The main issue when discussing Bhagat Namdev Ji’s timeline is that the general belief is that he lived in the 1200 and 1300s. This would make a physical meeting between Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhagat Ji impossible.
Another problem we run into when trying to understand when Bhagat Namdev lived is the fact that there were numerous Namdevs in history. In his research, Giani Gurdit Singh discovered as many as 6 different Namdevs. For example, some origin stories of Bhagat Namdev paint him as a thief, others maintain he was a Bhagat from childhood. This shows that there were multiple Namdevs and their lives have been mixed together into one. It is difficult to sift through and find out which story aligns with which Namdev.
Various scholars have also accepted the fact that there were at least six Bhagat Namdevs in history. Vinay Mohan Sharma in his book, Hindi ko Marathi Santon ki Dena (page 101), writes (translated to English):
“It is generally accepted that there were several Bhagat Namdevs”
In Prachin Marathi Sant Kavi by Bendale Bharati, it is stated on page 105 that (translated to English):
“There have been six Namdevs, and their Marathi poetry is sung to this day.”
Dr. S.K Arekar in his PhD thesis also argues that there were at least six Namdevs in history.
If there have been so many different Namdevs in history, it is possible that the one who’s Bani is written within Sri Guru Granth Sahib lived during the time of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and met him and became a Sikh.
It is accepted that Bhagat Namdev was born in Maharashtra. Some views claim that he died in Maharashtra as well, although there are some that believe he died in Punjab. There is a temple in the Ghuman village in Punjab that is believed to be the place he died. Because there have been so many Namdevs in history, it will be difficult to prove where each of them lived their entire lives. However, using Gurbani we can show that the Namdev whose bani is included within Sri Guru Granth Sahib, lived in Punjab, at least for some time.
In order to prove the fact that Bhagat Namdev (whose Bani is in SGGS) at one point in his life lived in Punjab, we can analyze his Bani. Bhagat Namdev’s Bani is written in Marathi and Hindi but is coloured with Punjabi words and phrases. His understanding of Punjabi culture and idioms is also very strong. This all points to Bhagat Namdev having spent a lot of time in Punjab and conversing with Punjabis. Which strengthens the argument that Bhagat Namdev lived in Punjab and died in the village of Ghuman.
Vinay Mohan Sharma says the following about Bhagat Namdev’s writing (translated to English):
“Within Namdev’s writing there is a mixture of Eastern Hindi and Punjabi. In Namdev’s language we can see words and expressions that were used in Madhya Pardesh and Punjab.” — Page 124 of Hindi ko Marathi Santon ki Dena
Vinay Mohan Sharma goes on to mention many words which are of Punjabi origin that Bhagat Namdev has used in his writing. Some examples are as such: ਸਗਲ instead of ਸਕਲ, ਭਗਤ instead of ਭਕਤ, and ਇਸ਼ਨਾਨ instead ਸਨਾਨ. He has argued that the usage of these words instead of their Marathi and Hindi counterparts is a strong argument that Bhagat Namdev lived in Punjab for a long period of time. (Page 123, Hindi ko Marathi Santon ki Dena).
Below are some examples of Punjabi words in Bhagat Namdev’s Bani. Punjabi words are bolded.
1. ਜੈਸੇ ਗਾਇ ਕਾ ਬਾਛਾ ਛੂਟਲਾ ॥
Like the cow’s calf, which, when let loose,
2. ਪਾਨੀਆ ਬਿਨੁ ਮੀਨੁ ਤਲਫੈ ॥
Without water, the fish writhes in pain.
3. ਗਹਰੀ ਕਰਿ ਕੈ ਨੀਵ ਖੁਦਾਈ ਊਪਰਿ ਮੰਡਪ ਛਾਏ ॥
They dig deep foundations, and build lofty palaces.
4. ਆਨੀਲੇ ਕਾਗਦੁ ਕਾਟੀਲੇ ਗੂਡੀ ਆਕਾਸ ਮਧੇ ਭਰਮੀਅਲੇ ॥
The boy takes paper, cuts it and makes a kite, and flies it in the sky.
5. ਪੰਚ ਜਨਾ ਸਿਉ ਬਾਤ ਬਤਊਆ ਚੀਤੁ ਸੁ ਡੋਰੀ ਰਾਖੀਅਲੇ ॥੧॥
Talking with his friends, he still keeps his attention on the kite string. ||1||
The above lines are just some examples from Bhagat Namdev’s Bani that show his use of Punjabi words and expressions. A lot of these are pure Punjabi words that a person living in Mahrashtra would not use. Meaning that Bhagat Namdev spent enough of his life in Punjab that he picked up on these words and used them within his Bani.
