Ravidas - Revision history

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	The details of Guru Ravidas's life are not well known. Scholars{{Who\|date=January 2023}} state he was born in 1377 CE and died in 1528 CE in [[Banaras]] at the age of 151 years.{{Cn\|date=January 2023}}		The details of Guru Ravidas's life are not well known. Scholars{{Who\|date=January 2023}} state he was born in 1377 CE and died in 1528 CE in [[Banaras]] at the age of 151 years.{{Cn\|date=January 2023}}

	Ravidas was born in the village of [[Sir Gobardhan~~\|Sir Gobardhanpur~~]], near [[Varanasi]] in what is now Uttar Pradesh, [[India]]. His birthplace is now known as [[Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan]]. His birthday is celebrated as [[Ravidas Jayanti]] and important temple is [[Ravidas Temple]]. Mata Kalsi was his mother, and his father was Santokh Dass.<ref name="eosravidas">{{cite web \|url=http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx \|title=Ravidas \|author=Hardev Bahri \|editor=Harbans Singh\|display-editors=etal\| website=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism \|publisher=Punjabi University Patiala \|access-date=11 February 2017}}</ref> His parents belonged to a leather-working [[Chamar]] community, an [[Untouchable caste\|untouchable]] caste.<ref name="jameslraidas" /><ref name="encyclopediabritraidas">{{cite web \|title=Ravidas: Indian mystic and poet \|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1350770/Ravidas \|access-date=10 August 2009 \|publisher=Britannica.com}}</ref> While his original occupation was leather work, he began to spend most of his time in spiritual pursuits at the banks of the [[Ganges]]. Thereafter he spent most of his life in the company of [[Sufi]] saints, [[sadhu]]s and ascetics.<ref name="eosravidas" /> At the age of 12, Ravidas was married of to Lona Devi. They had a son, Vijay Dass.<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Trisharan \|first1=Dr Vijay Kumar \|title=Mahakavi Ravidas Samaj Chetna Ke Agradut \|date=2008 \|publisher=Gautam Book Center \|isbn=978-81-87733-14-0 \|page=34 \|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Mahakavi_Ravidas_Samaj_Chetna_Ke_Agradut/53tgHL6a8TkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Sant+Ravidas+Lona+devi+Vijay+das&pg=PA34&printsec=frontcover \|language=hi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|last1=Ji \|first1=Jagatguru Ravidaas \|title=Amritwani Ravidaas Ji Maharaj \|date=1 February 2017 \|publisher=Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi (U.P.) \|page=291 \|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Amritwani_Ravidaas_Ji_Maharaj/YEF9EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Sant+Ravidas+Lona+devi+Vijay+das&pg=PA291&printsec=frontcover \|language=hi}}</ref>		Ravidas was born in the village of [[Sir Gobardhan]]pur, near [[Varanasi]] in what is now Uttar Pradesh, [[India]]. His birthplace is now known as [[Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan]]. His birthday is celebrated as [[Ravidas Jayanti]] and important temple is [[Ravidas Temple]]. Mata Kalsi was his mother, and his father was Santokh Dass.<ref name="eosravidas">{{cite web \|url=http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx \|title=Ravidas \|author=Hardev Bahri \|editor=Harbans Singh\|display-editors=etal\| website=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism \|publisher=Punjabi University Patiala \|access-date=11 February 2017}}</ref> His parents belonged to a leather-working [[Chamar]] community, an [[Untouchable caste\|untouchable]] caste.<ref name="jameslraidas" /><ref name="encyclopediabritraidas">{{cite web \|title=Ravidas: Indian mystic and poet \|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1350770/Ravidas \|access-date=10 August 2009 \|publisher=Britannica.com}}</ref> While his original occupation was leather work, he began to spend most of his time in spiritual pursuits at the banks of the [[Ganges]]. Thereafter he spent most of his life in the company of [[Sufi]] saints, [[sadhu]]s and ascetics.<ref name="eosravidas" /> At the age of 12, Ravidas was married of to Lona Devi. They had a son, Vijay Dass.<ref>{{cite book \|last1=Trisharan \|first1=Dr Vijay Kumar \|title=Mahakavi Ravidas Samaj Chetna Ke Agradut \|date=2008 \|publisher=Gautam Book Center \|isbn=978-81-87733-14-0 \|page=34 \|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Mahakavi_Ravidas_Samaj_Chetna_Ke_Agradut/53tgHL6a8TkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Sant+Ravidas+Lona+devi+Vijay+das&pg=PA34&printsec=frontcover \|language=hi}}</ref><ref>{{cite book \|last1=Ji \|first1=Jagatguru Ravidaas \|title=Amritwani Ravidaas Ji Maharaj \|date=1 February 2017 \|publisher=Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi (U.P.) \|page=291 \|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Amritwani_Ravidaas_Ji_Maharaj/YEF9EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Sant+Ravidas+Lona+devi+Vijay+das&pg=PA291&printsec=frontcover \|language=hi}}</ref>

