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Context

• The postponement of the Punjab elections will allow Ravidassias to travel to Varanasi for Guru Ravidas Jayanti. Why is it important for all political parties to woo this community and its largest dera?

Ravidas Ji

• About: Sant Ravidas was a 14th-century saint and founder of the Bhakti movement in North India.
• Founder of: He was also the founder of Ravidassia religion during the 15th to 16th century CE.
• Disciple: Ravidas was the disciple of the Brahmin bhakti-poet Ramananda.
• Contemporary: He is traditionally considered as Kabir's younger contemporary.
• Scripture: Ravidas's devotional Verses were included in the Sikh scriptures known as Guru Granth Sahib. 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.
• Teaching: He taught removal of social divisions of caste and gender, and promoted unity in the pursuit of personal spiritual freedoms.
• 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 Ravidas. 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 Yogi.

Beliefs of the Ravidassia Religion

• Teachings of Ravidas represent an offshoot of the Bhakti movement of the fifteenth century, a religious renaissance in India. Ravidas taught the following principles:

1. The oneness, omnipresence and omnipotence of God.
2. The human soul is a particle of God.

• The rejection of the notion that God cannot be met by lower castes.

1. To realize God, which is the goal of human life, man should concentrate on God during all rituals of life.
2. The only way of meeting with God (moksha) is to free the mind from duality.

Significance

• Guru Ravidas was a great saint and a religious reformer, who devoted his life to serve humanity.
• He worked for promoting the principles of social harmony and brotherhood throughout his life.
• He called upon people to resolve to take inspiration from his teachings and strive for strengthening fraternity in the society for the benefit of humanity.
• The messages given by Sant Ravidas on equality, goodwill and compassion centuries ago, will inspire the countrymen for ages.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/punjab-assembly-elections-postponed-ravidassias-community-7728654/

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