During the 15th century, in India, Shri Guru Sant Ravidas Ji was a great saint, philosopher, poet, social reformer, and God-follower. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the North Indian Bhakti movement and one of the most well-known and prominent stars of the nirguna sampradaya (sant parampara). Through his great poetry, he had conveyed a variety of spiritual and social messages to his lovers, followers, and the general public, encouraging them to change their minds and demonstrate their undying love for God.
In order to satisfy people's social and spiritual requirements, he resembled a messiah. People also worshipped him because he had a lot of spiritual resources. Every morning and evening, on his birthday, anniversary, or any religious event, they would listen to him and recite his great songs, Padas, and other chants. He is adored and revered all over the world, but his devotional songs and the Bhakti movement earned him the most respect in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra.
Sant Ravidas Jayanti, also known as the birthday of Sant Ravidas, is observed annually in India on Magh Purnima, the full moon day of the Magh month. However, This day is celebrated in Varanasi as a memorable event and festival.
It will be the 644th Sant Ravidas Jayanti in 2021, and it will be celebrated on February 27 (Saturday). During Aarti on this special day, people perform a Nagar Kirtan procession while chanting mantras. In the temples that are situated along the streets, songs, music, and Doha are sung. Some of the followers and devotees also take a holy bath in the Ganga River or other holy places before going to a home or temple to worship his image. To commemorate the occasion, the people of Varanasi hold a grand celebration each year at the most well-known location, "Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan Mandir, Seer Goverdhanpur, Varanasi." Varanasi is visited by devotees and individuals from all over the world to actively participate in the event.
The Birth of Sant Ravidas: but Bikrami Samvat-Magh Sudi 15, 1433; in 1377 AD; It was 1440 A.D., according to some, at Seer Goverdhanpur in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Mother of Shri Santokh Dass Ji: Smt. Papa of Kalsa Devi Ji: Grandmother of Shri Kali Ram Ji: Smt. Wife of Lakhpati Ji: Smt. Son Lona Ji: Death of Vijay Dass Ji: Biography (Jivani) and History of Sant Ravidas Early Life Guru, Sant Ravidas Ji was born in the 15th century in the Seer Goverdhanpur village, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, to Kalsa Devi Ji and Baba Santokh Dass Ji. However, it is still up for debate whether or not he was born on the actual date of 1376, 1377, or even 1399 CE. Some academics' data suggests that he lived from 1450 to 1520 in the 15th to 16th centuries CE.
His father owned and operated his own shoemaking and repair business while he was employed as a sarpanch at Raja Nagar Mal's Kingdom. Every Puran Mashi (Magh Purnima) during the Magh month marks his birthday anniversary. He was very brave and devoted to God from a young age. Later, he had to deal with a lot of problems that were caused by people from upper castes. Through his writings, he made people aware of the facts of life. He taught that everyone should always love their neighbors without bias.
His devoted followers still commemorate his birth anniversary to remember his profound teachings and reestablish global brotherhood and peace. Because he was also an untouchable guru, the conservative Brahmins who lived in Kashi prohibited his popularity at the beginning of his teachings. In front of the king, he was the subject of complaints from people who saw him as a threat to social order. He was forbidden from advising or instructing followers of him or talking about God.
His Early Life As a Child, he frequented the Pathshala of his Guru, Pt. Sharda Nand, who was later restricted from teaching in the Pathshala by members of a higher caste, Nonetheless, Pt. Sharda Nand came to the realization that Ravidas was sent by God as a godly boy as a young boy. Pt. Ravidas was accepted into Sharda Nand's Pathshala, and he began instructing him there. He was a brilliant and promising student who learned more than his Guru ever did. Pt. Sharda Nand was greatly influenced by him and his actions, and he believed that Ravidas would one day become a great social reformer and become spiritually enlightened.