	The text ''Anantadas Parcai'' is one of the earliest surviving [[Biography\|biographies]] of various Bhakti movement poets which describes the birth of Ravidas.<ref name=winnandraidas>{{cite book \|last1=Callewaert \|first1=Winnand \|title=The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India \|date=2013 \|publisher=Routledge \|isbn=9781136120022 \|pages=307, 1–23 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TGoyMpvyHbgC&q=The+Hagiographies+of+Anantadas:+The+Bhakti+Poets+of+North+India,+Routledge+raidas \|language=en}}</ref>		The text ''Anantadas Parcai'' is one of the earliest surviving [[Biography\|biographies]] of various Bhakti movement poets which describes the birth of Ravidas.<ref name=winnandraidas>{{cite book \|last1=Callewaert \|first1=Winnand \|title=The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India \|date=2013 \|publisher=Routledge \|isbn=9781136120022 \|pages=307, 1–23 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TGoyMpvyHbgC&q=The+Hagiographies+of+Anantadas:+The+Bhakti+Poets+of+North+India,+Routledge+raidas \|language=en}}</ref>
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	His ideas and fame grew over his lifetime, and texts suggest Brahmins used to bow before him.<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> He travelled extensively, visiting Hindu pilgrimage sites in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and those in the [[Himalayas]]. He abandoned ''saguna'' (with attributes, image) forms of supreme beings, and focused on the ''nirguna'' (without attributes, abstract) form of supreme beings.<ref name=eosravidas/> As his poetic hymns in regional languages inspired others, people from various background sought his teachings and guidance.<ref name=eosravidas/>		His ideas and fame grew over his lifetime, and texts suggest Brahmins used to bow before him.<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> He travelled extensively, visiting Hindu pilgrimage sites in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]], and those in the [[Himalayas]]. He abandoned ''saguna'' (with attributes, image) forms of supreme beings, and focused on the ''nirguna'' (without attributes, abstract) form of supreme beings.<ref name=eosravidas/> As his poetic hymns in regional languages inspired others, people from various background sought his teachings and guidance.<ref name=eosravidas/>

	Most scholars believe that Ravidas met [[Guru Nanak]], the founder of [[Sikhism~~\|Sikhism.~~]]<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> He is revered in the [[Sikhs\|Sikh]] scripture, and 41 of Guru Ravidas' poems are included in the [[Guru Granth Sahib\|Adi Granth]]. These poems are one of the oldest attested source of his ideas and literary works.<ref name=jameslraidas/><ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> Another substantial source of legends and stories about the life of Ravidas is the [[hagiography]] in the Sikh tradition, the ''Premambodha''.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> This text, composed over 170 years after Ravidas' death, in 1693, includes him as one of the seventeen saints of Indian religious tradition.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> The 17th-century Nabhadas's [[Bhaktamal]], and the ''Parcais'' of Anantadas, both contain chapters on Ravidas.<ref>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN\|978-0700713318}}, pages 1-4</ref> Other than these, the scriptures and texts of Sikh tradition and the Hindu Dadupanthi traditions, most other written sources about the life of Ravidas, including by the Ravidasi (followers of Ravidas), were composed in the early 20th century, or about 400 years after his death.<ref name=friedlandermyths/>		Most scholars believe that Ravidas met [[Guru Nanak]], the founder of [[Sikhism]].<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> He is revered in the [[Sikhs\|Sikh]] scripture, and 41 of Guru Ravidas' poems are included in the [[Guru Granth Sahib\|Adi Granth]]. These poems are one of the oldest attested source of his ideas and literary works.<ref name=jameslraidas/><ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> Another substantial source of legends and stories about the life of Ravidas is the [[hagiography]] in the Sikh tradition, the ''Premambodha''.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> This text, composed over 170 years after Ravidas' death, in 1693, includes him as one of the seventeen saints of Indian religious tradition.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> The 17th-century Nabhadas's [[Bhaktamal]], and the ''Parcais'' of Anantadas, both contain chapters on Ravidas.<ref>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN\|978-0700713318}}, pages 1-4</ref> Other than these, the scriptures and texts of Sikh tradition and the Hindu Dadupanthi traditions, most other written sources about the life of Ravidas, including by the Ravidasi (followers of Ravidas), were composed in the early 20th century, or about 400 years after his death.<ref name=friedlandermyths/>

	<ref name="Callewaert">Callewaert, Winand. (2003), Pilgrims, Patrons, and Place: Localizing Sanctity in Asian Religions (Editors: Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara), [[University of British Columbia Press]], {{ISBN\|978-0774810395}}, pages 203-223</ref> This text, called the ''Parcaīs'' (or ''Parchais''), included Ravidas among the [[Sant (religion)\|sant]]s whose biography and poems were included. Over time new manuscripts of ''Parcais of Anantadas'' were reproduced, some in different local languages of India.<ref name="Callewaert"/> Winnand Callewaert notes that some 30 manuscripts of Anantadas's hagiography on Ravidas have been found in different parts of India.<ref name=winnandintro>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN\|978-0700713318}}, pages 303-307</ref> Of these four manuscripts are complete, collated and have been dated to 1662, 1665, 1676 and 1687. The first three are close with some morphological variants without affecting the meaning, but the 1687 version systematically inserts verses into the text, at various locations, with caste-related statements, new claims of Brahmins persecuting Ravidas, notes on the untouchability of Ravidas, claims of Kabir giving Ravidas ideas, ridicules of nirguni and saguni ideas, and such text corruption:<ref>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, [[Routledge]], {{ISBN\|978-0700713318}}, pages 316-334</ref> Callewaert considers the 1676 version as the standard version, his critical edition of Ravidas's hagiography excludes all these insertions, and he remarks that the cleaner critical version of Anantadas's ''parcais'' suggests that there is more in common in the ideas of bhakti movement's Ravidas, Kabir and Sen than previously thought.<ref name=winnandintro/>		<ref name="Callewaert">Callewaert, Winand. (2003), Pilgrims, Patrons, and Place: Localizing Sanctity in Asian Religions (Editors: Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara), [[University of British Columbia Press]], {{ISBN\|978-0774810395}}, pages 203-223</ref> This text, called the ''Parcaīs'' (or ''Parchais''), included Ravidas among the [[Sant (religion)\|sant]]s whose biography and poems were included. Over time new manuscripts of ''Parcais of Anantadas'' were reproduced, some in different local languages of India.<ref name="Callewaert"/> Winnand Callewaert notes that some 30 manuscripts of Anantadas's hagiography on Ravidas have been found in different parts of India.<ref name=winnandintro>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN\|978-0700713318}}, pages 303-307</ref> Of these four manuscripts are complete, collated and have been dated to 1662, 1665, 1676 and 1687. The first three are close with some morphological variants without affecting the meaning, but the 1687 version systematically inserts verses into the text, at various locations, with caste-related statements, new claims of Brahmins persecuting Ravidas, notes on the untouchability of Ravidas, claims of Kabir giving Ravidas ideas, ridicules of nirguni and saguni ideas, and such text corruption:<ref>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, [[Routledge]], {{ISBN\|978-0700713318}}, pages 316-334</ref> Callewaert considers the 1676 version as the standard version, his critical edition of Ravidas's hagiography excludes all these insertions, and he remarks that the cleaner critical version of Anantadas's ''parcais'' suggests that there is more in common in the ideas of bhakti movement's Ravidas, Kabir and Sen than previously thought.<ref name=winnandintro/>
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	=== Guru Ravidas and Bhagtani Meera Bai ===		=== Guru Ravidas and Bhagtani Meera Bai ===
	There is a small ''[[chhatri]]'' (~~pavillion~~) in front of Meera's temple in [[Chittorgarh district]] of [[Rajasthan]] which bears Ravidas' engraved foot print.<ref>[http://www.ghumakkar.com/2009/08/24/chittaurgarh-fort-an-enigma-with-a-thin-line-between-history-and-mythology-i/ ''Chittauragarh Fort: An Enigma with a Thin Line between History and Mythology'']. 24 August 2009, Ghumakkar.com</ref>{{unreliable source?\|date=December 2012}} Legends link him as the ''guru'' of [[Mirabai]], another major Bhakti movement poet.<ref name=peterheehs>Peter Heehs (2002), Indian Religions: A Historical Reader of Spiritual Expression and Experience, New York University Press, {{ISBN\|978-0814736500}}, pages 368-370</ref>		There is a small ''[[chhatri]]'' (pavilion) in front of Meera's temple in [[Chittorgarh district]] of [[Rajasthan]] which bears Ravidas' engraved foot print.<ref>[http://www.ghumakkar.com/2009/08/24/chittaurgarh-fort-an-enigma-with-a-thin-line-between-history-and-mythology-i/ ''Chittauragarh Fort: An Enigma with a Thin Line between History and Mythology'']. 24 August 2009, Ghumakkar.com</ref>{{unreliable source?\|date=December 2012}} Legends link him as the ''guru'' of [[Mirabai]], another major Bhakti movement poet.<ref name=peterheehs>Peter Heehs (2002), Indian Religions: A Historical Reader of Spiritual Expression and Experience, New York University Press, {{ISBN\|978-0814736500}}, pages 368-370</ref>

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==

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Created page with "{{short description|16th-century Indian mystic poet-sant of the Bhakti movement}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox Hindu leader | honorific_prefix = | name = Ravidas | honorific_suffix = | image = SriGuruRavidasJi.jpg | caption = | birth_date = c. 1450<ref name=asharmaraidas>{{cite book |author=Arvind Sharma |title=The Study of Hinduism |date=2003 |publisher=University of..."

