96
Popular Culture Review
in the history of India, higher castes worshipped the saint-philosophers from
lower castes and sought their guidance and advice on spiritual matters. Popular
Indian culture also found its ascendancy and non-Brahmins saw their power
nse.
Saint-Philosophers and Their Role
The term “saint-philosopher” applies to those Hindu and Muslim soulseekers who moved away from the orthodoxy of their respective religions and
tried to guide the masses to their social and spiritual destinations through
simpler, unconventional methods. The stream of such saint-philosophers from
about the third century A.D. onward has been continuous, and the tradition
continues to the present time. Examples of the saint-philosophers were Kabir,
Rahim, Surdas, Tulsidas, Nanak, Valmiki, Ravidas, Dadu, Tukaram, and
Mirabai, from the north part of India; and Tyagaraja, Krishnamacharya,
Vemana, Pothana, Haridasa, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa, and Bilwamangal,
from the southern part of India. Most saint-philosophers were ordinary people
from lower castes, who wrote mystical poetry and conveyed their messages to
ordinary people in vernacular languages. People could easily understand the
message and act accordingly. The songs and poems of the saint-philosophers
were full of devotion and sung by the masses with great enthusiasm all the time.
Most saint-philosophers were married, had children, and followed a vocation or
craft for their livelihood. They taught lessons by their own example and advised
a direct communion with God through the help of a guru or spiritual mentor.
The impacts of these saint-philosophers on popular Indian culture and
on the society as a whole have been many. Some of these impacts are: 1) lesser
entrenchment of the caste, gender, social position, and power barriers in the
society; 2) lesser importance of ritualism, formalism, orthodoxy, and blind faith
in the popular tradition; 3) easier and more personable ways to pursue social and
spiritual goals and soul-liberation; 4) lesser power of Brahmins and more
egal