He became close to Pt. during his time at Pathshala. Son of Sharda Nand. They were both engaged in a game of hide-and-seek one day. Ravidas Ji won the game in the first part, and his friend won the game in the second part. Ravidas was given the opportunity to seek once more on the following turn; however, due to the darkness, they decided to continue the game the following morning. Guru Ravidas Ji showed up the following morning, but his friend did not. After a considerable amount of time, he went to his friend's house to retrieve him, where he discovered that his friend's parents and neighbors were crying.
He was shocked to learn about his friend's death last night when he asked one of them about him. The Pt. brought him in. Sharda Nand asked his friend to get up and play the game of "hide and seek" near the body of his friend who had passed away. After hearing what Guru Ravidas Ji had to say, his friend came back to life because he had been blessed spiritually from birth. His friend's parents and neighbors were astonished to see everything.
Marriage Life His love and devotion to God were one of the primary factors that kept him from focusing on his professional, family, and business life, and his parents were overly concerned about him. Regarding this, his parents had planned for him to marry in order to marry into the family business of shoemaking and repairing. After that, he wed Smt. Lona Devi at a young age gave birth to a son named Vijaydas.
Due to his increased interest in world affairs, even after his marriage, he was unable to fully concentrate on the family business. Because of his bad behavior, his father took him out of the house one day and told him to go away and handle all of his social life on his own without the help of his family. After that, he began living in the backyard of his own house and becoming completely involved in social activities.
Later Life Later in life, he became a great follower of Lord Rama and began to follow names like Ram, Raghunath, Raja Ram Chanda, Krishna, Hari, Gobind, and so on to show how he felt about God.
His connection to Begumpura Shehr, or the City of Begampura, is that it is the city that Guru Ravidas Ji pioneered because it is a peaceful city filled with humanity and no sorrow. While he was writing his poem, he made the city of Begampura into an idealized image. In it, he described a land where all people are treated equally and there was no discrimination, poverty, or caste humiliation. A place where no one pays taxes, no one is worried, and no one is harmed or tortured by anyone else.
His connection to Meera Bai Sant Guru Ravidas Ji is regarded as a spiritual guide of Meera Bai, the queen of Chittoor and the daughter of one of Rajasthan's most illustrious kings, Rao Dudaji. She became a great follower of Guru Ravidass Ji after being greatly impressed by his teachings. Meera Bai has composed a few lines to honor his Guru, "Guru Milyaa Ravidas Ji..."
She was the only child of her Rajasthani king and queen, who later became Chittoor's queen. She was a child when her mother passed away, so she was taken care of by her grandparents, one of whom was a devotee of Guru Ravidas Ji. She had numerous encounters with Guru Ji and her grandfather, and she was greatly influenced by him. She and her husband were blessed by Guru Ji after their marriage. Later, with the consent of her husband and in-laws, she accepted Guru Ji as her real Guru. She began singing songs and praising the divine power after hearing all of Guru Ji's religious discourses, which greatly influenced and attracted her to divine devotion. She stated in one of her songs:
"Guru Milya Ravidas ji dini gyan ki gutki," he stated.
"Khatki chot lagi nijnam hari ki mharey hivrey"
She began living with saints and became increasingly interested in mediation. After her husband and in-laws died, she was later checked by her younger brother-in-law, but she never relented in front of them. Even so, at midnight, they threw her into the Gambhir River, but Guru Ji's blessings saved her.
She was once given poisoned milk by her brother-in-law as Guru Ji's nectar; however, she drank the poisoned milk as Guru Ji's nectar and continued to live. She stated:
"Vish ko pyala Rana Ji melio dyo mertani ne paye Kar charanamit pee gayee re, gun Gobind ra gaye," reads the inscription.
Some of His Life Experiences Once, some of his disciples and followers requested that he take a holy dip in the Ganges River, but he denied the request, claiming that he had already promised to deliver shoes to one of his customers, so he couldn't join them. He responded to his beliefs about the common saying "Man changa to kathoti mein Ganga," which states that our body needs to be holy by soul rather than by simply taking a bath in the holy river. If our soul and heart are pure and happy, then we are completely holy even after taking a bath in a water-filled tub at home.