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{{short description|16th-century Indian mystic poet-sant of the Bhakti movement}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Ravidas
| honorific_suffix =
| image = SriGuruRavidasJi.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = c. 1450<ref name=asharmaraidas>{{cite book |author=[[Arvind Sharma]] |title=The Study of Hinduism |date=2003 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-57003-449-7 |page=229 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npCKSUUQYEIC&pg=PA229 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=jesticebd/>
| birth_place = [[Varanasi]], [[Delhi Sultanate]]
| birth_name =
| death_date = c. 1520<ref name=asharmaraidas/><ref name=jesticebd>{{cite book|author=Phyllis G. Jestice|title=Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMC| year=2004| publisher=ABC-CLIO| isbn=978-1-57607-355-1| pages=724}}</ref>
| death_place = Varanasi, Delhi Sultanate
| known_for = Venerated as a ''[[Guru]]'' and having hymns included in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]], central figure of the [[Ravidassia]]
}}
{{Ravidassia}}
'''Ravidas''', or '''Raidas''', was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the [[bhakti movement]] during the 15th to 16th century CE.<ref name=jameslraidas/><ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> Venerated as a ''[[guru]]'' (teacher) in the modern regions of [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Gujarat]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and [[Haryana]], he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure.

The life details of Ravidas are uncertain and contested. Scholars believe he was born in 1450 CE.

Ravidas's devotional verses were included in the Sikh scriptures known as ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]''.<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/><ref>Callewaert and Friedlander, ''The Life and Works of Ravidass Ji'', Manohar, Delhi, 1992, quoted in Gavin Flood, ''An Introduction to Hinduism'', Cambridge 1996.</ref> The ''Panch Vani'' text of the [[Dadu Dayal|Dadu Panth]]i tradition within [[Hinduism]] also includes numerous poems of Ravidas.<ref name=jameslraidas/> He taught removal of social divisions of [[caste system in India|caste]] and gender, and promoted unity in the pursuit of personal spiritual freedom.

== Life ==
The details of Ravidas's life are not well known. Scholars state he was born in 1450 CE and died in 1520 CE.<ref name=asharmaraidas/><ref name="google727">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMC&q=ravidas|title=Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia|author=Phyllis G. Jestice|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2004|isbn=978-1-57607-355-1|pages=727–728|access-date=8 December 2012}}</ref>

Guru Ravidas was also known as Guru Raidas.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ravidas {{!}} Indian mystic and poet|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ravidas|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> He was born in the village of [[Sir Gobardhan]], near [[Varanasi]] in what is now Uttar Pradesh, [[India]]. His birthplace is now known as [[Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan]]. Mata Kalsa’n was his mother, and his father was Santokh Dass.<ref name="eosravidas">{{cite web |url=http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Ravidas |author=Hardev Bahri |editor=Harbans Singh|display-editors=etal| website=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala |access-date=11 February 2017}}</ref> His parents belonged to a leather-working [[Chamar]] community making them an [[untouchability|untouchable]] caste.<ref name="jameslraidas" /><ref name="encyclopediabritraidas">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1350770/Ravidas |title= Bhagat Ravidass Ji (Indian mystic and poet) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |access-date=10 August 2009}}</ref> While his original occupation was leather work, he began to spend most of his time in spiritual pursuits at the banks of the [[Ganges]]. Thereafter he spent most of his life in the company of [[Sufi]] saints, [[sadhu]]s and ascetics.<ref name="eosravidas" />

The text ''Anantadas Parcai'' is one of the earliest surviving [[Biography|biographies]] of various Bhakti movement poets which talks about the birth of Ravidas.<ref name=winnandraidas>{{cite book |last1=Callewaert |first1=Winnand |title=The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136120022 |pages=307, 1–23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TGoyMpvyHbgC&q=The+Hagiographies+of+Anantadas:+The+Bhakti+Poets+of+North+India,+Routledge+raidas |language=en}}</ref>

Medieval era texts, such as the ''[[Bhaktamal]]'' suggest that Guru Ravidas was the disciple of the [[Brahmin]] ''bhakti''-poet [[Ramananda]].<ref name=pande>{{cite book |last1=Pande |first1=Rekha |title=Divine Sounds from the Heart—Singing Unfettered in their Own Voices: The Bhakti Movement and its Women Saints (12th to 17th Century) |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=9781443825252 |pages=76–77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mYEnBwAAQBAJ |access-date=25 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=lorenzen>[[David Lorenzen]] (1996), Praises to a Formless God: Nirguni Texts from North India, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791428054}}, page 268</ref> He is traditionally considered as [[Kabir]]'s younger contemporary.<ref name=jameslraidas>James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z, [[Rosen Publishing]], {{ISBN|978-0823931804}}, page 569</ref>

