FROM THE LOVER TO THE BELOVED: CELEBRATION OF LOVE, SENSUALITY AND DEVOTION IN DADU DAYAL’S COMPOSITIONS

Dadu Dayal (1544-1603) was an influential nirgun bhakti-poet of North-western India. He ranks second only to Kabir in terms of his influence and literary output. The structure, diction, imagery, and philosophy of his poetry bear a - striking resemblance with those of Kabir. In many of his compositions, (like Kabir and several other Sufi and Bhakti poets)Dadu also imagines himself as the “lover” of the Brahm (the ultimate Godhead) whom he calls his “beloved”. Dadu Anubhav Vani, the sacred scripture of Dadupanthis (followers of Dadu Panth), is the compilation of Dadu'sentire compositions. It contains two thousand five hundred “saakhies”/couplets under thirty-seven “angs”/parts/chapters and four hundred forty-four “padas”/hymns/psalms/songs under twenty-eight “ragas”/musical moods and notes. By translating selected saakhies and padas from the scripture into English, the paper seeks to highlight and examine the concept of the love of Sufis as well as the elements of Bhakti which resonate in Dadu's poetry.