Dr. Arekar in his Phd writes the following on page 56 (translated to English):
“The Bani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib was not written by the famous Namdev of Maharashtra. He has no relationship with the Namdev of Maharashtra.
Therefore, we can argue that the Namdev of Guru Granth Sahib Ji is different from the other Namdevs that are mentioned in history, although their lives and stories have become intertwined throughout history.
So far, we have concluded that there were several Bhagat Namdevs in history and the Namdev whose Bani is included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib spent a great deal of time in Punjab. It is therefore at least possible that the Bhagat Namdev that has his Bani in SGGS was a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and not one of the earlier Namdevs that lived much earlier.
Based on the evidence that we have already discussed, the Bhagat Namdev whose Bani is in Sri Guru Granth Sahib was just one of several historical Bhagat Namdevs. It is also difficult to sift through the different Namdevs and their stories and figure out when each one lived. In this section of the article we will look at evidence that proves that Bhagat Namdev was a contemporary of other Bhagats such as Bhagat Kabir, Ramanand and Ravi Das and thus a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
The Bhagat Vijay Granth, written in around 1762 by Mahipati Tahrabadkar has dedicated entire chapters on discussing meetings between Bhagat Namdev and Bhagat Kabir. If Bhagat Kabir and Namdev were contemporaries and met, then it is obvious that Bhagat Namdev and Guru Nanak were also contemporaries.
The Prem Ambodh Pothi, written in the late 1600s in Anandpur Sahib, mentions that Bhagat Namdev was among the Bhagats that accompanied Bhagat Ramanand to Rajasthan to meet Bhagat Pipa. This would again mean that Bhagat Namdev was a contemporary of the Bhagats such as Kabir, Ravidas, Ramanand and Pipa, and thus a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Here is the direct quote from the Prem Ambodh Pothi:
ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਕਬੀਰ ਨਾਮਾ ਸੰਗ ਲੀਆ। ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮਾਨੰਦ ਪਿਆਨਾ ਕੀਆ।
Ravidas, Kabir and Nama went along with Sri Ramanand from there.
Below is a picture of this reference in a handwritten Prem Ambodh Pothi:
In Shri Bhaktmal by Nabha Das, Bhagat Namdev’s birth is listed as having occurred in the year 1545 Bikrami (1487–1488 CE). There is also a foot note that states some believe he was born in 1500 Bikrami (1442–1443 CE). Nabha Das writes that Namdev lived during Sikandar Lodhi’s reign. Lodhi lived from 1458 to 1517 CE. This would put Bhagat Namdev firmly within Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s lifetime.
Vasudev Balwant Patwardhan, a professor at Bombay University, delivered several lectures on Bhagat Namdev Ji’s life. During these lectures he stated (translated to English):
The fact of the matter is that Namdev’s writing that is available in various granths, is so grammatically different from the writing of the 13th century saint Dnyaneshwar, that Namdev simply cannot be a contemporary of Dnyaneshwar. If someone in the future can bring forth evidence that shows Namdev’s writing could have been written in the 13th century then I am willing to change my stance on this matter. There has to be more than a hundred years of a gap between Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.
If we accept Vasudev Balwant Patwardhan’s claim that Namdev and Dnyaneshwar (1275–1296) were separated by more than a century, then Namdev’s life would need to be placed in the 1400s. This would position him much later than traditionally believed and significantly closer in time to Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Of course, not all scholars agree on the birth date of Bhagat Namdev Ji being in the 1400s. This problem is solved when we look at the fact that there were multiple Namdevs in history. For us, the only concern is about the Bhagat Namdev whose Bani appears within Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. For this Bhagat Namdev, we know that he lived in Punjab and was a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and in fact met Guru Nanak Dev Ji as well, which is shown in the evidence below.
In the Miharban Janam Sakhi, a meeting between Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhagat Namdev is mentioned to have happened in Ayodhya. The following is an excerpt from the Janam Sakhi (page 190):
ਅਯੁਧਿਆ ਵਿੱਚ ਏਕ ਪੰਚ ਤੀਰਥੀ ਮਟ ਥਾ। ਉਸੀ ਮਹਿ ਬਾਬਾ ਬੈਠਾ ਪਰਲੀ ਦੱਖਣ ਕੀ ਤਰਫ ਨਾਮ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕਰਤਾ ਥਾ, ਤਬ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਪਾਰ ਬ੍ਰਹਿਮ ਕੀ ਆਗਿਆ ਸਾਥ ਸਭ ਭਗਤ ਮਿਲ ਕਰ ਮਿਲਣੇ ਆਏ। ਨਾਮਾ, ਜੈਦੇਉ, ਕਬੀਰ, ਤ੍ਰਿਲੋਚਨ, ਰਵਿਦਾਸ, ਸਧਨਾ, ਧੰਨਾ, ਬੇਣੀ।
Very clearly, Bhagat Namdev along with Jaidev, Kabir, Trilochan, Ravidas, Sadhna, Dhanna and Beni met Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in Ayodhya according to this Janam Sakhi.
