Ramananda

An early social reformer, Ramananda accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone by gender, class or caste. Traditional scholarship holds that his disciples included later Bhakti movement poet-sants such as Kabir, Ravidas, Bhagat Pipa and others, however, some postmodern scholars have questioned some of this spiritual lineage while others have supported this lineage with historical evidence.[6] His verse is mentioned in the Sikh holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib.[8] Ramananda was known for composing his works and discussing spiritual themes in vernacular Hindi, stating that this makes knowledge accessible to the masses.[9]

• Honorific Prefix — Jagadguru Swami • Honorific Suffix — Acharya • Name — Ramananda • Religion — Hinduism • Born — 30 December, ~1300-1380 CE[1] l • Birthplace — Prayagraj, Delhi Sultanate (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) • Died — uncertain date, ~1400-1475 CE[2] • Place of death — Banaras, Delhi Sultanate (present-day Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India) • Teacher — Raghavananda • Sect — Ramanandi Sampradaya • Philosophy — Vishishtadvaita • Known for — *Founder of Bairagi Ramanandi Sampradaya • Guru of Major Poet-saints • A Pioneer of Bhakti movement in north India • Social Reformer • Disciples — 2 poetess-sants and 10 poet-sants including Kabir, Ravidas, Pipa, Dhanna, and Surasurananda • Influences — Ramanuja • Influenced — Tulsidas, Nabha Dass, Krishnadas Payahari, Kilhadev

Little is known with certainty about the life of Ramananda, including year of birth and death[10] The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature give dates of 1366–1467 for his lifespan.[11] His biography has been derived from mentions of him in secondary literature and inconsistent hagiographies. The most accepted version holds that Ramananda was born in a Kanyakubja Brahmin family, about mid 14th-century, and died about mid 15th-century.[13] Although few people hold him to be of southern origin, there's no evidence to support such a claim. In fact, all genuinely Indian sources agree in stating that Ramananda was born at Prayaga (Allahabad).[16] "Not one word is said as to his southern origin, and the fact that he was stated to be a Kanyakubja Brahmin is decisively against such a theory" –George A. Greirson (1920). According to the medieval era Bhaktamala text by Nabhadas, Ramananda studied under Raghavananda, a guru (teacher) in Vedanta-based Vatakalai (northern, Rama-avatar) school of Vaishnavism.[17] "It was Ramananda's teacher, Raghavananda, who came from the South, and after much wandering had settled at Benares. There, and not in the South, he had Ramananda as his disciple." –George A. Greirson (1920). Other scholars state that Ramananda's education started in Adi Shankara's Advaita Vedanta school, before he met Raghavananda and began his studies in Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita Vedanta school.[18]

Ramananda is credited as the author of many devotional poems, but like most Bhakti movement poets, whether he actually was the author of these poems is unclear. Two treatises in Hindi, Gyan-lila and Yog-cintamani are also attributed to Ramananda, as are the Sanskrit works Vaishnava Matabja Bhaskara and the Ramarchana Paddhati. His three other literatures: Brahm Sutra Anandbhashya, Upanishad Anandbhashya, and Shrimad Bhagwadgita Anandbhshya are also famous. However, poems found in the original and well-preserved manuscripts of Sikhism and handwritten Nagari-pracarini Sabha are considered authentic and highlight the Nirguna (attributeless god) stream of thought in Ramananda.

Fourteen influential disciples of Ramananda included 12 men and 2 women poet-sants. According to Bhaktamal, these were:[24] Men scholars: • Anantananda • Sursurananda • Sukhanand • Naraharidāsa • Bhavanand • Vitthalpant Kulkarni • Bhagat Pipa • Kabir • Ravidas • Sen • Dhanna • Sadhana Women scholars: • Sursuri • Padyawati Postmodern scholars have questioned some of the above guru-disciple lineage while others have supported this lineage with historical evidence.

Ramananda is the founder of the eponymous Ramanandi Sampraday (Shri Ramavat or Shri Sampraday or Vairagi Sampradaya). This is the largest ascetic community in India, and their members are known as Ramanandis, Vairagis or Bairagis.[25] They are known for their self-imposed highly disciplined, austere, structured and simple lifestyle. Richard Burghart acknowledges that Ramananda is revered as the founder in the Ramanandi Sampraday's tradition, but adds that historical evidence about its origin is meager and India's largest monastic community may have gathered strength a few centuries after Ramananda's death.[27]

Ramananda was an influential social reformer of Northern India. He championed the pursuit of knowledge and direct devotional spirituality, and did not discriminate based on birth family, gender or religion. According to legend, 5-year-old Kabir Saheb claimed Ramanand as his guru, despite being from a low-caste weaver family. This encounter led to Ramanand abandoning his practice of untouchability.[28]

• Illustration — Detail of Bhagat Ramananda from a mural at Gurdwara Baba Atal in Amritsar, circa 19th century One poem of Ramananda, originally written in Hindi, is a response to an invitation to go to a temple, and the answer states there is no need to visit a temple because God is within a person, all pervasive in everything and everyone.