.
- Sant Namdev (13th-14th century).
- Sant Eknath (16th century): wrote "Eknathi Bhagavat".
- Sant Tukaram (17th century): wrote abhangas (devotional songs).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Tukaram, Jnaneshwar and Eknath wrote other works.
Quick tip
Remember: Dasbodh = Samarth Ramdas (Marathi; 20 dashakas; Manache Shlok; devotee of Rama and Hanuman; Sajjangad); Jnaneshwari = Jnaneshwar.
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Bhakti & Sufi Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Bhakti & Sufi Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Bhakti and Sufi movements emphasised personal devotion to God over ritual and caste. This topic covers Bhakti saints such as Ramanuja, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Surdas, Chaitanya, Namdev and Tukaram, and the Sufi orders (silsilas) such as the Chishti and Suhrawardi orders and their saints. Questions usually link a saint to their region, language, teacher or ideas, or ask which Sufi order a saint belonged to. For example, Moinuddin Chishti brought the Chishti order to Ajmer, and Kabir was a disciple of Ramananda. A table of saint, region and key teaching makes these questions easy. Practise the Bhakti and Sufi movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.