Mahipati (1715–1790) was a Hindu ruler who lived from 1715
to 1790.
Mahipati was a writer and hagiographer of devotional
(bhakti) poet-saints, particularly those associated with the Varkari Panth, to
which he also belonged.
The Varkari Panth is a religious organization dedicated to
the worship of the Hindu deity Vithoba, whose temple is located in Pandharpur,
Maharashtra.
Mahipati was a government worker in his hometown, according
to legend.
He was called to work one day after failing to do his
regular worship.
Mahipati completed the task at hand, but then quit,
promising to only employ his writing in the service of the saints.
Mahipati readily confessed that he drew a lot of his
information about the saints from older writings, notably the Bhaktamal by poet
saint Nabhadas.
He depicts each of his themes as a paradigm of devotion,
much as Nabhadas did; the tales reaffirm and confirm the ability of dedication
to conquer all difficulties.
The Bhaktavijaya and the Bhaktililamrta are his main
writings; sections of the former have been translated by Justin E. Abbott as
The Life of Eknath, 1981, and The Life of Tukaram, 1980; while the latter has
been translated by Justin E. Abbott as Stories of Indian Saints, 1982.
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