# Surdas
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{{Short description|Indian writer, poet and singer (1483-1563)}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| religion = [Hinduism](/source/Hinduism)
| name = Surdas
| image = Surdas, detail of a painting of Surdas with a devoted Brahmin, Kishangarh style, Rajasthan, circa 18th century (cropped).jpg
| alt = Surdas
| caption = Detail of a painting of Surdas, Kishangarh style, Rajasthan, circa 18th century
| birth_date = {{circa|1483}}
| birth_place = Gram Sihi, [Faridabad](/source/Faridabad), [Delhi Sultanate](/source/Delhi_Sultanate)
| death_date = {{circa|1563}}
| death_place = [Braj](/source/Braj) Parsauli, [Mughal Empire](/source/Mughal_Empire)
| known_for = Influencing the [Bhakti movements](/source/Bhakti_movements), [Sant Mat](/source/Sant_Mat),
| literary_works = ''Sur Sagar'', ''Sur Saravali'', ''Sahitya Lahari''
| philosophy = [Bhakti](/source/Bhakti)
| father = Ramdas Saraswat[{{Cite web|url=https://knowledgeocean.in/biography-of-surdas-in-hindi-jivan-parichay-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8-%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%AF/3290/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921003713/https://knowledgeocean.in/biography-of-surdas-in-hindi-jivan-parichay-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8-%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE-%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%AF/3290/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=21 September 2020|title = सूरदास का जीवन परिचय - Biography of Surdas in Hindi Jivan Parichay| date=16 September 2020 }}]
| mother = Jamunadas[{{cite book|author=Klaus K. Klostermaier|title=A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_6-JbUiHB4C&pg=PA215| date=2007-07-05| publisher=SUNY Press| isbn=978-0-7914-7082-4|page=215}}] Most of his devotional songs, or [bhajans](/source/Bhajan), were written in the Braj language, while some were also written in other dialects of medieval Hindi, like Awadhi.[{{Cite web |date=2018-06-17 |title=Surdas Biography - Surdas Poems - Life History in English |url=https://indiathedestiny.com/icons/poets-writers/surdas-biography/ |access-date=2022-04-26 |website=India the Destiny |language=en-US |archive-date=26 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626144617/https://indiathedestiny.com/icons/poets-writers/surdas-biography/ |url-status=dead }}]
Surdas's biography is most often told through the lens of the [Vallabha Sampradāya](/source/Vallabha_Sampradaya) aka the [Puṣṭimārga](/source/Pushtimarg). The Puṣṭimārga regards Surdas as an initiated disciple of [Vallabha](/source/Vallabha), and his hagiography is told in the ''[Caurāsī Vaiṣṇavan kī Vārtā](/source/Chaurashi_Vaishnavan_ki_Varta)'' by Gokulnāth and [Harirāy](/source/Harir%C4%81y). Surdas' poems, along with those of other Aṣṭachāp poets, form a central part of Puṣṭimārga liturgical singing-worship. However modern scholars consider the connection between Sūrdās and Vallabha and his sect to be ahistorical.[{{Cite book |last=Hawley |first=John Stratton |title=Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online |publisher=Brill |year=2018 |editor-last=Jacobsen |editor-first=Knut A. |chapter=Sūrdās |editor-last2=Basu |editor-first2=Helene |editor-last3=Malinar |editor-first3=Angelika |editor-last4=Narayanan |editor-first4=Vasudha}}]
The book ''Sur Sagar'' (Sur's Ocean) is traditionally attributed to Surdas. However, many of the poems in the book seem to be written by later poets in Sur's name. The Sur Sagar in its present form focuses on descriptions of Krishna as the lovely child of [Gokul](/source/Gokul) and [Vraj](/source/Vraj), written from the ''[gopis](/source/gopis)''' perspective.