However, the medieval text titled ''Ratnavali'' says Guru Ravidas gained his spiritual knowledge from Ramananda and was a follower of the [[Ramanandi Sampradaya]] tradition.<ref name=pande/><ref name=lorenzen/><ref>{{cite book|title=Sant Ravidas Ratnawali|author=Mamta Jha | year=2013|publisher=prabhat prakashan | page=12}}</ref>

His ideas and fame grew over his lifetime, and texts suggest Brahmins (members of priestly upper caste) used to bow before him.<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> He travelled extensively, visiting Hindu pilgrimage sites in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]] and those in the [[Himalayas]]. He abandoned ''saguna'' (with attributes, image) forms of supreme beings, and focussed on the ''nirguna'' (without attributes, abstract) form of supreme beings.<ref name=eosravidas/> As his poetic hymns in regional languages inspired others, people from various background sought his teachings and guidance.<ref name=eosravidas/>

Most scholars believe that Guru Ravidas met [[Guru Nanak]], the founder of Sikhism.<ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> He is revered in the Sikh scripture, and 41 of Guru Ravidas' poems are included in the [[Adi Granth]]. These poems are one of the oldest attested source of his ideas and literary works.<ref name=jameslraidas/><ref name=encyclopediabritraidas/> Another substantial source of legends and stories about the life of Ravidas is the [[hagiography]] in the Sikh tradition, named ''Premambodha''.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> This text, composed over 170 years after Guru Ravidas' death, in 1693, includes him as one of the seventeen saints of Indian religious tradition.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> The 17th-century Nabhadas's [[Bhaktamal]], and the ''Parcais'' of Anantadas, both contain chapters on Guru Ravidas.<ref>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700713318}}, pages 1-4</ref> Other than these, the scriptures and texts of Sikh tradition and the Hindu Dadupanthi traditions, most other written sources about the life of Ravidas, including by the Ravidasi (followers of Guru Ravidas), were composed in the early 20th century, or about 400 years after his death.<ref name=friedlandermyths/>

<ref name="Callewaert">Callewaert, Winand. (2003), Pilgrims, Patrons, and Place: Localizing Sanctity in Asian Religions (Editors: Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara), [[University of British Columbia Press]], {{ISBN|978-0774810395}}, pages 203-223</ref> This text, called the ''Parcaīs'' (or ''Parchais''), included Ravidas among the [[Sant (religion)|sant]]s whose biography and poems were included. Over time new manuscripts of ''Parcais of Anantadas'' were reproduced, some in different local languages of India.<ref name="Callewaert"/> Winnand Callewaert notes that some 30 manuscripts of Anantadas's hagiography on Guru Ravidas have been found in different parts of India.<ref name=winnandintro>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700713318}}, pages 303-307</ref> Of these four manuscripts are complete, collated and have been dated to 1662, 1665, 1676 and 1687. The first three are close with some morphological variants without affecting the meaning, but the 1687 version systematically inserts verses into the text, at various locations, with caste-related statements, new claims of Brahmins persecuting Guru Ravidas, notes on the untouchability of Ravidas, claims of Kabir giving Ravidas ideas, ridicules of nirguni and saguni ideas, and such text corruption:<ref>Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, [[Routledge]], {{ISBN|978-0700713318}}, pages 316-334</ref> Callewaert considers the 1676 version as the standard version, his critical edition of Ravidas's hagiography excludes all these insertions, and he remarks that the cleaner critical version of Anantadas's ''parcais'' suggests that there is more in common in the ideas of bhakti movement's Ravidas, Kabir and Sen than previously thought.<ref name=winnandintro/>

Khare similarly has questioned the textual sources on Ravidas, and mentions there are few "readily available and reliable textual sources on the Hindu and Untouchable treatment of Ravidas."<ref name=khareintro>Ravindra S Khare (1985), The Untouchable as Himself, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521263146}}, pages 41-47</ref>

== Literary works ==
The ''Adi Granth'' of Sikhs, and ''Panchvani'' of the Hindu warrior-ascetic group ''Dadupanthis'' are the two oldest attested sources of the literary works of Guru Ravidas.<ref name=jameslraidas/> In the ''Adi Granth'', forty of Ravidas's poems are included, and he is one of thirty six contributors to this foremost canonical scripture of Sikhism.<ref name=pashaurasingh>Pashaura Singh (2012), Fighting Words: Religion, Violence, and the Interpretation of Sacred Texts (Editor: John Renard), University of California Press, {{ISBN|978-0520274198}}, pages 202-207</ref><ref name=gschauhan>GS Chauhan (2009), Bani Of Bhagats, Hemkunt Press, {{ISBN|978-8170103561}}, pages 41-55</ref> This compilation of poetry in Adi Granth responds to, among other things, issues of dealing with conflict and tyranny, war and resolution, and willingness to dedicate one's life to the right cause.<ref name=pashaurasingh/> Ravidas's poetry covers topics such as the definition of a just state where there are no second or third class unequal citizens, the need for dispassion, and who is a real [[Yoga|Yogi]].<ref name=gschauhan/><ref>J Kaur (2005), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/41856155 The Concept of Peace and the Guru Granth Sahib], The Indian Journal of Political Science, Volume 66, Number 3, pages 649-660</ref>

