Pipa | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Sant Pipa Bairagi | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 5 April 1425 Gagron, Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India |
| Died | Unknown (~early 15th century)[1] |
| Spouse | Rani Sita |
| Children | Raja Dwarkanath |
| Known for | 1 verse in Guru Granth Sahib. |
| Other names | Raja Pipaji Pratap Singh Rao Pipa Sardar Pipa Sant Pipaji Pipa Bairagi |
| Occupation | Ruler of Gagron |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Bhagat Pipa (born 1425[2]) was aRajputruler of Gagaraungarh who abdicated the throne to become a Hindumystic poet and saint of theBhakti movement.[3][4] He was born in theMalwa region of NorthIndia (eastRajasthan) in approximately AD 1425.[5]
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 earlyShaivism (Shiva) andSakta (Durga) follower. Thereafter, he adoptedVaishnavism as a disciple ofRamananda, and later preached Nirguni (god without attributes) beliefs of life.[8][1] Bhagat Pipa is considered one of the earliest influentialsants of the Bhakti movement in 15th century northern India.[8]
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Pipa was born into aRajput royal family atGagaron, in the present-dayJhalawar district ofRajasthan. He became the king of Gagaraungarh.[3] Pipa worshipped the Hindu goddess DurgaBhavani and kept her idol in a temple within his palace.[5] While Pipa was the king Gagaraungarh, he abdicated and became a 'sanyasi' and acceptedRamananda as hisguru. He then joined Ramananda'sVaishnavism Bhakti, a movement with a strong monist emphasis based out ofVaranasi.[8][1] In one of his works "Sri Vaishnav Dharm Mangalam" he says:
सीतारामसमारम्भां श्रीबोधनायमध्यमाम् । अस्मादाचार्यपर्यन्तां वन्दे गुरुपरम्पराम् ॥1॥नत्त्वा रामं तथा रामानन्दाचार्य यतीश्वरम् । सर्वमङ्गलदं कुर्वे वैष्णवधर्ममङ्गलम् ॥2॥—Sri Vaishnav Dharma Mangalam[9]
According toBhaktamal, 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 hissannyasa 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 asKabir andDadu Dayal, shifted his devotional worship fromsaguni Vishnu avatar (Dvaita, dualism) tonirguni (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 ofGohil,Chauhan,Dahiya,Chavada,Dabhi,Makwana (Jhala),Rakhecha,Bhati,Parmar,Tanwar,Solanki, andParihar 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]
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 thepuja-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 byRama.
— Sant Pipa, Gu dhanasari, Translated by Vaudeville[12]
He shared same views as Guru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism, and Bhagat Pipa's hymns are included in theGuru Granth Sahib.[6][7]
Shri Krishna Bhakta Peepaji (1923) byShree Nath Patankar andBhakt Peepaji (1980) by Dinesh Rawal are two Indian films about the legends of the saint.[15]
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