Who among the following was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message ?

Ramananda is generally recognised as the earliest northern Bhakti preacher to use the vernacular (early forms of Hindi) to popularise Bhakti and to mentor a generation of vernacular poets-saints. Scholarship notes that Ramananda carried Bhakti ideals into North India and laid the groundwork for later figures such as Kabir and Ravidas, indicating his chronological priority and role in popularising the vernacular medium. Studies of Bhakti poets also list Ramananda among those who sang in Hindi dialects (Awadhi/Braj/Hindi family), distinguishing him as an early user of Hindi for devotional propagation, while Kabir’s widely circulated simple poetry appears as a subsequent vernacular outgrowth [1].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > 14.11 Religion > p. 216