Names of certain Vaishnava saints will come up not infrequently in your conversations with orthodox Hindu families. Here is a primer listing a few of the most loved saints from the last 1,500 years or so (the dates given here are historian's approximations):
< Antal (725-755). One of the most famous of the Alvars, she so adamantly insisted she would have no husband but God himself that her family actually took her to the Vishnu temple at Srirangam for the marriage ceremony! It's said that there she physical merged into the image in the temple, her love for him was so intense.
< Jnanadeva (1275-1296). The child author of the Jnaneshvari, which is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita and perhaps the greatest spiritual classic of Maharashtra. At the age of 21, Jnanadeva had himself entombed alive so that he could close out his life focused exclusively on attaining union with Krishna.
< Mira Bai (1948-1546). A Rajput princess whose ecstatic songs to Krishna are still sung throughout India. She caused a stir of divine fervor everywhere she traveled singing of her love. At her death, she merged into a statue of Krishna at Dvaraka.
< Chaitanya (1486-1533). Regarded by many Hindus as the incarnation of both Krishna and his lover Radha, Chaitanya made his way through much of India chanting Krishna's name and dancing in the streets. And triggering a massive social movement of religious devotion!
< Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982). A saint so amazing other saints came to prostrate before her. Illumined from birth, she lived in God consciousness, travelling around India wherever God directed her. From an inner space of luminous clarity, she shared her experience of the unity of all things.
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