Gangasati

2021-04-27T07:13:43Z

146.196.39.34:

'''Gangasati''' was a medieval saint poet of [[Bhakti Movement|bhakti tradition]] of western India who composed several devotional songs in [[Gujarati language]].<ref name="TharuLalita1991">{{cite book|author1=Susie J. Tharu|author2=Ke Lalita|title=Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the early twentieth century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u297RJP9gvwC&pg=PA87|access-date=5 August 2014|year=1991|publisher=Feminist Press at CUNY|isbn=978-1-55861-027-9|pages=87–88}}</ref><ref name="Jestice2004">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Suthar|first=Babu|author-link=Babu Suthar|editor-first=Phyllis G.|editor-last=Jestice|title=Gangasati (Gangabai)|encyclopedia=Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMC&pg=PA292|year=2004|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-355-1|pages=292–293}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shrivastava|first=Meenal|date=2017-01-02|title=Invisible Women in History and Global Studies: Reflections from an Archival Research Project|journal=Globalizations|volume=14|issue=1|pages=1–16|doi=10.1080/14747731.2016.1158905|issn=1474-7731|url=https://auspace.athabascau.ca/handle/2149/3570}}</ref>

==Biography==
No authentic information regarding her life is available as her songs and life story were chiefly transmitted by oral traditions. According to traditional accounts, she was born in Sarvaiya(kshatriya Yadav clan of southern Saurashtra) Rajput family in [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] region of present-day [[Gujarat]] state of India circa 12th to 14th century. She married Kahalsang Gohil or Kalubha Gohil of Samdhiala village near present-day [[Bhavnagar]]. He was a follower of ''Nijiya'' tradition of [[Bhakti Movement]]. They had a son, Ajobha, who was married to Panbai. The couple was religious and their home became centre of devotional activities which was small to house number of [[sadhu]]s (ascetics) and people visiting. They moved to farm and built a hut where they continued their religious activities. According to traditional account, to prove his spiritual powers, Kalubha once resurrected a cow but later he regretted and decided to take ''[[samadhi]]'' and end his life. Gangasati urged him to let her take ''samadhi'' too but he refused and instructed her to wait until she had perfected Panbai, her daughter-in-law, in path of devotion. She agreed and composed devotional songs, [[bhajan]]s, one per day for fifty one days to teach Panbai, the path of devotion. She took ''samadhi'' thereafter.<ref name="TharuLalita1991"/><ref name="Jestice2004"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pande|first=Rekha|date=December 2012|title=Women's voice in Bhakti literature|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236680232|journal=Research in World Literature, ( A Refereed Journal in Literature Studies)|language=en|pages=70–71|issn=2319-5266|via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

==''Bhajan''s==
She composed these bhajans each with a theme and spiritual teaching like importance and grace of [[Guru]], life of devotee, nature and words of ''Bhakti''. They are composed as they are instructed to Panbai. Notably these bhajans do not mention any traditional Hindu deity but god in general, without any form or attributes. They reflect different aspects of way of spiritual attainment. Her bhajans are still popular in Saurashtra and are traditionally sung by devotional singers.<ref name="TharuLalita1991"/><ref name="Jestice2004"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Manushi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDYpAAAAYAAJ|access-date=5 August 2014|year=1988|publisher=Samta|pages=67–72}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kalani|first=K.L.|date=September–October 1976|title=Saint Literature in Gujarati|jstor=24157339|journal=Indian Literature|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|volume=19|issue=5|pages=36–48}}</ref>

==Popular culture==
In 1979, a film ''Gangasati'', directed by Dinesh Rawal, based on traditional account of her life was produced in [[Gujarati cinema|Gujarati]].<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen2014">{{cite book|author1=Ashish Rajadhyaksha|author2=Paul Willemen|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&pg=RA26-PA1993|access-date=5 August 2014|date=10 July 2014|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-135-94325-7|pages=26}}</ref>

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
|author=Majbutsinhji Jadeja
|title=Shree Kahalsang Bhagat: Gangasati Ane Panbaini Sanshodhan Parak Sankshipt Jeevankatha
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HLlYewAACAAJ
|year=1993
|publisher=[[Majbutsinh Jadeja]]
|language=gu}}
* {{cite book|author1=Gangasati|author2=Dhairyachandra R. Buddha|title=Gangasatini bhajanganga|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EnoUtwAACAAJ|year=1996|publisher=R.R. Sheth and Co.|language=gu}}

==See also==
* [[List of Gujarati-language writers]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|gu:Category:ગંગાસતી|Gangasati}}
* {{GujLit author}}
* [http://www.swargarohan.org/bhajans/ganga-sati/ Bhajans of Gangasati]
{{authority control}}

[[Category:People from Gujarat]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language poets]]
[[Category:Hindu poets]]
[[Category:Bhakti movement]]
[[Category:Indian women poets]]
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Date of death unknown]]
[[Category:Cultural history of Gujarat]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Gangasati