Soyarabai was a saint from the Mahar

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

in 14th-century

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, India. She was a disciple of her husband, Chokhamela. Soyarabai framed large literature using blank verse of her own devising. She wrote much but only about 62 works are known. In her

Abhang Abhanga () is a form of devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hindu god Vitthal, also known as Vithoba. The word "abhang" comes from ''a'' for "non-" and ''bhang'' for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a flawless, continuous process, in ...

she refers to herself as Chokhamela's Mahari, accuses god for forgetting Dalits and of making life bad. Her most basic verses concern the simple food she gives the god. Her poems describe her devotion towards god and voice her objections to untouchability. Soyarabai believed that "The body only can be impure or polluted, but the soul is ever clean, pure knowledge. The body is born unclean and so how can anybody claim to be pure in body? The body has much pollution. But the pollution of the body remains in the body. The soul is untouched by it." Soyarabai undertook an annual pilgrimage to

Pandharpur Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the District, ...

with her husband. They were harassed by orthodox Brahmins but never lost their faith and peace of mind.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soryabai, Santa Warkari 14th-century Indian writers Marathi-language poets Indian women religious leaders Hindu female religious leaders 14th-century Indian women writers Women writers from Maharashtra Dalit women writers Dalit writers Dalit saints Scholars from Maharashtra Women educators from Maharashtra Educators from Maharashtra Dalit Hindu saints