Dayaram (1777–1853) was a

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

poet of medieval Gujarati literature and was the last poet of the

old Gujarati Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, ...

school. He is known in Gujarati literature for his literary form called ''Garbi'', a lyric song. He was a follower of

Pushtimarg Pushtimarg (), also known as ''Pushtimarg sampradaya'' or ''Vallabha sampradaya'', is a subtradition of the Rudra Sampradaya (Vaishnavism). It was founded in the early 16th century by Vallabhacharya (1479–1531) and is focused on Krishna.

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

. Dayaram, along with

Narsinh Mehta Narsinh Mehta, also known as Narsinh Bhagat, was a 15th-century poet-Saint#Hinduism, saint of Gujarat, India, honored as the first poet, or ''Adi Kavi,'' of the Gujarati language. Narsinh Mehta is member of Nagar Brahman community. Narsinh becam ...

and

Meera Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

, is considered a major contributor during the

Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th centur ...

in Gujarati literature.

Biography

Dayaram was born on 16 August 1777 in Chanod on the bank of the Narmada river. He was the second son of Prabhuram Pandya, a Sathodara

Nagar Brahmin The Nagar Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Gujarat. Author T. Sasaki says, Among Brahmins in Gujarat Nagar Brahmins were most prominent subdivision in the political, economic and social activities of this ...

. His siblings, elder sister Dahigauri and younger brother Manishankar, died at the age of nine and two, respectively. His father was a clerk. He had very little education, and he was interested in devotional songs of the Vaishnava temple. He married in his childhood, but his first wife died after two years of marriage. His second marriage did not accompany him as his father died when he was twelve years old. His mother, too, died two years later. He resided with his relatives in Chanod and

Dabhoi Dabhoi is a town and a municipality in the Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Dabhoi was historically known as Darbhavati, Darbikagrama, Darbhavatipura, and Dabhohi. It is first mentioned in the sixth century astrono ...

. He traveled across India on a pilgrimage of religious places associated with

. His contact with Ichchharam Bhatt turned him to his religious interest. He was initiated into

(''Brahmasambandha'') in

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

in 1858 by Vallabhaji Maharaj and was fully initiated in Vikram Samvat in 1861.

Works

Dayaram was the last poet of the old Gujarati school. Most of his works are written in a literary form called 'Garbi', a lyric song. Dayaram was a devotional poet and was a follower of "Nirgun bhakti sampraday" (Pushti sampraday) in Gujarat. So he gave many Garbi describing

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. He used many literary, poetic forms to express his devotion. He also wrote long narrative poems based on the incidents on the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

, such as ''Rukmani Vivah'' (Marriage of

Rukmini Rukmini ( sa, रुक्मिणी, , ) is a Hindu goddess and the first queen and chief wife of Krishna. In Vaishnava tradition, she is described as Krishna's principal queen in Dvaraka, as well as the chief of his wives. She is an inc ...

), ''Satyabhama Vivah'' (Marriage of

Satyabhama Satyabhama, also known as Satrajiti, is a Hindu goddess and the third queen-consort of the Hindu god Krishna. Satyabhama is described as the incarnation of Bhudevi, the goddess and the personification of the earth. She aided Krishna in defeati ...

), ''Ajamilakhyana'' (Story of

Ajamila Ajamila (Sanskrit: अजामिल, IAST: ) is the main character of a story in canto 6 of the Bhagavata Purana. In Hinduism, the story of Ajamila is used to illustrate that by uttering God's divine name, there is hope for even the sinful to be ...

), ''Okhaharan'' (abduction of

Aniruddha Aniruddha ( sa, अनिरुद्ध ') is a character in Hindu mythology, the son of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, and the grandson of Krishna and Rukmini. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he is co ...

by Chitralekha).

References

External links

*
Sangeet Bhuvan Trust
{{Authority control Gujarati-language writers Gujarati-language poets 1853 deaths 1777 births Cultural history of Gujarat Bhakti movement

Biography

Works

See also

References

Further reading

External links