Jeffrey Ebbesen notes that, just like other bhakti saint-poets of India and some cases of Western literature authorship, many poems composed by later era Indian poets have been attributed to Ravidas, as an act of reverence, even though Guru Ravidas has had nothing to do with these poems or ideas expressed therein.<ref>Jeffrey Ebbesen (1995), Literary India: Comparative Studies in Aesthetics, Colonialism, and Culture (Editors: Patrick Colm Hogan, Lalita Pandit), State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791423950}}, pages 53-55</ref>

=== Guru Ravidas literature on symbolism ===
Peter Friedlander states that Guru Ravidas' hagiographies, though authored long after he died, depict a struggle within the Indian society, where Ravidas' life gives the means to express a variety of social and spiritual themes.<ref name=friedlandermyths/> At one level, it depicts a struggle between the then prevalent heterodox communities and the orthodox Brahminical tradition. At another level, the legends are an inter-communal, inter-religious struggle with an underlying search and desire for social unity. At yet another level, states Friedlander, the stories describe the spiritual struggle of an individual unto self.<ref name=friedlandermyths>Peter Friedlander (1996), Myth and Mythmaking: Continuous Evolution in Indian Tradition (Editor: Julia Leslie), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700703036}}, pages 106-114</ref>

There is no historical evidence to verify the [[historicity]] in these hagiographies, which range from Guru Ravidas's struggle with Hindu Brahmins,<ref>Peter Friedlander (1996), Myth and Mythmaking: Continuous Evolution in Indian Tradition (Editor: Julia Leslie), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700703036}}, pages 109-110</ref> to his struggle with Muslim Sultan [[Sikander Lodi]].<ref>Peter Friedlander (1996), Myth and Mythmaking: Continuous Evolution in Indian Tradition (Editor: Julia Leslie), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700703036}}, pages 108, 112-117</ref> Friedlander states that the stories reflect the social dynamics that influenced the composers of the hagiographies during the 17th- to 20th-century. These are legends where Ravidas is victorious because God intervened with miracles such as making a stone float in water, or making river [[Ganges]] to reverse course and flow upstream.<ref name=friedlandermyths/>

[[David Lorenzen]] similarly states that poetry attributed to Guru Ravidas, and championed by ''Ravidasi'' (his followers) from the 17th- through the 20th-century, have a strong anti-Brahminical and anti-communal theme.<ref name=lorenzenravidasi/> The legends, suggests Lorenzen, cannot be separated from the power and political situation of this era, and they reflect a strong element of social and religious dissent by groups marginalised during a period when Indian society was under the Islamic rule and later the colonial rule.<ref name=lorenzenravidasi>David Lorenzen (1995), Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791420256}}, pages 105-116, 292-303</ref><ref name=neeti/>

== Philosophy ==
The songs of Guru Ravidas discuss ''[[Bhakti movement#Philosophy: Nirguna and Saguna Brahman|Nirguna-Saguna]]'' themes, as well as ideas that are at the foundation of Nath [[Yoga (philosophy)|Yoga]] philosophy of Hinduism.<ref name=peterheehs/> He frequently mentions the term ''Sahaj'', a mystical state where there is a union of the truths of the many and the one.<ref name=peterheehs/>

{{Blockquote|
<poem>
Raidas says, what shall I sing?
Singing, singing I am defeated.
How long shall I consider and proclaim:
absorb the [[Atman (Hinduism)|self]] into the Self?

This experience is such,
that it defies all description.
I have met the Lord,
Who can cause me harm?