He once saved a Brahman friend from being eaten alive by a hungry lion. While they were playing together, he became close friends with one of the Brahman boys; however, other Brahman people were envious of their friendship and complained to the king. The king summoned his Brahman friend to the court and announced that a hungry lion would kill him. The hungry lion calmed down when he saw Guru Ravidas Ji near his friend as it approached him to kill Brahman boy. Lion leaves, and Guru Ravidas Ji moves in with his Brahman friend. After realizing Guru Ravidas Ji's spiritual power, the Brahman people and king began to follow him out of deep shame.
His involvement in social issues He was a genuine representative of God, and he came to earth at a time when social and religious patterns were troubling as a result of numerous man-made discriminations based on social beliefs, caste, color, and other factors. He bravely stood up to every form of discrimination and provided responses to questions about the true meaning of caste and its beliefs. He taught people that one is only known for their great deeds (or karma) and not by their caste, religion, or belief in God. Additionally, he opposed the society's untouchability system that privileges members of higher castes over those of lower castes.
During his time, low caste people were treated badly and weren't allowed to do the jobs that higher caste people did. For example, they weren't allowed to go to temples to pray, they weren't allowed to go to schools to study, they weren't allowed to go to the village during the day, and they were allowed to live in huts instead of a proper house. Guruji began sending spiritual messages to everyone after seeing this social situation in order to permanently address the poor conditions of low caste people.
He disseminated the message that "God created man and not God created man," implying that everyone on Earth is created by God and has equal rights. Sant Guru Ravidas Ji has imparted numerous lessons to the populace regarding universal brotherhood and tolerance in light of this social circumstance. After being influenced by his teachings, the Chittoor king and queen became his great disciples.
His Contribution to Sikhism The Sikh Scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, which was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Arjan Dev, include approximately 41 verses from his padas, devotional songs, and other writings. The followers of Guru Ravidas Ji are referred to as Ravidassia, and a body of teachings is referred to as Ravidassia Panth.
The Guru Granth Sahib contains 41 of his holy writings, which are mentioned in the following ways: Raga: Siri, Gauri, Asa, Gujari, Sorath, Dhanasari, Jaitsari, Suhi, Bilaval, Gaund, Ramkali, Maru, Kedara, Bhairau, Basant, and Malhar are the first seven Ragas.
He was the great saint of his time and preferred to live a common life; he was followed by many rich kings and queens, including other rich people, but he never accepted any wealth offered to him. His greatness was examined by God. Guru Ravidas Ji was tested by God on one occasion for the common man's greed. Guru Ravidas Ji was visited by a philosopher who informed him of the surprising properties of a stone that could transform iron into gold. Guru Ravidas Ji denied being compelled by that philosopher to use the stone to build large structures rather than a simple hut.
The philosopher once more coerced him into keeping it; When I would be returned, I would get it back. Guru Ji granted his request and instructed him to keep this stone wherever he wanted in the hut. After many years, the philosopher came back and saw that the stone was still there. Philosopher was extremely pleased by Guru Ravidas Ji's persistence and his distraction from external wealth. He left, took his priceless stone, and then vanished. Guru Ravidas Ji always told his followers not to be greedy for wealth because it is unstable. Instead, they should work hard to earn a living.
Guru Ravidas Ji was once summoned to the court by the Kashi Naresh in response to a complaint from other Brahman people against the untouchables' act of worshipping God. He was the one who eliminated all unnecessary rituals, simplifying the worship process. He portrayed himself in front of the king, asking Guru Ji and other Pandit priests to bring their own Thakur statue to be placed on the Rajghat bank of the Ganga on the specified day.
King had said that if a man's statue could float, he would be a true worshipper; otherwise, he would be a fake. When they both got to the Ganga River, as the king had said, they started their challenge. Guru Ji brought a 40-pound statue made of heavy-duty square stone, while Brahman brought a small cotton-wrapped statue of Thakur Ji. On the Ganga's Rajghat bank, a sizable crowd gathered to witness the event in King's presence.
