The political theology of bhakti: the concept of “movement” and the problem of caste (the case study of the rootless servant). Part 1

Bhakti is one of the most modern words in India, although it dates back to 2,000-year-old texts of Buddhism and Hinduism. In practical terms, bhakti is found in a variety of contexts, renewed with a change of historical milestones and embedded in a wide range of theological schemes. Since the nineteenth century it has been used as a tool resourcefully adapted to social and political needs. In either performance, bhakti remains in demand as a model of a personal emotional connection with God. The medieval poets are recognized as the main exponents of bhakti, while their compositions and hagiographies form the basis for its interpretation. Egalitarianism and democracy are commonly refered to as the main attributes of bhakti, and by thus the phenomenon is juxtaposed with an idea of a "movement" leading to or ensuring equality of castes. The same approach was used during the “heydays” of the Soviet-era Indian studies (1960–1970) but the subject itself was shortsightedly lost later. Part I of this article examines how the idioms “bhakti movement” and “there is no caste in bhakti” correlate with the nationalist project of a statehood, and how the initial “castelessness” of the medieval Marathi poetess-cum-servant provided a range of choices in interpreting her social affiliation throught the twentieth to the twenty-first century. The article analyzes the hymns attributed to Janabai, the hagiographic literature of the eighteenth century, the earliest references to her by Christian missionaries, and the augmentation of her narrative in the works of historians of Marathi literature.