Bhagat Pipa

Last updated

Pipa
Gurudev pipaji maharaj.jpg
Statue of Sant Pipa Bairagi
Personal
Born5 April 1425
Gagron, Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India
DiedUnknown (~early 15th century) [1]
Religion Hinduism
SpouseRani Sita
ChildrenRaja Dwarkanath
Known for1 verse in Guru Granth Sahib.
Other namesRaja Pipaji
Pratap Singh
Rao Pipa
Sardar Pipa
Sant Pipaji
Pipa Bairagi
OccupationRuler of Gagron

Bhagat Pipa (born 1425 [2] ) was a Rajput ruler of Gagaraungarh who abdicated the throne to become a Hindu mystic poet and saint of the Bhakti movement. [3] [4] He was born in the Malwa region of North India (east Rajasthan) in approximately AD 1425. [5]

Contents

Temple in samdari Pipaji mandir samdari.jpg
Temple in samdari

Pipa's exact date of birth and death are unknown, but it is believed that he lived in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century. [1] [6] [7] Born into a warrior class and royal family, Pipa is described as an early Shaivism (Shiva) and Sakta (Durga) follower. Thereafter, he adopted Vaishnavism as a disciple of Ramananda, and later preached Nirguni (god without attributes) beliefs of life. [8] [1] Bhagat Pipa is considered one of the earliest influential sants of the Bhakti movement in 15th century northern India. [8]

Life

Pipa (rightmost) with other Bhagats of Hinduism/Sikhism, Ravidas, Kabir and Namdev. Saint Kabir with Namdeva, Raidas and Pipaji. Jaipur, early 19century, National Museum New Delhi (2).jpg
Pipa (rightmost) with other Bhagats of Hinduism/Sikhism, Ravidas, Kabir and Namdev.
Detail of Bhagat Pipa from a mural at Gurdwara Baba Atal in Amritsar Detail of Bhagat Pipa from a mural at Gurdwara Baba Atal in Amritsar.jpg
Detail of Bhagat Pipa from a mural at Gurdwara Baba Atal in Amritsar

Pipa was born into a Rajput royal family at Gagaron, in the present-day Jhalawar district of Rajasthan. He became the king of Gagaraungarh. [3] Pipa worshipped the Hindu goddess Durga Bhavani and kept her idol in a temple within his palace. [5] While Pipa was the king Gagaraungarh, he abdicated and became a 'sanyasi' and accepted Ramananda as his guru. He then joined Ramananda's Vaishnavism Bhakti, a movement with a strong monist emphasis based out of Varanasi. [8] [1] In one of his works "Sri Vaishnav Dharm Mangalam" he says:

Sri Vaishnav Dharma Mangalam

सीतारामसमारम्भां श्रीबोधनायमध्यमाम् । अस्मादाचार्यपर्यन्तां वन्दे गुरुपरम्पराम् ॥1॥ नत्त्वा रामं तथा रामानन्दाचार्य यतीश्वरम् । सर्वमङ्गलदं कुर्वे वैष्णवधर्ममङ्गलम् ॥2॥—Sri Vaishnav Dharma Mangalam [9]

According to Bhaktamal, a Bhakti movement hagiography, his wife, Sita, stayed with him before and after his abdication when he became a wandering monk. [7] [10] The hagiography mentions many episodes of his sannyasa life, such as one where robbers tried to steal his buffalo that provided milk to his companions. When he stumbled into the robbery in progress, he began helping the robbers and suggested that they should take the calf. [11] The robbers were so touched that they abandoned their ways and became Pipa's disciples. [11]

In his later life, Bhagat Pipa, as with several other disciples of Ramananda such as Kabir and Dadu Dayal, shifted his devotional worship from saguni Vishnu avatar (Dvaita, dualism) to nirguni (Advaita, monism) god, that is, from god with attributes to god without attributes. [12] [13] According to the records found with local bards, 52 Rajput chiefs from clans of Gohil, Chauhan, Dahiya, Chavada, Dabhi, Makwana (Jhala), Rakhecha, Bhati, Parmar, Tanwar, Solanki, and Parihar resigned from their titles and offices and gave up alcohol, meat, and violence. Instead, those chiefs dedicated their lives to the teachings of their guru & former king.

Pipa's dates of birth and death are unknown, but the traditional genealogy in Bhakti hagiography suggests that he died in 1400 CE. [1]

Key teachings and influence

Pipa taught that God is within one's own self, and that true worship is to look within and have reverence for God in each human being. [7]

Within the body is the god, within the body is the temple,
within the body is all the Jangamas [14]
within the body the incense, the lamps, and the food-offerings,
within the body is the puja-leaves.

After searching so many lands,
I found the nine treasures within my body,
Now there will be no further going and coming,
I swear by Rama.

Sant Pipa, Gu dhanasari, Translated by Vaudeville [12]

He shared same views as Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and Bhagat Pipa's hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. [6] [7]

Shri Krishna Bhakta Peepaji (1923) by Shree Nath Patankar and Bhakt Peepaji (1980) by Dinesh Rawal are two Indian films about the legends of the saint. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kabir</span> 15th-century Indian poet and saint

Kabir was a well-known Indian mystic poet and saint. His verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, and Kabir Sagar of Dharamdas. Today, Kabir is an important figure in Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam, especially in Sufism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avatar</span> Material appearance or incarnation of a god on Earth in Hinduism

Avatar is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means 'descent'. It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being.

