Biography of Surdas

(1478 – 1583)

The name Surdas is inextricably woven with the name of Lord Krishna, and nobody can discuss any one of them by ignoring the other.

Surdas was a very prolific composer in his life. He was a poet, a saint all rolled into one. He was born blind in 1478 in a poor Brahmin family. Being a blind child, he did not receive the due attention from his parents and family members. As a child, therefore, Surdas spent most of his time on the porch of his house. One day he heard the music from a beggar passing through the village. He was so much swayed by music that he vowed to learn music.

He was taught by the great sage Vallabhacharya. He memorised most of the Srimad Bhagavat and other Sanskrit works. His work 'Sur Sagar', a magnum opus, originally contains 100,000 poems or songs. His major works were in the Brij Bhasha. His other excellent poetic work is "Sursaravali'. All these are full of deep devotion and are dedicated to Lord Krishna. He died in 1583.