Within several old Marathi granths, such as the Bhakat Rasamit Sindhu and the Namdev Jivan Charitra, a meeting between Bhagat Namdev and “Nanak Swami” who is also referred to as “Maha Bhagwat Bhagat” is mentioned to have occurred at Kumar Teerath. This has caused several scholars to deem that this Nanak Swami must have been someone other than Guru Nanak Dev Ji, because they believe Bhagat Namdev to have lived several centuries before Guru Sahib. However, who else other than Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj would be called “Maha Bhagwat Bhagat”? It cannot be a coincidence that there is a meeeting between a Nanak Swami and Bhagat Namdev.
This meeting is also mentioned in Shri Namdev Gatha, published by the Sant Namdev Prakashan Vibhag (department) of the Maharashtra government. Below is a quote from that book translated into English:
Then, Namdev travelled south to visit various pilgrimage sites. Many saints had gathered there. Having visited several pilgrimage sites alongside the Krishna river he reached Bijapur. From their visiting other places he reached Kumar Teerath. It was here he met Nanak Swami.
Another interesting point to consider is that the Goindwal Pothis, which are some of the oldest sources of Gurbani that we have today, mention Bhagat Namdev Ji to be a Bhagat of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
ਕਮੀਰ ਨਾਮ ਭਗਤ ਬਾਬੇ ਦੇ
Kabir and Namdev were devotees of Baba (Guru Nanak Dev Ji).
Below are pictures from the Goindwal Pothis that shows this line:
Another example from the Goindwal Pothis:
The fact that our own historical texts confirm that Guru Nanak Dev Ji met Bhagat Namdev cannot be ignored. Not only do they confirm a meeting, but the Goindwal Pothis call Bhagat Namdev a Sikh (Bhagat) of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Bhagat Namdev’s Bani within Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji also makes it clear that he found Waheguru through the blessing of Satguru.
Bhagat Namdev Ji writes that the Guru has made his life fruitful, meaning he has been saved because of the Guru.
ਸਫਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਮੋ ਕਉ ਗੁਰਿ ਕੀਨਾ ॥ ਦੁਖ ਬਿਸਾਰਿ ਸੁਖ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਲੀਨਾ ॥੧॥
The Guru has made my life fruitful. My pain is forgotten, and I have found peace deep within myself. ||1||
In the same Shabad, Bhagat Ji mentions that the Guru has given him Gian.
ਗਿਆਨ ਅੰਜਨੁ ਮੋ ਕਉ ਗੁਰਿ ਦੀਨਾ ॥ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨੁ ਜੀਵਨੁ ਮਨ ਹੀਨਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
The Guru has blessed me with the ointment of spiritual wisdom. Without the Lord’s Name, life is mindless. ||1||Pause||
What is Gian according to Gurbani?
ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਨਾਮਿ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਹੋਈ ॥
Through the spiritual wisdom of the Naam, the Name of the Lord, the Gurmukh is liberated.
So Gian or spirtiual wisdom is Naam according to Gurbani. So when Bhagat Namdev Ji writes that the Guru has given him Gian, what this really means is that he has received Naam from Guru Sahib. This is futher clarified in the following line from Gurbani:
ਦ੍ਰਿੜਿੑਓ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਮੰਤ੍ਰੁ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਾ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਜੀਉ ਮਇਆ ਕਰਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
He has implanted within me spiritual wisdom and the Mantra of the Lord’s Name; Dear God has shown mercy to me. ||1||Pause||
Furthermore, Bhagat Namdev writes about the Satguru:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲੈ ਤ ਸਹਸਾ ਜਾਈ ॥
By meeting the Satguru my doubts have been dispelled
In this Shabad, Bhagat Ji says that within an instant (the blink of an eye) he has been transformed from a human being into an angelic being through the teachings of the Satguru:
ਨਰ ਤੇ ਸੁਰ ਹੋਇ ਜਾਤ ਨਿਮਖ ਮੈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਬੁਧਿ ਸਿਖਲਾਈ ॥
Another Shabad of Bhagat Namdev’s mentions the importance of Guru Sahib and how useless it is to serve others. Clearly, Bhagat Ji met Guru Sahib and was so moved that he abandoned all others.
