 Portrait of a Ramanandi ascetic worshippingSitaRama inMandi (Himachal Pradesh, India), first half of the 19th century | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Ramananda | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India •Nepal •Trinidad and Tobago •Guyana •Suriname •Caribbean •Fiji •Mauritius •South Africa •United Kingdom •United States •Canada •Australia •New Zealand | |
| Religions | |
| Hinduism | |
| Scriptures | |
| Valmiki Ramayana,Adhyatma Ramayana,Ramcharitmanas,Vedas,Bhaktamal,Vaishnava Matabja Bhaskara,Vinaya Patrika, Ananda Bhashya (Brahma Sutra Upaniṣad Gita),Ramarchana Paddhati,Maithili Maha Upanishad,Valmiki Samhita,Hanuman Chalisa,Sita Upanishad |
TheRamanandi (IAST:Rāmānandī), also known asRamavats (Rāmāvat),[1][2] is one of the largest sects ofVaishnavas.[3] Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnavasampradayas, 36 are held by the Ramanandi.[4] The sect mainly emphasizes the worship ofRama,Sita,Hanuman, and theavatars ofVishnu. They consider Rama and Sita as the Supreme Absolute who are not different from each other. It is considered to have been founded byRamananda, a 14th-century Vaishnavasaint.[5][6][7]
The Ramanandi Sampradaya originates from Rama, who initiated Sita with his six-letter mantra. Sita later initiated her beloved disciple Hanuman with the same mantra. According toShanti Lala Nagar,Valmiki Samhita says:
The Supreme Being, Rama, always ready to protect his eternal servants and to assist those with meek hearts. This is well-known in the Vedas. He created this universe and, with the desire for the welfare of people, Rama imparted the transcendental mantra to Sita, the daughter of King Janaka than She revealed this to the glorious Hanuman, the repository of virtues. Hanuman then conveyed it to Brahma, who in turn passed it on to the sage Vasishtha. Thus, in this sequence, the divine mantra descended into this world.[8]
It is claimed that this tradition has been established in all four Yugas and inKaliyuga Rama himself appeared as Ramanandacharya atPrayagraj.[9]
Bhaktamal is a hagiographic work on Hindu saints and devotees written byNabhadas in 1660,[10] was a core text for all Vaishnavas including Ramanandis.[11] Many localised commentaries ofBhaktamal were taught to young Vaishnavas across India. In the 19th century, proliferation of the printing press in theGangetic plains of North India allowed various commentaries of the text to be widely distributed. Of these, Jankidas Sri Vaishnav's edition of Bhaktamal known asBhaktamal Bhaskara is considered to be the most authoritative as he has used the most oldest handwritten manuscripts in this edition.[12] Ramananda's guru Raghavananda is described as an egalitarian guru who taught students of all castes. Ramananda himself is described as anavatar ofRama, a humble student with great yogic talents.
Munsi Ram Sharma says that more than 500 disciples of Ramananda who lives with him in Varanasi.[13] It is said that propagator of Ramanadi tradition isSita. She first imparted teachings toHanuman, through which the revelation of this secret occurred in the world. Due to this, the name of this tradition is Sri Sampradaya, and its main mantra is referred to as the 'Ram Tarak Mantra'.[14] The guru imparts initiation of sacred Ram mantra into the disciple's ear. They apply an upward-pointing tilak (urdhva pund) on the forehead. Complete devotion and immersion in devotional songs (bhajans) is the tradition's way of life. Most saints lead a life of renunciation (paramhansa) within this tradition.[15] Farquhar credits Ramananda[16] and his followers as the origin of the North Indian practice of using Ram to refer to theAbsolute.[17] Farquhar finds no evidence to show that Ramananda endeavoured to "overturn caste as a social institution".[18] On the other hand, Sita Ram, author of theVaishnava history of Ayodhya, andGeorge Grierson, eminent linguist and Indologist, represent Ramananda as saint who tried to transcend caste divisions of medieval India through the message of love and equality. The scholars also disagree on Ramananda's connection with Ramanuja. While Farquhar finds them completely unconnected, Sita Ram and Grierson finds Ramananda connection with Ramanuja tradition.[19] But a historical debate held between Ramanuj and Ramanand tradition in Ujjain Kumbh 1921, ended up the issue of both the traditions being one; Ramanuja Ramprapannadas from Ramanuj tradition got defeated from Bhagvaddas of Ramanandi tradition.[20]