The Brahman priests were given the first chance to drop the Thakur statue into the river. They performed the ritual and chanted the mantras, and the statue sank very deeply into the water. Guru Ravidas Ji took the statue on his shoulder during his second turn and gently submerged it in the water, causing it to begin floating above the surface. After the entire procedure, it was decided that Guru Ji was a true worshipper and Brahman were false worshippers.
Because he granted the untouchables the right to worship God, people started touching his feet. Kashi Naresh and other opponents of Guru Ji began following and honoring him from that point on. The court recorded this fortunate and successful event in golden letters for future records.
People from all castes and religions were influenced by his truthfulness regarding the worship of God and became his strong followers, devotees, and disciples after his numerous amazing activities in a society full of supernatural powers. While he was preaching to his followers a long time ago, wealthy Seth arrived to listen to religious discussions about the significance of human birth.
Guru Ji gave everyone sacred water from his earthen pot as a Prasad at the conclusion of the religious discourse. People started drinking from that, but wealthy Seth thought it was dirty water and threw it behind his back, where it was partially spread out on his clothes and the floor. He went back to his house and gave the poor person with leprosy his clothes. The poor man began to experience calming effects all over his body and skin as soon as he was clothed, and his leprotic wounds began to heal quickly and become healthy.
However; Wealthy Seth contracted leprosy and never recovered despite receiving costly treatment from an experienced and qualified Vaidya. As his condition deteriorated, he realized his error and went to Guru Ravidas Ji to apologise and obtain the holy water for wound healing. Guru Ji was very kind to him and helped him get well by giving him many blessings. Finally, wealthy Seth and his family became Guru Ji devotees for the rest of their lives.
His upbeat attitude During his time, Shudras—untouchables—were not permitted to dress like Brahman, such as Janev and the tilak on their forehead, or to follow other religious customs. Guru Ravidas Ji was a great person who opposed everything that was made illegal for the untouchables in order to ensure that they had equal rights in society. He began engaging in all prohibited behaviors, including putting a tilak on his forehead, wearing a dhoti, and wearing a Janev.
His activities were opposed by Brahmans, who attempted to prevent him from doing them for untouchables in society. However; Guru Ravidas Ji responded to Brahmans with humble actions in all bad situations. He was summoned to the court of a king because Brahmans had complained that he wore Janev rather than being untouchable. He spoke there and said that because untouchables have the same blood color and sacred soul and heart as others, they should also be given equal rights in society.
He made a deep cut in his chest right away and pulled four gold, silver, copper, and cotton Janev to represent the four Yuga—Satyuga, Treta, Dwaper, and Kalyuga, respectively. Guru Ji was touched on the feet by a group of stunned people, including the king present. King was greatly shamed and begged Guru Ji to forgive him for his childish behavior, telling him that wearing a Janev was not a means of attaining God. He only participated in this activity to demonstrate the truth to others. He removed Janev and gave it to the king; thereafter, he never used Tilak, Janev, or any of the others.
Pandit Ganga Ram once paid homage to GuruJi at one of the Kumbh Festival events. Guru Ji asked him to give the Ganga Mata this small coin if she took it by hand while he was going to the Kumbh festival in Haridwar. He readily accepted that and traveled to Haridwar. After taking a bath and praying, he began to return home without offering the coins Guru Ji had given to Mata.
When he got to his seat, he realized he had forgotten something, so he went back to the bank of a river and shouted loudly to Mata. She came and took the coin by putting her own hand out of the water. He fainted on the way there. As a thank-you present for Guru Ji, she returned a golden bangle. When Pandit Ganga Ram got back to his house, he gave that bangle to his wife rather than Guruji.
His wife went to the market one day to make money by selling that bangle. The jeweler's decision to show the bangle to the king and the king to the queen was clever. The Queen requested another because she was in love with that. Pandit was devastated because he had erred and cheated Guru Ji when King announced that the individual would not receive a matching bangle. He went to Guru Ravidas Ji and asked for forgiveness. “Mun changa to kathauti mein Ganga,” Guruji instructed him, "Find another set of bangles in this water-filled earthen shallow pot as Ganga flows here." They became followers after being astonished by Guru Ji's spiritual power.
