The Hindi Songs of Namdev

Namdev, who lived in the 14th century AD, was one of the greatest saint-poets of Maharashtra, India. Besides numerous songs in Marathi, tradition ascribes to him songs in Hindi too. Namdev's Hindi songs breathe a spirit quite distinct from his Marathi compositions and are considered the oldest expressions of the Hindi nirgun strain of Bhakti poetry. The present edition is based on the earliest manuscript records of nirgun songs, text-critically examined here for the first time, with the purpose of explaining the original Namdev. Besides the critical edition of the Hindi songs of Namdev, printed in Devnagari, the authors give an English translation of a selection of songs.