Bahina Bai, a Maharashtrian saint-poet, was born in Devagava, a village about two hundred miles from Bombay (now Mumbai), in a poor family of farmers. She was of religious bent of mind, but her husband was averse to her devotional trend, and particularly to the saint Tukarama who was of low caste, and whom she chose as her guru. Her devotion to Tukarama was also resented by other members of the higher caste. The cruel treatment of her husband and others, even made her think of suicide. However she persisted in her complete submission to Tukarama, and ultimately her family members relented. Bahina’s abhangas (verses) written in Marathi, depict a rational attitude which tries to lay bare things threadbare. In this she is unique among the saints. Bahina is not as well known as she deserves to be. This book, with a detailed introduction giving her life and times and her art, along with an English translation in part verse and part prose, aims at making her work better known both here and in the West.
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