Bhagat Ravi Daas was a North Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement and a famous devotee. By remembering the Lord all the time, he came to be recognized and respected by all the people although he belonged to a low caste: Guru Raam Daas has also confirmed it in the next quotation:
rivdwsu cmwru ausqiq kry hir kIriq inmK iek gwie ]
piqq jwiq auqmu BieAw cwir vrn pey pig Awie ] (SGGS:733)
'Ravi Daas, the leather-worker, praised the Lord, and sang His Praises each and every instant. Although he was of low social status, he was exalted and elevated, and people of all four castes came and bowed at his feet.'
Ravidaasias call him Guru and as a Bhagat in Sikhism. According to Pro. Sahib Singh, his verses were liked by Guru Nanak Dev and in the end of 1508, when Guru Nanak visited Banaras during his first Missionary Journey, he collected his 40verses composed in 16 musical measures (Raags), brought with him and Guru Arjan Dev included them in Sri Guru Granth Sahib in 1604. It proves that he was a true devotee of God.
His Birth and Early Life
According to an article on the subject in the SikhNet, he was born from the wedlock of Baba Santokh Das and Mata Kalsa on 30th January, 1399 in a village named Seer Govardhanpur, near Varansi in Uttar Pardesh, Some other writers have given different date of his birth and different names of his parents. In fact, not much biographical information about him is available and many stories about his piety of nature are current.Itis a facts that he visited many parts of India. Macauliff in 'The Sikh Religion' Vol, 6th Page 122writes thatBhagat Kabirwas born in May 1398 at (Varansi). It means that Bhagat Ravi Daas was contemporary of Bhagat Kabir. Bhagat Ravi Daas has also written in one of his hymns:
hir ky nwm kbIr aujwgr ] (SGGS:487)
'Through the Lord's Name, Kabir became famous and respected.'
His parents were in the leather trade. He has written:
myrI jwiq kut bWFlw For FovMqw inqih bwnwrsI Aws pwsw ] (SGGS:1293)
Ab ibpR prDwn iqih krih fMfauiq qyry nwm srxwie rivdwsu dwsw ]
'It is my occupation to dress and cut leather; each day, I carry the carcasses out of the city. Now, the important Brahmins of the city bow down before me; Ravi Daas, Your slave, seeks the Sanctuary of Your Name.'
When Ravidas grew young, his father married him to Lona at early age, and they had a son named Vijaydas. [His father advised him to join the family business, but Ravidas was imbued with celestial and humane values. He spent the money he received from his father for business in the welfare of the Saints and needy. His father was extremely perturbed and banished him from the house. He quietly left the house, started living in a make-shift hut with his wife, and set up a small wayside shop for mending shoes. He was one of the disciples of Bhagat Ramanand.
Bhagat Ravi Daas and The Lord
Bhagat Ravi Daas believed in the unity, omnipresence and omnipotence of God. He did not believe in duality .According to him, the human soul is only a particle of the Lord and the difference between the two is like the inference between the gold and the ornament, the water and the wave. In the eyes of Bhagat Ravi Daas the Lover and the Beloved are one. His following composition transforms us to an overwhelming devotional feeling of dissolution and annihilation:
qohI mohI mohI qohI AMqru kYsw ]
knk kitk jl qrMg jYsw ](SGGS:93)
'You are me, and I am You-what is the difference between us? We are like gold and the bracelet, or water and the waves.'
nIch aUc krY myrw goibMdu kwhU qy n frY ] (SGGS:1106)
You exalt and elevate the lowly, O my Lord of the Universe; You are not afraid of anyone.
His Devotion to the Lord
He did not abandon his love for the God and built a Temple of clay-walls and thatched roof.His extreme devotion and universal love induced hundreds of people of all castes to join him in worship.Queen (Maharani) of Chitaur and her husband became his disciples.Among his most noted disciples were Bhagat Sain, a barber and Bhagat Dhanna, a cultivator. It is said that Mira Bai became his disciple as well. His poetry is brimming with ardent love for God. His devotional verses are famous and they made a lasting impact on the Bhakti movement. He writes that his love for the Lord istrue and inseparable. He has described a true picture of his devotion in the following hymns:
icq ismrnu krau nYn Aivlokno sRvn bwnI sujsu pUir rwKau ]
mnu su mDukru krau crn ihrdy Drau rsn AMimRq rwm nwm BwKau ](SGGS:694)
'In my consciousness, I remember You in meditation; with my eyes, I behold You; I fill my ears with the Word of Your Bani, and Your Sublime Praise. My mind is the bumble bee; I enshrine Your feet within my heart, and with my tongue, I chant the Ambrosial Name of the Lord.'
jau qum igirvr qau hm morw ]
jau qum cMd qau hm Bey hY ckorw ] (SGGS:658)
'If You are the mountain, O Lord, then I am the peacock. If You are the moon, then I am the partridge in love with it.'
swcI pRIiq hm qum isau jorI ]
qum isau joir Avr sMig qorI ] (SGGS:658)
'I am joined in true love with You, Lord. I am joined with You, and I have broken with all others.