Up to the nineteenth century, many of the trade routes in northern India were guarded by groups of warrior-ascetics, including the Nāgā sections of the Rāmānandīs, who were feared because of their strength and fearlessness.[21] The British took steps to disarm these militant groups of ascetics, but even today the sects still retain their heroic traditions.[21]
The Ramanandi Sampradaya is considered one of the largest and most egalitarian Hindu sects India, around theGangetic Plain, and Nepal.[3]
Ramanandis live chiefly in the northern part of India.[2] Ramanandi monasteries are found throughout northern, western and central India, the Ganges basin, the NepaleseTerai, and the Himalayan foothills.[3] Ramanandis are spread across India, mainly inJammu,Punjab,[22]Himachal,Gujarat,Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan,Odisha,Assam andWest Bengal.[23] The majority of Hindu immigrants toTrinidad and Tobago as well as substantial section of Hindus in United Kingdom of Great Britain belong to Vaishnava sects such as the Ramanandi. Ramanandi has had a major influence on the mainstreamSanatani (orthodox) sect ofHinduism in Trinidad and Tobago.[24]
Ramanandis worshipRama as their principal deity, along with Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman.[1]Vishnu is also worshiped and other incarnations.[2][25][note 1] Ramanandi ascetics rely upon meditation and strict ascetic practices, but also believe that the grace of god is required for them to achieve liberation. For that reason, theTyāga section of the Ramanandi ascetics, unlike some Shaiva ascetics, do not cut thesacred thread.[26] Their reasoning for this is that only Vishnu or Rama can grant liberation.[27]
Most Ramanandis consider themselves to be the followers ofRamananda, aVaishnava saint in medieval India.[28] Philosophically, they followVishishtadvaita (IASTViśiṣṭādvaita) tradition.[29]
Its ascetic wing constitutes the largest Vaishnavamonastic order and may possibly be the largest monastic order in all of India.[30] There are two major subgroups of Ramanandi ascetics: the Tyagi, who use ash for initiation, and the Naga, who are the militant wing.[31]
SaintsDhanna andPipa were among the immediate disciples of Ramananda.[32] Hymns written by them find mention in theAdi Granth, holy scripture of theSikhs.[33] Sects founded by saintsRaidas, Sena and Maluk Das are also of a direct Ramanandi origin.[32]
The poet-saintTulsidas, who composed theRamcharitmanas, was a member of this sect.[1][2] His writings are regarded to have madeVishnu andShiva devotees of each other and thereby bridged the gap between Vaishnavas and Shaivas. Because Tulsidas attempted to reconcile various theologies scholars likeRamchandra Shukla do not agree that he can be considered to be a Ramanandi exclusively.[34]
Some sources sayJayadeva, who composed theGita Govinda, was also a member of this sect.[2] Other sources classify Jayadeva simply as a Bengali Vaishnava.[1] Jayadeva's verses also appear in the Adi Granth.
Kabir was also disciple of Ramananda and part of Ramanandi Sampradaya,[2] Kabir's disciples, Surat Gopal andDharamdas also founded a separate sect that is now known as theKabirpanthi.[2] Compositions by Kabir are included in the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
Another bhakti saint,Ravidas, who was also a disciple of Ramananda, followed Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the central figure of theRavidassia religion.[35][36] Ravidas's poetry features prominently in theSikh scripture.
Bhaktamal, a poem written c. 1585 inBraj language, gives short biographies of more than 200 bhaktas. It was written byNabha Dass, a saint belonging to the tradition of Ramananda.[37][35] It also extols the piety of Ramanandi saint Bhagwan and miraculous powers of his disciple Narain, who founded the Ramanandi Vaishnav temple namedThakurdwara Bhagwan Narainji in Pandori dham inGurdaspur,Punjab.[38]
The lineage of Ramanandi Sampradaya is claimed to start fromRama,[39] The lineage as said by Anantanandacharya toKrishnadas Payahari is:
They are divided into several sections, among which may be mentioned the Ramanandi who worship Ram Chandra
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