Twilight of the Sultanate c18.s2: Other Disciples Of Rāmānanda
Twilight of the Sultanate c18.s2
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Other Disciples Of Rāmānanda
c18.s2.1
Of the disciples of Rāmānanda, Kabīr undoubtedly occupies the first place. But Dhannā, Pīpā, Saīn and Raidās also delivered the same broad-based message though in an humbler way. Some of the hymns of the first three are preserved in the *Ādigrantha* of the Sikhs, while Raidās's teachings have been published separately.
c18.s2.2
Dhannā was born in the village of Dhuan, in Tank, Rajputana.²⁶ He was a simple peasant and taught Bhakti to the people through his simple songs. Pīpā was the Raja of Gagraungarh, but being of saintly temperament, became the disciple of Rāmānanda. "*Pīpājī Ki Bānī*" has not been published, but a hymn in the *Ādigranth* shows the same tendency as is found in other contemporary saints, that is, worship must be internal and discipleship of Gurū helps one to attain God. Saīn was a barber. His hymns are both in Marathi and Hindi, which shows that his message influenced both the south and the north. Ravidās or Raidās belonged to Varanasi.
c18.s2.3
²⁶ He was born in A.D. 1472 according to Macauliffe and in A.D. 1415 according to Tarachand; but since he was a disciple of Rāmānanda the latter date seems to be more probable. Tarachand, 178; Also *Sant Kāvya*, 228.
c18.s2.4
He was a worker in leather and the people of his family used to do the work of removing carcasses.²⁷ It was in consonance with the spirit of the fifteenth century that such a very low caste reformist came to be known as a saint (*sant*). It is said that Jhālī Rānī, a princess of Mewar, became his disciple. His poems, retailed in stray publications, show his heart completely saturated with the love of God.
c18.s2.5
²⁷ *Sant Kāvya*, 210.
c18.s2.6
Kabīr and his contemporaries (including his son Sant Kamāl) influenced the life and thought of the people in Uttar Pradesh, Rajputana, northern Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and perhaps the south also. Nānak, another mighty mind, created a similar stir in the Punjab.