Religious Rituals (Karam Kand)
Bhagat Ravi Daas condemned religious rituals like taking bath at rivers like Ganges and sacred shrines, keeping fasts and idol worship and preached love and devotion through his verses and actions. He advised his followers to do good deeds and not to indulge in slandering others. He preached that his followers should give up mere forms and ritualism:
bwhru audik pKwrIAY Gt BIqir ibibiD ibkwr ]
suD kvn pr hoiebo suc kuMcr ibiD ibauhwr ] (SGGS: 346)
'Outwardly, he washes with water, but deep within, his heart is tarnished by all sorts of vices. So how can he become pure? His method of purification is like that of an elephant, covering himself with dust right after his bath!'
Aink jqn ingRh kIey twrI n trY BRm Pws ]
pRym Bgiq nhI aUpjY qw qy rivdws audws ] (SGGS: 346)
'I have tried many methods, but by turning it away, the noose of doubt is not turned away. Love and devotion have not welled up within me, and so Ravi Daas is sad and depressed.'
Naam is Supreme
Bhagat Ravi Daas stressed on Naam, i.e. paying attention to Divine virtues and commands. For him, it was supreme and it was his only support and real worship. To realize God, man should concentrate on His Name
nwmu qyro AwrqI mjnu murwry ]
hir ky nwm ibnu JUTy sgl pwswry ](SGGS:694)
'Your Name,O Lord, is my adoration and cleansing bath. Without the Name of the Lord, all ostentatious displays are useless.'
ds ATw ATsTy cwry KwxI iehY vrqix hY sgl sMswry ]
khY rivdwsu nwmu qyro AwrqI siq nwmu hY hir Bog quhwry ] (SGGS:694)
The whole world is engrossed in the eighteen Puraanas, the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage, and the four sources of creation. Says Ravi Daas, Your Name,O Lord, ismy lamp-lit worship-service. The True Name, Sat Naam, is the food which I offer to You.
Intoxicants
Bhagat Ravi Daas preached against taking intoxicants. He said that wine if made from the water of the Ganges is still impure and harmful:
sursrI sll ik®q bwrunI ry sMq jn krq nhI pwnµ ]
surw ApivqR nq Avr jl ry sursrI imlq nih hoie Awnµ ] (SGGS:1293)
'Even if wine is made from the water of the Ganges, saints, do not drink it. This wine, and any other polluted water which mixes with the Ganges, is not separate from it.'
Caste System
As stated by Bhagat Ravi Daas, he belonged to the family of cobblers and his parents removed the dead cattle. They were hated by the high caste Hindus and treated like slaves.Many persons belonging to low caste were embracing Islam due to this ill-treatment. He preached against caste system and taught removal of social divisions of caste and gender, He suggested meditation to improve the lot of the low caste people. He says that due to his meditation on the Lord, even ritualistic Brahmins bow before him in reverence.By his deeds he proved that he was closer to God than those who were calling him ' low caste'. He attacked the Hindu caste system. He proved that birth in a low caste is no hindrance in the way of spiritual development:
ijh kul swDu bYsnO hoie ]
brn Abrn rMku nhI eIsuru ibml bwsu jwnIAY jig soie ] (SGGS:858)
'That family, into which a holy person is born, whether of high or low social class,whether rich or poor, shall have its pure fragrance spread all over the world.'
bRhmn bYs sUd Aru K´qRI fom cMfwr mlyC mn soie ]
hoie punIq BgvMq Bjn qy Awpu qwir qwry kul doie ] (SGG. 858)
'Whether he is a Brahmin, a Vaishya, a Soodra, or a Kh'shaatriya; whether he is a poet, an outcaste, or a filthy-minded person, he becomes pure by meditating on the Lord God. He saves himself and the families of both his parents.'