[[Krishna|Hari]] in everything, everything in Hari –
For him who knows Hari and the sense of self,
no other testimony is needed:
the knower is absorbed.
</poem>
|Ravidas|Translated by Winand Callewaert and Peter Friedlander<ref name=peterheehs/>}}

David Lorenzen states Ravidas's poetry is imbued with themes of boundless loving devotion to God, wherein this divine is envisioned as ''Nirguna''.<ref>David Lorenzen (1995), Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791420256}}, page 107</ref> In the Sikh tradition, the themes of [[Nanak]]'s poetry are very broadly similar to the ''Nirgun bhakti'' ideas of Ravidas and other leading north Indian saint-poets.<ref name=neeti>Neeti M Sadarangani (2004), Bhakti Poetry in Medieval India: Its Inception, Cultural Encounter and Impact, Swarup & Sons, {{ISBN|978-8176254366}}, pages i-xv, 115, 55-60, 72-76</ref><ref>Christopher Shackle (2014), The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0199699308}}, page 111</ref> Most postmodern scholars, states Karen Pechilis, consider Guru Ravidas's ideas to belong to the ''Nirguna'' philosophy within the [[bhakti movement]].<ref>Karen Pechilis Prentiss (2014), The Embodiment of Bhakti, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195351903}}, page 21</ref>

===Monistic Brahman or Anthropomorphic God===
Multiple manuscripts found in [[Rajasthan]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]], dated to be from the 18th and 19th centuries, contain a [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|theosophical]] debate between [[Kabir]] and Ravidas on the nature of the Absolute, more specifically whether the [[Brahman]] (Ultimate Reality, Eternal Truth) is monistic Oneness or a separate anthropomorphic incarnate.<ref name=lorenzenmon/> Kabir argues for the former. Ravidas, in contrast, argues from the latter premise to the effect that both are one.<ref name=lorenzenmon/> In these manuscripts, Kabir initially prevails, Ravidas accepts that Brahman is monistic, but till the end Kabir didn't accept worshipping a divine [[avatar]] (''sagun'' conception).<ref name=lorenzenmon>[[David Lorenzen]] (1996), Praises to a Formless God: Nirguni Texts from North India, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791428054}}, pages 169-170</ref>

===One man: two divergent claims on his views and philosophy===
Ravindra Khare<ref>Ravindra S Khare (1985), The Untouchable as Himself, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521263146}}, pages 41, 46</ref> states that there are two divergent versions that emerge from the study of texts relating to Ravidas's philosophy. The 17th century [[Bhaktamal]] text by Nabhadas provides one version, while the 20th-century texts by [[Dalit]]s (the modern term for those previously called "untouchables") provide another.<ref name=khareintro/>

According to ''Bhaktamal'' text, Ravidas was of pure speech, capable of resolving spiritual doubts of those who held discussions with him, was unafraid to state his humble origins and real caste.<ref name=khare17century/> Further, the ''Bhaktamal'' text states that Ravidas's teachings agreed with [[Vedas|Vedic]] and ancient scriptures, he subscribed to [[nondualism]], discussed spiritual ideas and philosophy with everyone including Brahmins without gender or caste discrimination, and his abilities reflected an individual who had reached the inner content state of the highest [[Sannyasa|ascetic]].<ref name=khare17century>Ravindra S Khare (1985), The Untouchable as Himself, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521263146}}, pages 41-45</ref>

The 20th-century version, prevalent in the texts of Dalit community, concurs with the parts about pure speech and resolving spiritual doubts.<ref name=khare20century/> However, they differ in the rest. The texts and the prevalent beliefs of the Dalit community hold that Ravidas rejected the Hindu Vedas, he was opposed by the Brahmins and resisted by the caste Hindus as well as Hindu ascetics throughout his life, and that some members of the Dalit community have believed Ravidas was an idol worshipper (saguni bhakti saint) while other 20th century texts assert that Ravidas rejected idolatry.<ref name=khare20century>Ravindra S Khare (1985), The Untouchable as Himself, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521263146}}, pages 46-53, 163-164</ref> For example, the following hymn of Ravidas, present in [[Guru Granth Sahib]], support such claims where he rejects Vedas and the belief that taking a ritualistic bath can make someone pure.

{{Quotation|<poem>One may distinguish between good and evil actions, and listen to the Vedas and the Puraanas, but doubt still persists. Skepticism continually dwells in the heart, so who can eradicate egotistical pride? 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!</poem>|Ravidas|Guru Granth Sahib 346 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=346|title=Sri Granth: Sri Guru Granth Sahib}}</ref>}}
It has to be noted however, that his spiritual teacher Guru Ramananda was a Brahmin and his disciple Mirabai was a Rajput princess

== Legacy ==
[[File:RavidasiBedford2.JPG|thumb|A procession in Bedford, the United Kingdom by Ravidasias to mark the birthday of Ravidas.]]