One of the Things That Happened When His Father Died After his father died, he asked his neighbors to help him perform the last rites at the Gange bank. However, the Brahmans were against the rite of taking a bath in the polluted Ganga water that flows toward the main city from the location of the rite. However, Guru Ji was extremely depressed and felt helpless; He never lost his patience and began to pray for his father's soul's peace. A great deal of thunder suddenly rang out in the background, and the river water began to flow in the opposite direction. Suddenly, a huge wave of water came to the dead body, washed it away, and took in everything that was left. Since then, it has been believed that the holy Gange water flows in the opposite direction.
How His Teachings Influenced Babur According to history, Babur was the first king of the Mughal emperor. He ruled from his throne in Delhi after winning the battle of Panipat in 1526, where he massacred a lot of people out of faith in God. He decided one day to meet GuruJi with his son Humayun because he already knew about GuruJi's spiritual abilities. But he went there and paid GuruJi homage by touching his feet; Instead, Guruji gave him blessings and punished him for killing a lot of innocent people. Babur was profoundly influenced by Guruji's teachings, and as a result, he became a great follower of the Guru and began helping the underprivileged in Delhi and Agra.
Death of Sant Ravidas Guru Ji's followers grew day by day due to his honesty, humanity, belief in the oneness of God, and efforts to achieve social equality, among other things. On the other hand, some Brahmans and Piran Ditta Mirasi planned to kill Guru Ravidas Ji, so they set up a meeting in a remote, solitary location far from the village. They invited Guru Ji to the meeting to talk about the decision to kill him, but Guru Ji was already aware of everything because of his spiritual powers.
Guru Ji appeared on one of the companions, Bhalla Nath, who was then mistakenly killed, as soon as the discussion began. Later, when Guru Ji blew his conch shell in his hut, the murderers were astonished to see him alive. They ran to the scene of the crime, where they discovered Bhalla Nath, not Guru Ji, dead. They sought forgiveness at Guru Ji's hut out of guilt.
However, according to some of his adherents, he died naturally somewhere between 120 and 126 years after his birth. Sri Guru Ravidas Park in Varanasi There is a Sri Guru Ravidas Park in Varanasi that has been clearly named "Guru Ravidass Smark and Park" as a memorial behind his name in the Nagwa. Some people believed that he died in Varanasi, his birthplace, in 1540 A.D.
Guru Ravidas Ghat The Indian government has also proposed establishing Guru Ravidas Ghat on the Gange River bank, near the park in Varanasi, which bears his name.
Sant Ravidas Nagar In the Sant Ravidas Nagar District, close to Gyanpur, there is a Sant Ravidas Nagar (formerly known as Bhadohi) that has also been established under his name.
The Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan Mandir in Seer Goverdhanpur, Varanasi, was built in his honor and is run by his followers worldwide. It has since become their primary religious headquarters.
Shri Guru Ravidas Memorial Gate There is a large gate at Lanka Chauraha in Varanasi that has been named "Shri Guru Ravidas Memorial Gate" in honor of Guru Ji.
Behind the name of Sant Guru Ravidas Ji, there are also a few additional memorials scattered throughout India and abroad.
Several Commonly Asked Questions Where did Sant Ravidas come from?
Ans. Seer Goverdhanpur, a village in the holy city of Varanasi, is where he was born. Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan is now known as the place where he was born.
Q 2. Who was Sant Ravidas' Guru?
Ans. He started reciting poems after meeting Guru Nanak, according to popular belief, and you can also find his poems in Adi Granth.
Q 3. What was Ravidas' lifespan?
Ans. Although his exact birth and death dates are unknown, it is generally accepted that he was born in 1450 CE.
Q 4. Who was Mirabai's guru?
Ans. She was introduced to Krishna and shown the path of bhakti by the saint Ravidas.