==Life and work ==
''[The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature](/source/Encyclopaedia_of_Indian_Literature)'' suggests a birth year of 1258 into a Brahmin family of Uttar Pradesh.''[{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo, Volume 1 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1987 |isbn=9788126018031 |pages=79 |quote=}}]'' [Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica) states that his lifespan is "traditionally" given as 1483-1563.[{{Cite web |title=Sūrdās {{!}} 15th Century Indian Poet & Bhakti Movement Devotee {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Surdas |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}] Sources state he was either a [Sārasvata Brāhmaṇa](/source/Saraswat_Brahmin), a [Jāṭa](/source/Jat_caste), or a [Ḍhāṛhī](/source/Dharhi).[{{Cite book |last=Barz |first=Richard |title=The Bhakti Sect of Vallabhācārya |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |year=1992 |pages=106}}]
Surdas, whose name translates to "servant of the sun", is celebrated as the pinnacle of poetic artistry in [Braj bhasha](/source/Braj_Bhasha). This language is linked to the [Braj](/source/Braj) region, where Krishna is said to have spent his childhood. The hagiographer [Nabha Dass](/source/Nabha_Dass), in his [Bhaktamal](/source/Bhaktamal), praised Surdas for his poetic skill, especially in depicting "Hari's playful acts", a reference to Krishna's divine activities. Surdas also composed poems about Ram and Sita but primarily focused on Krishna's life and deeds.[{{Cite book |last=Sūradāsa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2iJ9oAEACAAJ |title=Sur's Ocean: Poems from the Early Tradition |date=2015 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-42777-8 |pages=vii-xi |language=en}}]
===Poetry ===
thumb|Folios of a manuscript of the 'Nam Daman' of Surdas, by Babullah for Dilir Khan, copied in 1698
Surdas's poetry was written in a dialect of [Hindi](/source/Hindi) called [Braj Bhasha](/source/Braj_Bhasha), until then considered to be a very plebeian language, as the prevalent literary languages were either [Persian](/source/Persian_language) or [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit). His work raised the status of the Braj Bhasha from a crude language to that of a literary one.[{{Cite web |title=Surdas (Sur Das, Soordas) |url=https://chandrakantha.com/biodata/surdas.html |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=chandrakantha.com |language=en}}]
Surdas's poems are collectively known as the ''Sursagar'' or "Ocean of Sur" due to a large volume of poems attributed to his name. The traditional format of the Sursagar is divided into twelve parts, similar to the Hindu scripture, the ''[Bhagavata Purana](/source/Bhagavata_Purana)''. Just as the ''Bhagavata Purana'' describes the life and actions of [Krishna](/source/Krishna), the Sursagar also takes on a similar feat with a majority of its poems dedicated to Krishna. Many of the poems found in Sursagar are ''pads,'' containing six to ten rhymed verses. Other subject matter covered include [Rama](/source/Rama) and [Sita](/source/Sita), [Vishnu](/source/Vishnu), [Shiva](/source/Shiva), heroes within Hinduism like [Gajendra](/source/Gajendra_Moksha) and [King Bali](/source/Mahabali), and the poet's spiritual struggles.[{{Cite book |last=Bryant |first=Edwin Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0z02cZe8PU8C&q=bryant+edwin+krishna+a+source+book |title=Krishna: A Sourcebook |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-803400-1 |pages=224 |language=en}}][{{Cite book |last=Lochtefeld |first=James G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GnmPzgEACAAJ |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z |date=2002 |publisher=Rosen |isbn=978-0-8239-3180-4 |pages=673–674 |language=en}}]
==Philosophy==
Eight disciples of [Vallabha Acharya](/source/Vallabha_Acharya) are called the ''[Aṣṭachāp](/source/A%E1%B9%A3%E1%B9%ADach%C4%81p)'', (Eight seals in Hindi), named after the oral signature ''chap'' written at the conclusion of literary works. Sur is considered to be the foremost among them.[{{Cite web |title=Aṣṭachāp {{!}} Indian Poetry, Devotional Verse, Sanskrit {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Astachap |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}]
==Popular culture==
Several films have been made about the poet's life. These include:[{{cite book|last1=Rajadhyaksha|first1=Ashish|last2=Willemen|first2=Paul|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja|url-access=registration|access-date=12 August 2012|year=1999|publisher=British Film Institute|isbn=9780851706696}}] ''Surdas'' (1939) by Krishna Dev Mehra, ''[Bhakta Surdas](/source/Bhakta_Surdas)'' (1942) by [Chaturbhuj Doshi](/source/Chaturbhuj_Doshi), ''Sant Surdas'' (1975) by [Ravindra Dave](/source/Ravindra_Dave), ''Chintamani Surdas'' (1988) by Ram Pahwa.
The legend of the blind poet [Bilwamangala](/source/Vilwamangalam_Swamiyar) (identified with Surdas) and Chintamani has also been adapted several times in Indian cinema. These films include: