Nanddas

(late 16th c.) One of the ashtachap, a
group of eight northern Indian bhakti
(devotional) poets. The compositions of
these eight poets were used for liturgical
purposes by the Pushti Marg, a religious
community whose members are devotees (bhakta) of Krishna. In the Pushti
Marg’s sectarian literature, all eight are
also named as members of the community, and as associates of either the community’s founder, Vallabhacharya, or
his successor, Vitthalnath. Very little is
known about his life, but he is mentioned in the Bhaktamal, a collection of
lives of the saints written by Nabhadas
in the seventeenth century. Like all the
poetry associated with the Pushti Marg,
Nanddas’s poetry focused on devotion
to Krishna. His two most important
works, written in elegant poetry, are
extended poems on the ras lila and
Uddhava’s message. Both of these
themes date back to the Bhagavata
Purana (10th c.?), the most important
text for Krishna devotionalism. These
have been translated by R. S. McGregor,
The Round Dance of Krishna and
Uddhav’s Message, 1973.