Bhakti is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love. In Indian religions, it may refer to loving devotion for a personal God, a formless ultimate reality or for an enlightened being. Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhakti movement</span> Medieval Hindu religious movement

The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th century CE, it gained prominence through the poems and teachings of the Vaishnava Alvars and Shaiva Nayanars before spreading northwards. It swept over east and north India from the 15th century onwards, reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century CE.

Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga, is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three classical paths in Hinduism which lead to moksha, the other paths being jnana yoga and karma yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Granth Sahib</span> Primary scripture of Sikhism

The Guru Granth Sahib is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth, its first rendition, was compiled by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan (1564–1606). Its compilation was completed on 29 August 1604 and first installed inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 1 September 1604. Baba Buddha was appointed the first Granthi of the Golden Temple. Shortly afterwards Guru Hargobind added Ramkali Ki Vaar. Later, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, added hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur to the Adi Granth and affirmed the text as his successor. This second rendition became known as the Guru Granth Sahib and is also sometimes referred to as the Adi Granth.

<i>Kirtan</i> Musically recited story in Indian traditions

Kirtana, also rendered as Kirtan or Keertan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas, native to the Indian subcontinent. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramananda</span> 14th century Vaishnava Bhakti poet-saint from India

Jagadguru Swami Ramananda or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya, the largest monastic Hindu renunciant community in modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagat Dhanna</span> Indian mystic poet

Dhanna Bhagat, also known Dhanna Jaat, Dhanna Jatt, Dhanna Bairagi or Sant Dhanna, was a mystic poet and a Vaishnav devotee whose three hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib.

<i>Matha</i> Hindu monastery

A matha, also written as math, muth, mutth, mutt, or mut, is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism. An alternative term for such a monastery is adheenam. The earliest epigraphical evidence for mathas related to Hindu-temples comes from the 7th to 10th century CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namdev</span> Hindu Bhakti Saint from the medieval era

Namdev, also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, was a Marathi Vaishnava saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, Medieval India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He was as a devotee of the deity Vithoba of Pandharpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramanandi Sampradaya</span> Branch of the Vaishnava Hinduism

The Ramanandi, also known as Ramavats, is one of the largest sect of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 gates of Vaishnavism divided into 4 Vaishnava Sampradayas, 36 are held by Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worship of Rama, Sita, and Hanuman and avatars of Vishnu. They consider Rama and Sita as Supreme Absolute who are non different from each other. It is considered to have been founded by Ramananda, a 14th-century Vaishnava saint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh scriptures</span> Holy books of an Indian religion

The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth, more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by the Sikh Gurus.

Hinduism and Sikhism are Indian religions. Hinduism has pre-historic origins, while Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Both religions share many philosophical concepts such as karma, dharma, mukti, and maya although both religions have different interpretation of some of these concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagat Sain</span>

Bhagat Sain, also known as Sena Bhagat, was a Hindu mystic poet and saint of the Bhakti movement that lived in the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century. His name was known in every house due to his devotion to god. Bhagat Sain was a barber of the royal court of Raja Ram Singh, ruler of Rewa. He was a disciple of Ramananda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagat Trilochan</span>

Trilochan was a celebrated medieval Indian saint and one of devotee whose hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravidas</span> 13th-century Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement

Ravidas or Raidas (1267–1335) was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Nanak</span> Founder and first guru of Sikhism (1469–1539)

Gurū Nānak, also known as Bābā Nānak, was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Katak Pooranmashi, i.e. October–November.

Hindu denominations, sampradayas, traditions, movements, and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and so on. The term sampradaya is used for branches with a particular founder-guru with a particular philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Writers of the Guru Granth Sahib</span>

The Guru Granth Sahib, is the central religious text of Sikhism, considered by Sikhs to be the final sovereign Guru of the religion. It contains 1430 Angs, containing 5,894 hymns of 36 saint mystics which includes Sikh gurus, Bhagats, Bhatts and Gursikhs. It is notable among foundational religious scriptures for including hymns from writers of other religions, namely Hindus and Muslims. It also contains teachings of the Sikh gurus themselves.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ronald McGregor (1984), Hindi literature from its beginnings to the 19th century, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN   978-3447024136, pages 42-44
  2. Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo, Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. p. 79. ISBN   9788126018031.
  3. 1 2 John Stratton Hawley (1987), Three Hindu Saints in Saints and Virtues, University of California Press, ISBN   978-0520061637, pages 63-66, 53-54
  4. Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, Volume 6, Cambridge University Press, pages 111–119
  5. 1 2 "Search Gurbani : Gurbani Research Website".
  6. 1 2 James Lochtefeld, "Pipa", The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 2: N–Z, Rosen Publishing. ISBN   978-0823931798, page 511
  7. 1 2 3 4 Nirmal Dass (2000), Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth, State University of New York Press, ISBN   978-0791446836, pages 181-184
  8. 1 2 3 David Lorenzen, who founded the Hinduism: Essays on Religion in History, ISBN   978-8190227261, pages 116-118
  9. Pipa. Chatuḥ Samprdaya Digdarshan. p. 142.
  10. Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, ISBN   978-0700713318, pages 277-278
  11. 1 2 Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, ISBN   978-0700713318, page 285
  12. 1 2 Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, ISBN   978-0700713318, page 292
  13. Michaels 2004, pp. 252–256.
  14. A term in Shaiva Hindu religiosity, referring to an individual who is always on the go, seeking, learning.
  15. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema . British Film Institute. ISBN   9780851706696 . Retrieved 12 August 2012.

Further reading