Mhaimbhat (c. 13th century) was one of the earliest followers of
Chakradhar Swami and the
Mahanubhava sect, and author of ''
Leela Charitra
''Leela Charitra'' is a biography of Chakradhar Swami, the guru of the Mahanubhava sect, and is a sacred text of that sect. It was written in the late 13th century by his follower Mhaimbhat.
The ''Lilacharitra'', though written in Marathi, is ...
'', the first biography written in the
Marathi language
Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state of Goa. It is one of t ...
.
Life
Mhaimbhat belonged to the Sarala village of the
Ahmadnagar district
Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar and Sangamner are largest cities ...
of Maharashtra. He was born in a
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
family and studied
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
from his maternal uncle Ganapati Aapayo. Later, he went to
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...
for further studies. After returning to Maharashtra, he won debates against many scholars of Indian philosophy. He first met
Chakradhar Swami on the insistence of his uncle, when he debated him at
Domegram, and returned home influenced by him. Arriving at a decision to follow Chakradhar Swami, he went to Riddhapur where
Govind Prabhu, ''guru'' of Chakradhar Swami, resided.
Mhaimbhat was married to Deaamba, daughter of his uncle Ganapati Aapayo.
Literary works
Mhaimbhat took upon himself the task of writing a memoir of Chakradhar Swami soon after the latter died. He traveled all over Maharashtra and collected anecdotes and life events related to Chakradhar Swami. With the help of
Bhatobas, another disciple of the sect, he met a large number of people connected to Chakradhar Swami and collected material from various sources – often cross-checking the same story from more than one source to evaluate trustworthiness. This approach by Mhaimbhat is considered rather scientific, considering he was writing in 13th-century India.
Later in his life, Mhaimbhat also wrote ''Riddhapur Charitra'', a biography of
Govind Prabhu, another figurehead of the Mahanubhava sect.
Along with these two biographies, he wrote ten ''
aartis'' lyrical hyms in praise of God – which form a part of Mahanubhava rituals.
Legacy
As an author of ''Leela Charitra'', Mhaimbhat is considered to be the first known prose writer in the Marathi language.
The language of ''Leela Charitra'' invokes some academic interest as it documents the language spoken by common Marathi people of the 13th century.
References
{{Authority control
Marathi-language writers
13th-century Indian writers
Mahanubhava sect