RAVIDAS, poet and mystic, was born to Raghu and Ghurbinia, who lived near the city of Varanasi. Not much biographical information about him is available, but from what can be made out of his own compositions, he belonged to a low‑caste (Chamar) family. He followed the family profession of tanning hides and making shoes. Gradually, he started spending most of his time in the company of saints and sadhus and built himself a thatched hut wherein he received and entertained wandering ascetics. Many stories became current about his simplicity and piety of nature. He became famous as a Vaishnava saint in the tradition of Ramanand.
In the course of his spiritual quest, he reached a stage when he discarded images and idols and turned to the worship of the Supreme Being. He wrote deeply impassioned devotional verses and left his mark on Hindi literature for the fusion of religious sentiment with the vernacular medium. Forty of his hymns have been incorporated in the Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. He travelled fairly widely and visited Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, as well as a number of places in northern India such as Prayag, Mathura, Vrindavan, Haridwar, Gurgaon, and Multan. At most of these places, there are monuments honouring his memory. In his lifetime, he had thousands of followers, including members of the higher castes—among them being Mirabai, the Rajput princess.
The hymns of Ravidas included in the Guru Granth Sahib fall under the following ragas:
– Siri (1)
– Gauri (5)
– Asa (6)
– Gujari (1)
– Sorathi (7)
– Dhanasari (3)
– Jaitsari (1)
– Suhl (3)
– Bilaval (2)
– Gaund (2)
– Ramkali (1)
– Maru (2)
– Kedara (1)
– Bhairau (1)
– Basant (1)
– Malhar (3)
One of the hymns in raga Maru is the same (with a few minor changes) as that included in raga Sorathi. Ravidas acknowledged the unicity, omnipresence, and omnipotence of God. According to him, the human soul is only a particle of the Divine—the difference between the two is like the difference between gold and an ornament, or between water and a wave (GG, 93).
He rejects distinctions between man and man on the basis of caste or creed, for, as he says, in the world beyond no such differentiations will be acknowledged (GG, 345). To realize God, which is the ultimate end of human life, man should concentrate on His Name, giving up mere forms and ritualism (GG, 658, 1106). Birth in a low‑caste is no hindrance in the way to spiritual development. The only condition required is freedom from duality; all else, including pilgrimage to and bathing in the sixty‑eight centres, is in vain (GG, 875).
References
- Gurdit Singh, Giani, Itihas Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Bhagat Barn Bhag). Chandigarh, 1990
- Pratap Singh, Giani, Bhagat Darshan. Amritsar, n.d.
- Taran Singh, ed., Guru Granth Ratnavali. Patiala, n.d.
Ravidas stands as a luminous beacon of spiritual transformation—an emblem of devotion, social equality, and profound mysticism whose hymns continue to enlighten the Guru Granth Sahib. Though details of his early life are sparse and often shrouded in legend, his verses offer a rich tapestry that speaks directly to the human longing for inner truth and unity.
A Humble Origin and a Transcendent Journey
Born near Varanasi to Raghu and Ghurbinia in a family engaged in leatherworking, Ravidas emerged from what was then a marginalized community. His birth in a low‐caste (Chamar) milieu did not limit his potential; rather, it became the very crucible of his message. In a society defined by rigid caste distinctions, Ravidas’s personal journey—marked by the daily trials of manual labor and the simplicity of his early life—became a source of transformative insight. His decision to forsake the intoxicating allure of ritual and iconography in favor of a direct, experiential connection with the Divine remains a revolutionary expulsion of social and spiritual prejudice.
The Heart of His Teachings
At the core of Ravidas’s spiritual philosophy is the belief that the Divine is omnipresent, unbounded by the temporal markers of birth, caste, or ritual. His hymns vividly illustrate the intimate connection between the human soul and the Supreme, often using evocative metaphors—comparing the soul to a wave in the vast ocean or a fragment of pure gold within a crafted ornament—to emphasize that the intrinsic worth of an individual is inseparable from divinity.
Ravidas passionately taught that:
Devotion Over Ritual: True spiritual liberation comes not from elaborate ceremonies but from an internal, heartfelt devotion (bhakti) and the constant remembrance (Naam Japo) of the Divine.
Equality Before God: By asserting that every human soul is but a particle of the Divine, he dismantled the basis for social hierarchies and ignited a call for universal brotherhood.
Inner Purity and SelfRealization: His verses encourage the seeker to look inward, cultivating virtues like compassion, truth, and humility—qualities that lead to genuine selfrealization.
Incorporation in the Guru Granth Sahib
The inclusion of some 40 of Ravidas’s hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib is a profound affirmation of his spiritual authority and his resonance with Sikh ideals. His compositions, rendered in a variety of ragas—such as Siri, Gauri, Asa, and Sorathi—imbue the Sikh liturgy with a musical and emotional depth that enhances communal worship and personal introspection. More than mere poetic expressions, these hymns are imbued with:
A Call to Transcend Duality: They advocate the dissolution of dualities—between the sacred and the mundane, the pure and the impure—urging devotees to experience a nondual awareness where the Divine is revealed in every aspect of life.
Social Critique and Reform: His verses critically engage with the societal constructs of caste and ritualism, echoing the Sikh emphasis on the innate dignity of every individual. In his view, external distinctions are transient; only the unity of all souls in the Divine truly matters.
Legacy and Enduring Influence
Ravidas’s message of inclusivity and his insistence on a personal, unmediated relationship with God continue to strike a resonant chord in modern spiritual discourse. His hymns have:
Bridged Communities: By using the vernacular language, he made profound spiritual truths accessible to the common man, fostering a sense of belonging and shared humanity among people from all walks of life.
Inspired Social Transformation: Ravidas’s radical egalitarianism not only influenced his contemporaries in the Bhakti movement but also laid a foundational ethos that continues to empower movements against social injustice and discrimination.
Enriched Literary and Musical Traditions: His lyrical prowess and deep emotional appeal have ensured that his hymns remain central to both the devotional practices of Sikh communities and the broader landscape of Indian devotional literature.
