<span style='color:red'>Bhaktamaal</span>
bhakti, bhakta, bhagwant, guru - naam chatur bapu ek
inke pad-vandan kiye, naashain vighna anek
{devotion, devotee, Bhagwan, Guru - 4 names of the same thing
by praying to their holy-feet, all obstacles vanish}
- Bhakta Sri Nabha Das Ji.
Above is the preface of a great medieval work called 'Bhaktamaal', of Nabha Das ji.
Bhaktamaal can be said to be the first ever collection of biographies and narrative of the different Bhaktas - irrespective of sampradaya.
As per the anecdotal traditions, he was ordered by his Guru Sri Agradasa ji to write a collective narrative of all the Bhaktas of Bharatvarsh, irrespective of the panth. Nabahdas ji, who was not literate, asked how he would be able to write. Guru blessed him and said that all the Bhaktas themselves would appear to him one by one and narrate/write their own tale.
Thus we have Bhaktamaal, which starting from Satayuga, down to midieval ages, narrates the story of every known-unknown Bhaktas.
============
When and where did he live? Scholars have different opinions. Like all Bhaktas, he has said almost nothing about himself.
But most agreed upon opinion is that he was born towards the beginning of the 16th century (near-contemporary of Tulsidas) when Mugals had arrived. He mentions about physically meeting Tulsidas to compile his narrative into Bhaktamaal. He says he went to Ayodhya to meet Tulsi, but tulsi was in meditation. He waited for several days, but Tulsi did not come out from meditation, so he returned to Vrindavana where he lived. He says, later when Tulsidas realized it, he himself came to Nabha in Vrindavana to meet him.
============
Place of birth
In opinion of bhasha-scholars like Acharya Sri Ram Chandra Shukla, Nabhadasji's parents were Telugu. He says he was born in Tailanga-desh, at a place called Rama-Bhadrachal on the northern banks of Godavari, and his father Sri Ramdas ji, himself was a Bhakta.
============
Like Tulsidas ji, he has mentioned in the background, the political situation of his contemporary times. he says:
gond ganvaar nripaal kali, yavan maha mahipaal,
saam na daam na bheda ab, keval danda karaal !!
{Kaliyuga has come when our nripala-s (kshatriyas) have become quality-less, and yavana-s have become the ultimate emporer.
sama, dama, and bheda - all have disappeared - only danda (suppression) is in vogue}
===========
Anyways, Bhaktamaal is a great work, a complete encyclopedia of our Bhakti tradition, which after Nabhadas, his shishyas like Bhakta Priyadas continued to revise and append with newer entries like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and also provided commentaries on older ones.
Bhaktamaal even includes Bhakta-saints who were Muslims. I have yet to hear about a single book of Christians or Muslims, where they include sants of other religions.
bhakti, bhakta, bhagwant, guru - naam chatur bapu ek
inke pad-vandan kiye, naashain vighna anek
{devotion, devotee, Bhagwan, Guru - 4 names of the same thing
by praying to their holy-feet, all obstacles vanish}
- Bhakta Sri Nabha Das Ji.
Above is the preface of a great medieval work called 'Bhaktamaal', of Nabha Das ji.
Bhaktamaal can be said to be the first ever collection of biographies and narrative of the different Bhaktas - irrespective of sampradaya.
As per the anecdotal traditions, he was ordered by his Guru Sri Agradasa ji to write a collective narrative of all the Bhaktas of Bharatvarsh, irrespective of the panth. Nabahdas ji, who was not literate, asked how he would be able to write. Guru blessed him and said that all the Bhaktas themselves would appear to him one by one and narrate/write their own tale.
Thus we have Bhaktamaal, which starting from Satayuga, down to midieval ages, narrates the story of every known-unknown Bhaktas.
============
When and where did he live? Scholars have different opinions. Like all Bhaktas, he has said almost nothing about himself.
But most agreed upon opinion is that he was born towards the beginning of the 16th century (near-contemporary of Tulsidas) when Mugals had arrived. He mentions about physically meeting Tulsidas to compile his narrative into Bhaktamaal. He says he went to Ayodhya to meet Tulsi, but tulsi was in meditation. He waited for several days, but Tulsi did not come out from meditation, so he returned to Vrindavana where he lived. He says, later when Tulsidas realized it, he himself came to Nabha in Vrindavana to meet him.
============
Place of birth
In opinion of bhasha-scholars like Acharya Sri Ram Chandra Shukla, Nabhadasji's parents were Telugu. He says he was born in Tailanga-desh, at a place called Rama-Bhadrachal on the northern banks of Godavari, and his father Sri Ramdas ji, himself was a Bhakta.
============
Like Tulsidas ji, he has mentioned in the background, the political situation of his contemporary times. he says:
gond ganvaar nripaal kali, yavan maha mahipaal,
saam na daam na bheda ab, keval danda karaal !!
{Kaliyuga has come when our nripala-s (kshatriyas) have become quality-less, and yavana-s have become the ultimate emporer.
sama, dama, and bheda - all have disappeared - only danda (suppression) is in vogue}
===========
Anyways, Bhaktamaal is a great work, a complete encyclopedia of our Bhakti tradition, which after Nabhadas, his shishyas like Bhakta Priyadas continued to revise and append with newer entries like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and also provided commentaries on older ones.
Bhaktamaal even includes Bhakta-saints who were Muslims. I have yet to hear about a single book of Christians or Muslims, where they include sants of other religions.