=== Ravidassia religion===
The difference between the [[Ravidassia religion]] and Sikhism, as described by a post made by Shri Guru Ravidass Temple in Ontario is as follows:
<blockquote>We, as Ravidassias have different traditions. We are not Sikhs. Even though, we give utmost respect to 10 gurus and Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Ravidass Ji is our supreme. There is no command for us to follow the declaration that there is no Guru after Guru Granth Sahib. We respect Guru Granth Sahib because it has our guru Ji's teachings and teachings of other religious figures who have spoken against caste system, spread the message of NAAM and equality. As per our traditions, we give utmost respect to contemporary gurus also who are carrying forward the message of Guru Ravidass Ji.<ref>Ram, R. (2009). Ravidass, Dera Sachkhand Ballan and the Question of Dalit Identity in Punjab. ''JPS'', ''16''(1), 2.</ref></blockquote>[[Ravidassia religion]] is a spin-off religion from Sikhism, formed in the 21st century, by the followers of Ravidass's teachings. It was formed 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.<ref name="ravidassiareligion1" /> The Ravidassia religion compiled a new holy book, ''[[Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji]]''. Based entirely on the writings and teaching of Ravidas, it contains 240 hymns. Sant Niranjan Dass is the head of Dera Sachkhand Ballan.<ref name="ravidassiareligion1">{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-02-01/india/28118439_1_dera-head-dera-sachkhand-ballan-sant-ramanand | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811033035/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-02-01/india/28118439_1_dera-head-dera-sachkhand-ballan-sant-ramanand | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 August 2011 | work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Punjab sect declares new religion | date=1 February 2010}}</ref>

Kathryn Lum summarises the dynamics behind the separation of Ravidassia religion and Sikhism, and its focus on Ravidas, as follows:
{{Blockquote|
Ravidasia believe that the best way forward for Chamars is to claim and assert their own identity. For this more independent camp, Sikhism is viewed as obstructing the full development of the Chamar community as a quam (separate religion and nation), as envisioned by the Ad Dharm (original people) movement. According to these separatist Ravidasias, the only way for Chamars to progress is to pursue an independent religious path focused exclusively on the figure of Guru Ravidas.|Kathryn Lum|''Sikhs in Europe''<ref>Kathryn Lum (2011), Sikhs in Europe: Migration, Identities, and Representations (Editors: Knut A Jacobsen and Kristina Myrvold), Ashgate, {{ISBN|978-1409424345}}, page 186</ref>}}

===Places of worship===
[[File:Shri Guru Ravidass Temple in the UK.jpg|thumb|Guru Ravidass temple, Foleshill, UK.]]
Ravidas is revered as a saint and well respected by his believers. He is considered by his devotees as someone who was the living symbol of religious protest, and not as the spiritual symbol of any ultimate unifying cultural principle.<ref>Ravindra S Khare (1985), The Untouchable as Himself, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521263146}}, pages 48-49, 41-53</ref>

=== Politics ===
[[File:Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Shri Guru Ravidas Janmsthan Mandir, Seer Goverdhanpur (2).jpg|thumb|Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] offers prayers at Shri Guru Ravidas Janmsthan Mandir]]
A political party was founded in India in 2012 by the followers of Ravidass, with the word Begumpura (''Be-gam-pura'', or "land without sorrow"), a term coined in a poem by Ravidas. The term means the city where there is no suffering or fear, and all are equal.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Omvedt|first=Gail|title=Seeking Begumpura : The Social Vision of Anticaste Intellectuals|publisher=Navayana|year=2009|isbn=978-8189059453}}</ref>

=== Guru Ravidas and Bhagtani Meera Bai ===
There is a small ''[[chhatri]]'' (umbrella) in front of Meera's temple in [[Chittorgarh district]] of [[Rajasthan]] which bears Ravidas' engraved foot print.<ref>[http://www.ghumakkar.com/2009/08/24/chittaurgarh-fort-an-enigma-with-a-thin-line-between-history-and-mythology-i/ ''Chittauragarh Fort: An Enigma with a Thin Line between History and Mythology'']. 24 August 2009, Ghumakkar.com</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=December 2012}} Legends link him as the ''guru'' of [[Meera]], another major [[Bhakti movement]] poet.<ref name=peterheehs>Peter Heehs (2002), Indian Religions: A Historical Reader of Spiritual Expression and Experience, New York University Press, {{ISBN|978-0814736500}}, pages 368-370</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Sant Ravidas Ki Amar Kahani]]''
* [[Gautama Buddha]]
* [[Dalit Buddhist movement]]
* [[Ramdasia|Ramdasia Sikh]]s
* [[Kabir]]
* [[Kabir Jayanti]]
* [[Guru Ravidass Jayanti|Ravidas Jayanti]]
* [[Shri Guru Ravidas Gurughar]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.shrigururavidasji.com/ Shri Guru Ravidas Ji]

{{Sant Mat}}
{{Writers of Guru Granth Sahib}}
{{Hindudharma}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guru Ravidas}}
[[Category:Vaishnava saints]]
[[Category:Ravidassia religion]]
[[Category:Indian Hindu spiritual teachers]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Sant Mat gurus]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Medieval Hindu religious leaders]]
[[Category:Sikh Bhagats]]
[[Category:15th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Dalit saints]]
[[Category:Scholars from Varanasi]]
[[Category:Poets from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Dalit Hindu saints]]