Surdas was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer known for his heartfelt compositions in praise of Krishna, primarily written in the Braj language. His life story is often told through the Vallabha Sampradāya or Pushtimārga, which views him as a disciple of Vallabha; however, scholars debate this historical link. The collection Sur Sagar is traditionally attributed to him but likely includes works of later poets, focusing on Krishna as the child of Gokul and Vraj, narrated from the viewpoint of the gopis.
Life and work
The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature suggests a birth year of 1258 into a Brahmin family of Uttar Pradesh.4 Encyclopædia Britannica states that his lifespan is "traditionally" given as 1483-1563.5 Sources state he was either a Sārasvata Brāhmaṇa, a Jāṭa, or a Ḍhāṛhī.6
Surdas, whose name translates to "servant of the sun", is celebrated as the pinnacle of poetic artistry in Braj bhasha. This language is linked to the Braj region, where Krishna is said to have spent his childhood. The hagiographer Nabha Dass, in his Bhaktamal, praised Surdas for his poetic skill, especially in depicting "Hari's playful acts", a reference to Krishna's divine activities. Surdas also composed poems about Ram and Sita but primarily focused on Krishna's life and deeds.7
Poetry
Surdas's poetry was written in a dialect of Hindi called Braj Bhasha, until then considered to be a very plebeian language, as the prevalent literary languages were either Persian or Sanskrit. His work raised the status of the Braj Bhasha from a crude language to that of a literary one.8
Surdas's poems are collectively known as the Sursagar or "Ocean of Sur" due to a large volume of poems attributed to his name. The traditional format of the Sursagar is divided into twelve parts, similar to the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavata Purana. Just as the Bhagavata Purana describes the life and actions of Krishna, the Sursagar also takes on a similar feat with a majority of its poems dedicated to Krishna. Many of the poems found in Sursagar are pads, containing six to ten rhymed verses. Other subject matter covered include Rama and Sita, Vishnu, Shiva, heroes within Hinduism like Gajendra and King Bali, and the poet's spiritual struggles.910
Philosophy
Eight disciples of Vallabha Acharya are called the Aṣṭachāp, (Eight seals in Hindi), named after the oral signature chap written at the conclusion of literary works. Sur is considered to be the foremost among them.11
Coverage
Several films have been made about the poet's life. These include:12 Surdas (1939) by Krishna Dev Mehra, Bhakta Surdas (1942) by Chaturbhuj Doshi, Sant Surdas (1975) by Ravindra Dave, Chintamani Surdas (1988) by Ram Pahwa.
The legend of the blind poet Bilwamangala (identified with Surdas) and Chintamani has also been adapted several times in Indian cinema. These films include:13 Bilwamangal or Bhagat Soordas (1919) by Rustomji Dhotiwala, Bilwamangal (1932), Chintamani (1933) by Kallakuri Sadasiva Rao, Chintamani (1937) by Y. V. Rao, Bhakta Bilwamangal (1948) by Shanti Kumar, Bilwamangal (1954) by D. N. Madhok, Bhakta Bilwamangal (1954) by Pinaki Bhushan Mukherji, Chintamani (1956) by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao, Chintamani (1957) by M.N. Basavarajaiah, Chilamboli (1963) by G. K. Ramu, Bilwamangal (1976) by Gobinda Roy, Vilvamangal Ki Pratigya (1996) by Sanjay Virmani.
See also
External links
References
Klaus K. Klostermaier (5 July 2007). A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition. SUNY Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-7914-7082-4. 978-0-7914-7082-4 ↩
"Surdas Biography - Surdas Poems - Life History in English". India the Destiny. 17 June 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220626144617/https://indiathedestiny.com/icons/poets-writers/surdas-biography/ ↩
Hawley, John Stratton (2018). "Sūrdās". In Jacobsen, Knut A.; Basu, Helene; Malinar, Angelika; Narayanan, Vasudha (eds.). Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online. Brill. ↩
Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo, Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. p. 79. ISBN 9788126018031. 9788126018031 ↩
"Sūrdās | 15th Century Indian Poet & Bhakti Movement Devotee | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 26 January 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Surdas ↩
Barz, Richard (1992). The Bhakti Sect of Vallabhācārya. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 106. ↩
Sūradāsa (2015). Sur's Ocean: Poems from the Early Tradition. Harvard University Press. pp. vii–xi. ISBN 978-0-674-42777-8. 978-0-674-42777-8 ↩
"Surdas (Sur Das, Soordas)". chandrakantha.com. Retrieved 2 May 2022. https://chandrakantha.com/biodata/surdas.html ↩
Bryant, Edwin Francis (2007). Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-19-803400-1. 978-0-19-803400-1 ↩
Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. Rosen. pp. 673–674. ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4. 978-0-8239-3180-4 ↩
"Aṣṭachāp | Indian Poetry, Devotional Verse, Sanskrit | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 6 June 2024. https://www.britannica.com/art/Astachap ↩
Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. ISBN 9780851706696. Retrieved 12 August 2012. 9780851706696 ↩
Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. ISBN 9780851706696. Retrieved 12 August 2012. 9780851706696 ↩