Ramananda and the revolution against casteism

Ramananda (1400–1476 CE), also referred to as Sant Ramanand or Swami Ramanand, was a Vaishnava sant. He is considered to be the reviver of the Ramanandi sect. Ramananda for the most part of his life lived in the holy city of Varanasi, and was a pioneer of the Bhakti movement, as well as a social reformer in Northern India. He was known for communicating in vernacular Hindi, and accepting disciples of all castes. His 12 disciples are very famous-Anantananda, Bhavananda, Dhanna Bhagat, Kabir, Nabha, Naraharyanda, Pipa, Ravidas (also known as Guru Ravidas), Bhagat Sain, Sukhanada, Ranka and Tulsidas (not the author of the Ramcharitmanas).

Saint Ramananda is generally considered to have been born around AD
1400, some say that he was born in 1366 CE. Although there is
disagreement on the exact date and place of birth, due to the few texts
regarding his early life. The birthplace has been suggested to be
Triveni Sangam Allahabad, Prayaga. He was born to an upper-caste Brahmin
family, and his parents were probably named Sushila and Punyasadan
Sharma. He was spiritually inclined right from his childhood. Acharya
Raghavanand who is also known as Dakshinayat Rishi (as he lived in
Jagannath Puri which is always considered a southern city in Hindu
scriptures) included him in the Ramavat sect. Ramananda spent most of
his life in Kashi (Banaras / Varanasi), where, as a mark of respect, people built a memorial that stands there to this day.

When Ramananda was a child, he studied the Hindu scriptures and
showed great interest in spiritual thoughts. He received his early
education in Kasi.
A renowned philosopher and the prophet of the new Vaishnava religion,
known for his downplaying the role of caste, Ramananda was particularly
known for worshipping Lord Rama and his wife Goddess Sita. Ramanuja and
Ramananda both believed that the human soul is distinct from the Supreme
Spirit and retains its identity and separate consciousness. His
footprints are visible at Srimath, Panchganga Ghat, Kashi. Ramananda visited many places of pilgrimage, including Jagganath Puri, where a memorial in his honour still exists.


Revolution Against Casteism


Ramananda realised that God can be worshipped by everyone because
Lord Rama himself has never stopped the people of any caste from
reaching Him.Instead, the Ramayan is full of stories about Shabri,
Kevat,etc. who all were Lower castes, but Rama gave them equal respect,
the way he respected Brahmins. Ramananda believed that in spiritual
pursuit, the caste system of India is redundant. He believed that to
truly devote yourself to Lord Rama, one must forget one's caste identity
and social status. Ramananda is quoted as saying, “Let no one ask a
man’s caste or with whom he eats. If a man is devoted to Hari, he
becomes Hari’s own.” Ramananda had disciples of all castes.

He took a very radical approach to teaching and preaching through the
inclusion of the poor and the people of low castes. After Ramananda’s
death, the members of the Ramanandi sect
led a social revolution in the Ganges basin by recruiting women and
members of low castes into their sect. In addition, Saint Ramananda was
the driving force of the popularization of the devotion of Lord Rama.

In modern day society, the present Ramanandi school of religious
teaching is the largest Vaishnava monastic order in Northern India
today. It may also be the largest monastic order of a sectarian
affiliation in the entire subcontinent of India. Monasteries of the Ramanandi sect are in many states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh (Shri Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala and Tirupati), the Nepal Valley and the Nepalese Tarai. It is estimated that the Ramanandi sect competes with the Dasnami sect for the title of being the largest Hindu ascetic sect.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramananda

No doubt an enlightened revolutionary !