Tribute to Guru Ravidas

• 13 Feb 2025

Why in News? 

The Chief Minister of Haryana paid tribute to Guru Ravidas on his birth anniversary. Guru Ravidas Jayanti is celebrated on Purnima Tithi of Magha Month. 

 

Key Points 

• Government Initiative for Honoring Saints 
  • The Haryana government launched the Sant-Mahapurush Samman and Vichar Prachar-Prasar Yojana. 
  • Under this initiative, birth anniversaries and centenaries of saints and great personalities will be celebrated at the state level. 
• About Guru Ravidas: 
  • Sant Guru Ravidas, born in 1377 CE in Seer Govardhanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is revered as a saint, philosopher, poet, and social reformer. 
  • Known by various names like Raidas, Rohidas, and Ruhidas, he hailed from a community traditionally associated with leatherwork. 
  • Guru Ravidas made significant contributions to the Bhakti Movement, emphasising devotion to the divine and promoting spiritual equality. 
  • His teachings emphasised human rights, equality, and spiritual enlightenment. 
  • Some of his compositions are included in the revered scripture, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, adding to his literary and philosophical significance. 

 Bhakti Movement 

• The development of the Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between the 7th and 9th centuries. 
• It was reflected in the emotional poems of the Nayanars (devotees of Shiva) and Alvars (devotees of Vishnu).  
  • These saints looked upon religion not as a cold formal worship but as a loving bond based upon love between the worshipped and worshipper. 
• In course of time, the ideas of the South moved up to the North but it was a very slow process. 
• A more effective method for spreading the Bhakti ideology was the use of local languages. The Bhakti saints composed their verses in local languages. 
• They also translated Sanskrit works to make them understandable to a wider audience.  
  • Examples include Jnanadeva writing in Marathi, Kabir, Surdas and Tulsidas in Hindi, Shankaradeva popularising Assamese, Chaitanya and Chandidas spreading their message in Bengali, Mirabai in Hindi and Rajasthani.