Ideal Society
Ravidas's poetry covers topics such as the definition of a just state where there are no second or third class unequal citizens. In one of his hymns, he has described an ideal society of his choice and described the ideal condition of such a society. According to him, there will be equality and freedom for all. It will be a city without sorrow and fear. People will be wealthy and contented:
bygm purw shr ko nwau ] dUKu AMdohu nhI iqih Twau ]
nW qsvIs iKrwju n mwlu ] KauPu n Kqw n qrsu jvwlu ] (SGGS:345)
'Baygumpura, 'the city without sorrow', is the name of the town. There is no suffering or anxiety there. There are no troubles or taxes on commodities there. There is no fear, blemish or downfall
kwiemu dwiemu sdw pwiqswhI ] dom n sym eyk so AwhI ]
Awbwdwnu sdw mshUr ] aUhW gnI bsih mwmUr ](SGGS:345)
'God's Kingdom is steady, stable and eternal. There is no second or third status; all are equal there. That city is populous and eternally famous. Those who live there are wealthy and contented.'
Idol Worship
In the course of his spiritual quest, Bhagat Ravi Daas reached a stage when he discarded idol worship and turned to the worship of the Supreme Being. Instead of offering flowers and milk to the idol, he suggested that a devotee should offer his body and mind, and he should be sincere:
dUDu q bCrY Qnhu ibtwirE ] PUlu Bvir jlu mIin ibgwirE ]
'The calf has contaminated the milk in the teats. The bumble bee has contaminated the flower, and the fish the water.'
qnu mnu Arpau pUj crwvau ] gur prswid inrMjnu pwvau ] ( Guru Nanak.SGGS:525)
'I dedicate and offer my body and mind to You. By Guru's Grace, I attain the Immaculate Lord.'
Gurbani and Bhagat Ravi Daas
Bhagat Ravi Daas' philosophy was consistent with the Sikh Philosophy. Prof. Sahib Singh has proved this in 'Guru Granth Darpan' Vol, 3 (Pages 863-870) by pointing similarity in thoughts and words in some hymns the Sikh Gurus and those of the Bhagat. Following quotes will prove it:
sB mih joiq joiq hY soie ] qs dY cwnix sB mih cwnxu hoie ] (Guru Nanak. ~ SGGS:13)
'Amongst all is the Light-You are that Light. By this Illumination, that Light is radiant within all.
nwm qyry kI joiq lgweI BieE auijAwro Bvn sglwry ] (Bhagat Ravi Daas. ~ SGGS:694)
'Your Name is the light applied to this lamp, which enlightens and illuminates the entire world.'
so muin ij mn kI duibDw mwry ] (Guru Amar Daas.~ SGGS:1128)
He alone is a silent sage, who subdues his mind's duality.'
so muin mn kI duibDw Kwie ] (Bhagat Ravi Daas.~ SGGS:1167)
'He alone is a silent sage, who destroys the duality of his mind.'
His Followers
BhagatRavidas is venerated in Northern India, and in the Indian state of Maharashtra. His followers are called Ravdasias. Most of his followers in the Punjab were Sikhs. Some of his followers split from the Sikh community due to caste oppression aimed at them by Sikhs of high caste who forgot the teachings of the 10 Sikh Gurus and believed themselves superior to their brothers. They joined the Ravidasi faith en-masse and separated from Sikhism. It happened following the murder of their cleric Ramanand Dass in Vienna in 2009, where the movement declared itself to be a religion fully separated from Sikhism. Today, former Chamars from the Punjab are the largest visible ethnic group in the Ravidasi community. Most of them are settled in the Doaba region of the Punjab and have their own Gurdwaras and their own holy scripture called Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji. Punjabi Ravidasis have a number of Gurdwaras in the United Kingdom, especially in the Midlands. The Ravidasias, however, still consider themselves Sikhs. Many of them have migrated to different countries in Europe and are well-settled there. Macaulif - We can conclude that Bhagat Ravi Daas was a poet-saint, social reformer and a spiritual figure. He was a true devotee of God.
I conclude this article with the following prayer of Bhagat Ravi Dass:
bhuq jnm ibCury Qy mwDau iehu jnmu qum@wry lyKy ]
kih rivdws Aws lig jIvau icr BieE drsnu dyKy ] (SGGS:694)
'For so many incarnations, I have been separated from You, Lord; I dedicate this life to You. Says Ravi Daas:I live placing my hopes in You; it is so long since I have gazed upon Your Blessed Vision.'
Bibliography
1. Articles from websites, 1. SikhNet.com, 2. Wikipedia
2. Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Volume Three), Punjabi University, Patiala
3. The Sikh Religion Vol,.5th by Macaulif
4. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Darpan Volume 3rd by Pro. Sahib Singh
Sawan Singh Gogia ~ [email protected]
