The spiritual sky of Vaishnava spirituality is alight with a brilliant array of stars : saints of the highest magnitude. Some of the most famous were the 12 Alvars, who lived in the eighth and ninth centuries C.E. in the south of India. Their hymns were saturated with love for divine, bemoaning their separation from the Lord (usually in the form of Krishna) and celebrating those moments of merger when they experience his living presence.
The Alvars had such an enormous impact on Hindu spirituality that across the subcontinent Hindu intellectuals were forced to rethink their philosophical systems to accommodate a personable God. They also had to work in the intense devotion that the Alvars showed can transport a soul to highest states of mystical ecstasy.
Closer to our own time the Bauls of Bengal frankly call themselves "madmen for God". Many are minstrels who travel through the countryside singing and dancing. If you hear a Baul even once, you'll never forget the experience. They sing with such passion you half expect their hearts to split open!
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