India’s sky is filled with stars of saints. There are countless stars, and although the light in all of them is the same, Ravidas is the pole star among them. Because even though he was born in a Shudra household, he compelled even the Brahmins of Kashi to acknowledge him. In scriptures written by Brahmins, Ravidas has always been remembered. Despite being born in a Dalit family, he was accepted by Brahmins—even by those in Kashi. This is quite remarkable. There is a certain sweetness and fragrance in Ravidas that intoxicates. His presence feels like a divine wine—whoever drinks, staggers in divine ecstasy. Ravidas blossomed there and gathered thousands of devotees. Not just any devotees, even a woman like Meera, who had attained deep spiritual experience, accepted Ravidas as her Guru. – Osho
Guru Ravidas is affectionately referred to as Raidas in common language. He has also referred to himself as Raidas in his poetic verses. There are different opinions regarding his birthplace and parents. Some scholars believe he was born in the village of Parseer Govardhan near Varanasi in 1414 AD on a Sunday during the full moon of the Magha month. His father’s name was Santokhdas and his mother’s name was Kalsa Devi. Another popular belief is that his father was Raghu and his mother was Ghurbiniya, residents of Mandur village near Banaras. His birthplace is now known as ‘Shri Guru Ravidas Janm Sthan’.
It is said that Ravidas’s father was the head of a village in the Rajanagar state and worked in the profession of making and repairing shoes. He made shoes and sandals from the hides of dead animals.
Childhood:
From an early age, Ravidas was very courageous and had deep faith in God. People of higher castes would look down on him and try to instill in him the idea of being inferior due to his lower caste. To change society, Ravidas took to writing. Through his writings, he educated people about life and its mysteries and taught that people should love each other without discrimination.
Education and Miracles:
As a child, Ravidas used to go to the school of Pandit Shardanand. People of high caste objected to a lower caste child receiving education among the elite. During this time, Pandit Shardanand realized that Ravidas was no ordinary child but one sent by God. He accepted Ravidas into his school. Ravidas was intelligent and grasped more than what was taught. Pandit ji was deeply impressed by his brilliance and predicted that Ravidas would one day become spiritually enlightened and a great social reformer.
During his school years, Ravidas became friends with Pandit Shardanand’s son. One day they were playing hide and seek. Ravidas won once, and then his friend did. The next time it was Ravidas’s turn, but it got dark, and they agreed to continue the game the next morning. Ravidas arrived the next day, but his friend didn’t. Upon visiting his friend’s house, he found people crying. When he asked, he learned that his friend had died. Shocked, Ravidas went to the boy’s body and said, “Get up, my friend! This is not the time to sleep; it is time to play.” Hearing these words, the boy came back to life. Everyone present was astonished.
Married Life:
Due to his devotion to God, Ravidas could not engage in the family profession, which concerned his parents. To address this, they married him at a young age to a girl named Lona Devi. They had a son named Vijaydas. Even after marriage, Ravidas remained engrossed in devotion and did not participate in the family business. Upset by this, his father separated him from the family property so he could live independently. Ravidas moved to the backyard and immersed himself in devotion.
Guru and Fellow Disciples:
Raidas and Kabir were fellow disciples, both students of Saint Ramananda. From the Ganges source, two streams emerged—Kabir and Ravidas. With a guru like Ramananda and a disciple like Meera, Ravidas shone brightly. People might have forgotten Ramananda had it not been for Kabir and Ravidas. Due to them, Ramananda is still remembered. Hindus called Ravidas the crown jewel of devotees. He is acknowledged as a supreme devotee in texts like Bhaktamal. Despite being born in a poor Dalit family, Ravidas transcended wealth, position, and reputation, thus earning his place as a guiding star.
– Osho
Message: Ravidas taught that God created humans, not the other way around, and everyone has equal rights on Earth. His verses are included in the Sikh scripture ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ by the fifth Guru, Arjun Dev Ji. His followers are known as ‘Ravidasiyas’. His birth anniversary is celebrated worldwide in memory of his message of equality and peace.
Disciple:
Meera, the princess of Rajasthan and queen of Chittorgarh, sought divine fulfillment. When she met Ravidas, she bowed to his feet and rose only as his disciple. Before this, she had visited many saints, including Kabir, but did not accept any as her Guru. That a Rajput royal woman bowed to the feet of a Dalit proves that divinity fully resided in Ravidas. After bowing, Meera shed her ego and began to blossom spiritually. She later sang,
“Paayo ji maine Ram ratan dhan paayo. Vastu amolik di mere Satguru kirpa kar apnaayo.”
It is said Ravidas established a city named Begumpura, where people lived without discrimination, poverty, or caste insult. When disciples invited him for a holy Ganges bath, he declined, saying he had promised a customer to deliver shoes. Another time, he stated that it’s the purity of the soul that matters, not the body bathing in sacred rivers. If our heart and soul are pure, we are already holy, even if we bathe at home.
Miraculous Events: Ravidas was friends with a Brahmin boy, which angered other Brahmins. They complained to the king, who ordered the boy to be killed by a hungry lion. But as Ravidas stood before the lion, it calmed down and walked away. The king and Brahmins were ashamed and became his followers.
Another time, Brahmins accused Ravidas and fellow Dalits of mocking idol worship. The king summoned everyone and said that the true devotee’s idol would float in the Ganges. Brahmins brought lightweight idols wrapped in cloths, while Ravidas brought a 40 kg square idol. The Brahmins’ idol sank; Ravidas’s floated. After this, Dalits were granted the right to worship idols, and Ravidas was honored by the king.
In another tale, a wealthy merchant refused to drink water from Ravidas’s earthen pot, considering it impure. He threw it out, and it landed on his clothes. He later gave those clothes to a leper, who was miraculously cured. Meanwhile, the merchant developed leprosy, and after seeking forgiveness, was healed by Ravidas’s blessings.
Another story involves Pandit Gangaram, who was going to the Kumbh Mela. Ravidas gave him a coin to offer to the Ganges if she accepted it. Gangaram forgot to do so, but when he remembered and returned, Ganga appeared, accepted the coin, and gave him a golden bangle for Ravidas. Gangaram gave it to his wife instead. She sold it to a jeweler who showed it to the king. When the queen wanted a pair, Gangaram was caught. Ashamed, he sought Ravidas’s forgiveness. Ravidas dipped a pot in water and pulled out a second bangle, showing his divine power. Since then, the saying “Mann changa to kathoti mein Ganga” (“If your mind is pure, Ganga resides even in a bowl”) became popular.
Test of Greatness: One day a philosopher brought a Philosopher’s Stone to Ravidas and offered it to make him rich. Ravidas declined. The philosopher insisted Ravidas keep it until he returned. When he came back years later, the stone was still untouched. Impressed, he took it back.
It is also said that Babur and Sikandar Lodi met Ravidas. Though Ravidas lived primarily in Kashi, he often traveled with saints and disciples to Prayag, Mathura, Vrindavan, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Pushkar, and Chittorgarh.
In 1440, he left his body and merged into the void. Even today, the soil of Kashi is filled with the divine fragrance of Ravidas’s knowledge, love, and devotion.
Sources:
- Bharatiya Sant Parampara by Baldev Vanshi
- Uttari Bharat ki Sant Parampara by Parshuram Chaturvedi
- Wikipedia – Sant Ravidas
- Mann Hi Pooja, Mann Hi Dhoop by Osho
- Dharmasaar.com
- Dera Sachkhand Ballan – Amritvani compiled by Sant Surinder Das
- Satt Bhashai Raidas – Osho
- Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas – Dr. Nagendra
