Sant Janābāī
c. 13th–14th century · Pandharpur, Maharashtra · Vārkarī
Janābāī was a maidservant in the household of Sant Nāmdev at Pandharpur. While grinding grain, fetching water and sweeping, she sang to Viṭṭhala, and her abhaṅgas — a few hundred survive — are among the most loved in Marathi. They speak to God with the intimacy of a daughter and a friend, and sometimes with bold, fearless independence.
She is a beloved symbol of the Vārkarī truth that devotion belongs to everyone, whatever their work or station; she calls herself “Nāmyācī Janī”, Nāmdev’s Janī.
Tradition says that Viṭṭhala himself came to help Janābāī with her grinding and household chores, singing along with her — a story she tells in her own songs.
Woman saint · Abhaṅgas · Household of Nāmdev