Kuldip Kumar, a law graduate and CA, a bank employee, under suspension since 1998 for giving loan to Dalit clients, an Ambedkarite and a staunch worker of DS4 and BAMCEF, is a noted author in Punjabi language. The book under review on Saint Ravidas is projecting him in new perspective. The author raises many questions about Dalit saints:
(1) Can our saints be called Hindu. (2) Is their work domain limited to religious field? (3) Is their teaching limited to Dalit castes? (4) Who limited these saints to our own castes? (5) Why Ravidas talks of type of political rule he wants?
The author wishes to draw our attention to these points and claims that he has, probably, for the first time dealt with these questions. Guru Ravidas is unique in two respects: (1) He appealed to Dalits to regain their lost political rule and (2) he was the only Dalit saint who was murdered. There were two reasons for his murder: (1) He gave diksha to a widow Rajput queen which was no less than a great revolution.
The author refutes the Brahminic claim that Ravidas was a bhakt. Ravidas was no bhakt. He was a propagator of shraman tradition and compares his teaching with those of the Budha and Dr. Ambedkar. To call the Dalit saints as rishi is also an insult.
Sikhs insulting Ravidas: Ravidas was a great guru. The word bhakt is as insulting as Harijan. The tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, compiled the bani of all the saints from all over India and put it in the
(2) He asked for political powers. Guru Granth. Then he declared that the Granth is the guru in future. Thus he raised the status of the saints whose bani is in the Granth, to the status of the Guru. The author claims that those Sikh leaders who describe these saints as bhakt are insulting the Guru Granth.
Meerabai murdered: Ramanand was no guru of Ravidas. On the contrary, Ramanand himself calls Kabir as his guru and pathfinder. Guru Ravidas and Kabir were no followers of Rama or Krishna. No Dalit saint could be the follower’s of such characterless fellows.
Neither Ravidas mentions Ramanand as his guru nor Ramanand mentions Ravidas as his disciple. None of the saints whose bani is mentioned in the Guru Granth has claimed any relation between Ramanand and Ravidas. Rani Jhali found only two gurus in Beneras: Ravidas and Kabir but no Ramanand.
Rani Meera’s Girdhar is none other than her guru
Ravidas. Rajput princess Meerabai was murdered by the Brahmins for the sole reason of making a Chamar as guru. The Brahmins later made false propaganda that “she entered the solid image of god”, a feat impossible for even great gurus.
Was Ravidas a Hindu or a Budhist? Saints like Ravidas and Kabir cannot be termed Hindu. They fought against Hinduism. A Marathi scholar, Baban Lavatre, has proved that Kabir was actually a Budhist monk and had a Budhist guru, Pitmbar Pir. They used dress of pir and not of a bhikhu because of fear of persecution.
The author gives those 38 songs of Ravidas out of the 40 included in the Guru Granth with its meaning.
The book is one of its own kind. It is well laid out and of good quality with modest price, as Samyak Books always are. It is highly recommended for scholars and general public.
