Surdas (Sant Kavi Surdas) was a 15th century blind saint, poet and musician, known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. Surdas is said to have written and composed a hundred thousand songs in his magnum opus the 'Sur Sagar' (Ocean of Melody), out of which only about 8,000 are extant. He is considered a saint and so also known as Sant Surdas, a name which literally means the "slave of melody".
Early life
Surdas was born in 1478 in Runkta near Agra. While some say it is village Sihi, Faridabad, Haryana. He started parsing Lord Krishna since he was young . There is a little disagreement regarding the exact birth date of Surdas, some scholars believe it to be 1478 AD, while others believe it to be 1479 AD. As per the limited authentic life history of Surdas, it is said that he lived in Braj(or Bhraj), near Mathura. Surdas was born blind and because of this, he was neglected by his family. As a result, he left his home at tender age of six.
Surdas's Guru - Shri Vallabharacharya
A chance meeting with the saint Vallabharacharya at Gau Ghat by the river Yamuna in his teens transformed his life. Shri Vallabhacharya taught Surdas lessons in Hindu philosophy and meditation and put him in the path of spirituality. Since Surdas could recite the entire Srimad Bhagavatam and was musically inclined, his guru advised him to sing the 'Bhagavad Lila' - devotional lyrical ballads in praise of Lord Krishna and Radha. Surdas lived in Vrindavan with his guru, who initiated him to his own religious order, and later appointed him as the resident singer at Srinath temple in Govardhan.
Surdas attains fame
Surdas' lilting music and fine poetry attracted many laurels. As his fame spread far and wide, the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605) became his patron. Surdas spent the last years of his life in Braj, the place of his birth and lived on the donations, which he received in return of his bhajan singing and lecturing on religious topics, until he died in c. 1586.
Great devotion for lord Krishna
Surdas also attained fame for his purity of devotion towards Lord Krishna. In one incident, Surdas falls into a well and is rescued by Lord Krishna when he calls him for help. Radha asks Krishna why he helped Surdas for which Krishna says its for his devotion. Krishna also warns Radha not to go near him. She however goes near him but Surdas, recognizing the divine sounds, pulls her anklets. Radha tells him who she is but Surdas refuses to return her anklets stating that he cannot believe her as he is blind. Krishna gives Surdas vision and allows him to ask for a boon. Surdas returns the anklets says he has already got what he wanted (the blessings of Krishna) and asks Krishna to make him blind again as he does not want to see anything else in the world after seeing Krishna. Radha is moved by his devotion and Krishna grants his wish by making him blind again thus giving him everlasting fame.
One of the popular poems by Surdas
अखियाँ हरि दर्शन की प्यासी ।
देखो चाहत कमल नयन को, निस दिन रहत उदासी ॥
केसर तिलक मोतिन की माला, वृंदावन के वासी ।
नेहा लगाए त्यागी गये तृण सम, डारि गये गल फाँसी ॥
काहु के मन की कोऊ का जाने, लोगन के मन हाँसी ।
सूरदास प्रभु तुम्हरे दरस बिन लेहों करवत कासी ॥
Meaning:
Our eyes thirst for a vision of Hari;
They long to see the lotus-eyed one,
Grieving for him day and night.
Wearing a saffron tilak and pearl garland
And dwelling in Vrindavan,
He gave us his love, then cast us aside like a blade of grass,
Throwing a noose around our necks.
No one knows what is in another's mind,
There is laughter in people's hearts;
But Lord of Surdas, without a vision of you
we would give up our very lives.
Source: Wikipedia
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