Sahildeep Singh Raina
Guru Sant Ravidas Ji was a great Saint, philosopher, poet, social reformer, and follower of God in India during the 15th century. He was one of the most famous and leading stars of the Nirguna Sampradaya (sant parampara) and was one of the prominent leaders of the North Indian Bhakti movement. He had given a variety of spiritual and social messages through his great writings of poetry to his lovers, followers, and peoples of the society to reform their minds and show their boundless love towards God.
Guru, Sant Ravidas Ji was born in Harijan caste in the Varanasi to Kalsa Devi Ji and Baba Santokh Dass Ji in the Seer Goverdhanpur village, Varanasi, U.P., India in the 15th century. He was very brave and highly devoted to God from his early childhood later he struggled with lots of problems created by upper caste people which he faced and let people realize about facts of life through his writings. He taught people that always love their neighbours without any discrimination.
In his childhood, he went to the Pathshala of his Guru, Pt. Sharda Nand who was later restricted by some higher caste people to teach in the Pathshala. However, Pt. Sharda Nand realized that Ravidas is a child boy and sent by God as a godly boy. Pt. Sharda Nand admitted Ravidas to his own Pathshala and started teaching him. He was a very brilliant and promising student and got more than what he was taught by his Guru. Pt. Sharda Nand was very much influenced by him and his behaviour and he thought that one-day Ravidas would be spiritually enlightened and will become a great social reformer.
Begampura is the city pioneered by Guru Ravidas Ji as it is a city without any sorrow and full of peace and humanity. Begampura city was idealized by him while writing his poem where he described that a city with no sufferings, pain, or fear and a land where all people are equal without any discrimination, poverty, and caste humiliation. A place, where nobody pays any tax, no one is worried, no terror, or torture another one.
Sant Guru Ravidas Ji is considered as a spiritual Guru of Meera Bai who was the queen of Chittoor and daughter of one of the famous kings in Rajasthan naming Rao Dudaji. She was very impressed by the teachings of Guru Ravidas Ji and became a great follower of him. Meera Bai has written some lines in the respect of his Guru “Guru Milyaa Ravidas Ji.”
During his time, Shudras (untouchables) were not allowed to wear common clothes like Brahman such as Janev, tilak on forehead, and other religious practices. Guru Ravidas Ji was a very great person who opposed all those activities banned for the untouchable community for their equal rights in society. He started doing all such activities banned to the lower group people such as wearing Janev, dhoti, putting tilak on forehead.
He spread a message that “God created man and not man created God” meaning everyone is created by God and has equal rights on this earth. Regarding this social situation, Sant Guru Ravidas Ji has given various teachings to the people about the universal brotherhood and tolerance.
His devotional songs and other writings (around 41 verses) are mentioned in the Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib who was compiled by the 5th Sikh’s Guru, Arjan Dev. The followers of Guru Ravidas Ji’s teachings are commonly called Ravidassia and a collection of teachings called Ravidassia Panth. There is a belief that he was strongly influenced by Guru Nanak and started reciting poems after meeting him and you can also find his poems in Adi Granth.
He was like a messiah in order to complete the social and spiritual needs of people. He was a spiritually rich person and was also worshipped by people and his work emphasizes the goodness of man while conveying the message of love with God, Guru, the universe and nature.
Thus we can say that he was a true messenger of God and he came on earth when it was necessary to save the real Dharma as at that time when social and religious patterns were distressing because of the lots of manmade discriminations over social beliefs, caste, colour, and etc.
He bravely faced all the discriminations and answered people about the real definition and beliefs of castes. He taught people that one is not known by his caste, religion, or believes in God, he is known only for his great actions (or karma). He also worked against the system of untouchability in the society by the higher caste people for lower caste people.
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