Raidas
Guru Ravidas, also spelt as Raidas, was an Indian saint and poet of 15th century. He belonged to a family of leather workers, he even claimed to be an ‘achhoot’ (untouchable), as the caste based discrimination was very rigid at that time. Some of his verses found place in Guru Granth Sahib, the main text of Sikhism.[1][2]
Mirabai, princess of a royal Rajput family of Rajasthan, a devotee of Guru Ravidas proved that not all people belonging to the upper varna (or upper caste) supported the caste based discriminations.[3]
Guru Raidas wrote poems in Braj Bhasha. A few of his poems are "ab kaise chutey ram nam", "aasi Lal tujh binu".
Guru Raidas refuted the prevalent Caste System of the time and stated that all people were equally cared upon by god. He also, like many contemporary Bhakti saints, refuted complex Brahminical Rituals and Sacrifices, in favour of true and complete devotion to god by means of song, dance, or japa (simple chanting of god's name). At present, many Indian people follow his teachings and consider him as their Guru (teacher).
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This short article about a person or group of people can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.- ↑ Dole, Manoj. Great Indian Sant. Manoj Dole.
- ↑ Upadhyaya, K. N. (1982). Guru Ravidas, Life and Teachings. Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
- ↑ Vishwananda, Paramahamsa (2021-07-12). Just Love: A Journey into the Heart of God: A Compilation of Talks by Paramahamsa Vishwananda. Bhakti Marga Publications. ISBN 978-3-96343-080-0.