Bhakta Surdas was born on Vaishakh Panchmi in Samvat 1535 to a poor family of Ballabhagarh. He was blind since his birth but had a strong inner vision. At 18 he went to Gaughat, near Mathura, where he used to sing bhajans.
Impressed by his bhajans of Lord Krishna, Ballabhacharya initiated him as his disciple. Surdas is renowned for his realistic description of child Krishna, his divine pranks with Yashoda and cowherdesses.
His verses show his profound knowledge of the spiritual world and his deep devotion to Lord Krishna. It is said that he composed of 1, 10,000 songs of which only 10,000 are available. About 4,578 poems are collected in Sur Sagar. These are further divided into 12 skandhas.