ਸਤਿ ਸਤਿ ਸਤਿ ਸਤਿ ਸਤਿ ਗੁਰਦੇਵ ॥ ਝੂਠੁ ਝੂਠੁ ਝੂਠੁ ਝੂਠੁ ਆਨ ਸਭ ਸੇਵ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
True, True, True, True, True is the Divine Guru. False, false, false, false is all other service. ||1||Pause||
In the same Shabad Bhagat Namdev mentions:
ਜਉ ਗੁਰਦੇਉ ਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਵੈ ॥
When the Divine Guru grants His Grace, the Naam, the Name of the Lord, is implanted within.
Bhagat Naamdev Ji writes that when his Gurdev (Guru) willed it, he was given Naam. Can anyone other than Guru Sahib give Naam?
It has been mentioned time and time again that Gurbani does not believe in or propagate multiple gurus or satgurus. There is only one Guru and one Satguru, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji:
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਗੁਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਕੋਈ ਨਿਗੁਰੇ ਕਾ ਹੈ ਨਾਉ ਬੁਰਾ ॥੧੩॥
Without the True Guru, there is no Guru at all; one who is without a Guru has a bad reputation. ||13||
And:
ਸਭ ਤੇ ਵਡਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਜਿਨਿ ਕਲ ਰਾਖੀ ਮੇਰੀ ॥੪॥੧੦॥੫੭॥
Guru Nanak is the greatest of all; He saved my honor in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga. ||4||10||57||
Furthermore, Bhagat Namdev says:
ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਗਹੁ ਮੀਤਾ ॥
This is an important line because Bhagat Ji says to take the support of Gurmat Naam. Not any other Naam, but the Naam that is given by Guru Sahib.
Another interesting Shabad written by Guru Amar Das Ji that sheds some light on this matter is the following:
ਨਾਮਾ ਛੀਬਾ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਜੋੁਲਾਹਾ ਪੂਰੇ ਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਗਤਿ ਪਾਈ ॥
Naam Dayv the printer, and Kabeer the weaver, obtained salvation through the Perfect Guru.
Guru Amar Das Ji confirms the fact that both Bhagat Namdev and Bhagat Kabir were saved by the Perfect Guru. Is there anyone other than Guru Nanak Dev Ji that is the Perfect Guru? Of course not! Bhagat Namdev Ji was saved by Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
After examining the evidence available to us, it becomes clear that the Bhagat Namdev Ji whose Bani is included within Sri Guru Granth Sahib, was a contemporary of other Bhagats such as Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Ramanand and Bhagat Ravidas. This means he was also a contemporary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and in fact met Guru Nanak. After meeting Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Bhagat Namdev’s life became fruitful according to his own writings (ਸਫਲ ਜਨਮੁ ਮੋ ਕਉ ਗੁਰਿ ਕੀਨਾ). He received Naam and became a Sikh (ਜਉ ਗੁਰਦੇਉ ਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਦ੍ਰਿੜਾਵੈ ॥).
This meeting between Guru Nanak Dev Ji is mentioned historical Marathi texts (Nanak Swami) and in the Miharban Janam Sakhi. The Goindwal Pothis also mention that Namdev was a Bhagat of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (ਕਮੀਰ ਨਾਮ ਭਗਤ ਬਾਬੇ ਦੇ). Finally, Guru Amar Das Ji confirms that Bhagat Namdev was saved by the Perfect Guru (ਨਾਮਾ ਛੀਬਾ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਜੋੁਲਾਹਾ ਪੂਰੇ ਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਗਤਿ ਪਾਈ ॥). With all of this evidence in front of us, it becomes hard to deny the fact that Bhagat Namdev Ji was a Sikh of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Bharati, Bendale: Prachin Marathi Sant Kavi
Das, Nabha: Shri Bhaktmal
Sant Namdev Prakashan Vibhag: Shri Namdev Gatha
Sharma, Vinay Mohan: Hindi ko Marathi Santon ki Dena
Singh, Giani Gurdit: Itihaas Sri Guru Granth Sahib: Bhagat Bani Edition
Sodhi, Miharban: Janam Sakhi Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Tahrabadkar, Mahipat: Bhagat Vijay (Bhakta Vijay)
Unknown: Prem Ambodh Pothi
Written By: Bhai Gagan Singh
