GURU RAVIDASS, BHAKTI AND HIS VISION OF AN EGALITARIAN STATE

Dr. Ronki Ram (Chairperson Dept. of Political Science, Punjab University) (India)

Guru Ravidas was probably the first one after Gautam Buddha who dared to revolt against the inhuman system of social exclusion and untouchability practiced for ages in India. However, what made him different was his method of revolt. He adopted Bhakti as a mode of expression of his social revolt. His Bhakti-based method was not only unique but also a befitting reply to the subtle mechanisations deployed by the Brahminical class to keep the downtrodden out of the mainstream. Bhakti was used to be considered a privilege reserved for the upper castes, especially the priests. Whereas, ex-untouchables were not allowed to practice Bhakti because they were condemned as polluted. It is in this context that that the adoption of Bhakti by Guru Ravidass as a method of social protest assumes special importance.