Eknath Maharaj (c 1533 – 99) was a scholar and poet-saint in the Bhakti tradition. Eknath lived with his family in the village of Paithan in Maharashtra, India, and he composed over four thousand devotional songs in the Hindi and Marathi languages. Eknath also wrote commentaries on some of the great scriptures of India, and he translated these scriptures from Sanskrit to Marathi. Eknath's many compositions in the common vernacular made the highest teachings accessible to everyone throughout Maharashtra. It was his Guru, Janardan Swami, who instructed Eknath to teach for the upliftment of all.