Sant Eknath (1533 - 1599) was one of the remarkable saints of Maharashtra, India. He was a great admirer of Jnaneshvar of the 13th century, a poetic genius and mystic saint of Maharashtra who established the Bhagavata tradition in Maharashtra. Jnaneshvar's magnum opus was 'Jnaneshvari', the reputed scholarly commentary in Marathi on the Gita, the most elaborate ever written. It was Eknath who brought out the first authentic edition of Jnaneshvari. Eknath was a brahmin by caste, but he set an example by not observing caste distinctions, against which he preached vehemently. His own commentary in 18,800 verses on the eleventh skanda of the Srimad Bhagavatam is called Ekanatha-bhagavatam. It is not just a spiritual treatise; it is a literary masterpiece. Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... A Brahmin (pronounciation is Brahmann )is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... The Bhagavata Purana (sometimes rendered as Bhagavatha Purana), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, written c. ...

It is said of Eknath that the Lord Himself was so fascinated by the bhakti of Eknath that He appeared before him as a boy of twelve or so and sought to be taken in as a resident disciple. He was so taken and thus began the unique play of God wherein for a full period of twelve years the Lord remained as a boy called 'kandiyA krishna' doing all sorts of services to the Guru' such as: bringing water from the river for ritual worship, doing errands of all types, massaging the feet, keeping all accessories ready for the worship, fanning the Guru Eknath while he delivered lessons or lectures for his disciples, and so on. At the end of twelve years by a fortuitous circumstance the unsuspecting Eknath got the revealing news from a total stranger that the lad known as his disciple krishna was none other than the Lord of Dwaraka. But the revelation came just late, because, the Lord, who had stayed in Eknath's house all these years, had just then disappeared! Bhakti is a Tamil or Sanskrit term from Hinduism that means intense devotion expressed by action (service). ... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, tone, style, and voice). ... Dwarka is a city in Gujarat, India. ...

Source: [ http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/52eknath.html Gems of Superlative Devotion]