NivruttinathNivruttinath (c. 11 February 1273 – 24 June 1297) was a 13th-century Marathi Bhakti saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Vaishnava Nath tradition. He was the elder brother and the mentor (guru) of Dnyaneshwar, the first Varkari saint. Nivruttinath was born in Apegaon village on the bank of Godavari river near Paithan in Maharashtra into a Deshastha Brahmin family during the reign of the Yadava King Ramadevarava. Nivruttinath was one of the four children, and the eldest son, of Vitthalapant, a kulkarni (hereditary accountant), and Rakhumabai.
Hindu denominationsHindu denominations, sampradayas, traditions, movements, and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and so on. The term sampradaya is used for branches with a particular founder-guru with a particular philosophy. Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many practising Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination or tradition. Four major traditions are, however, used in scholarly studies: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism.
PaithanPaithan ['pəɪ.ʈhaɳ] (), historically Pratiṣṭhāna [pɾə'tɪʂʈhana], is a town with municipal council in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, Maharashtra, India. Paithan is located south of present-day Aurangabad on the Godavari River. It was the capital of the Satavahana dynasty, which ruled from the second century BCE to the second century CE. It is one of the few inland towns mentioned in the famous first-century Greek book, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Paithan is associated with many spiritual leaders of all faiths since ages.
DnyaneshwarSant Dnyaneshwar (Marathi pronunciation: [d̪ɲaːn̪eʃʋəɾ]), also referred to as Jnaneshwar, Jnanadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296), was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath and Varkari tradition. In his short life of 21 years, he authored Dnyaneshwari (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita) and Amrutanubhav. These are the oldest surviving literary works in the Marathi language, and considered to be milestones in Marathi literature.