DALIT SAINTS OF HINDUISM
INTRODUCTION
The Dalit is a certain section of Hindu society usually termed as a “lower” caste, and there are many famous saints hailed from Dalit community. Some of the famous Dalit Hindu saints are Ravidas, Kabir, Namdev, Chokha Mela, and Mata Kanhopatra, etc. Ravidas was the guru of saint Meerabai, Queen of Chittor, and also to royal kings. He was worshipped by the Brahmins saints also, and they used to bow before the great saint Sant Ravidas, who is considered as an incarnation of Lord Ravi, another name of Lord Surya Bhagavan.
Many Dalit saints, due to their noble works, and great super natural powers, were treated similar to the Brahmin saints, and were worshipped as a Brahmin Guru by the great kings and by the common man. The most popular ancient Dalit saints are Matanga Munivar, the great Shiva devotee Nandanar, and Valmiki. As per the legend, the great saint Nandanar once entered into the fire and came out of the fire as a Brahmin scholar.
The term “Dalit” is a prestigious word, and it came from the mouth of the great Hindu reformers such as Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi gave a new name for the Dalit people as Harijan, people of Lord Hari.
According to famous texts, god would usually dwell in the hearts of the Dalit saints. Most of the Varkari saints are belonged to Dalit community, and most of them have attained salvation through the grace of Lord Vittal, a form of Lord Krishna.
TEACHINGS OF DALIT SAINTS
- Keep knocking the door, the door would be opened through the grace of the god.
- According to god, all of his creations are equal and he was against caste discrimination.
- Feel the divine presence of the Lord in your soul.
- Even servants can become masters through the blessings of the almighty.
- Humanity must be there to attain spirituality.
- Console the saddest people and remove their tears through your kind approach.
- Uplift the poor and the down trodden people, and give your helping hand to the worst sufferers in the world.
- Time lost cannot be created again.
- Be a strong person and win your enemies.
- Thank god.
Let us worship the great Dalit saint Ravidas and be blessed.
“OM SRI BHAGAVAN RAVIDAS NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR