The President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday greeted fellow citizens on the eve of the Guru Ravidas Jayanti on February 16, 2022.
In a message, the President has said, “I extend warm greetings and best wishes to all the fellow citizens on the auspicious occasion of birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas Ji”.
“Let us take a pledge to follow the path shown by Guru Ravidasji and contribute to building a society based on equality and harmony”, the President added.
Who was Guru Ravidas?
Guru Ravidas was a great saint, poet, and social reformer during the 15th to 16th century CE. He is considered a leading poet-saint of the Bhakti Movement.
The Guru was born into a lower-caste untouchable family as Hindu-Brahmanical standards.
Though his parents did leather works for their livelihood, he began to spend most of his time in spiritual pursuits at the banks of the Ganges in the company of Sufi saints and ascetics.
However, the medieval text titled Ratnavali states that Guru Ravidas was a disciple of Vaishnav Saint Ramananda and promoted his Ramanandi Sampradaya tradition.
Nonetheless, Guru Ravidas through his devotional songs tried to eradicate the social evils and bring about harmony in society.
Also known as Sant Raidas, the Guru tried to inculcate the feeling of mutual love and equality among the people. His teachings of peace and fraternity are even more relevant today.
Being an enlightened spiritual person and a great social reformer, Guru Ravidas always encouraged his followers to follow the path of hard work, diligence, and forbearance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Greetings
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remembered Guru Ravidas on the eve of his Jayanti. He said that his government has imbibed the spirit of Guru Ravidas Ji in its policies and governance programs.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said that the way the great saint Guru Ravidas Ji dedicated his life to eliminating evil practices like caste and untouchability from society, is still inspiring for all of us.
महान संत गुरु रविदास जी की कल जन्म-जयंती है। उन्होंने जिस प्रकार से अपना जीवन समाज से जात-पात और छुआछूत जैसी कुप्रथाओं को समाप्त करने के लिए समर्पित कर दिया, वो आज भी हम सबके लिए प्रेरणादायी है।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 15, 2022
Remembering his visit to the birthplace of Guru Ravidas Ji in Varanasi in the years 2016 and 2019, the Prime Minister said that he had decided then and there to leave no stone unturned in the development of the holy site.
The Prime Minister said that he will visit Shri Guru Ravidas Vishram Dham Temple in Karolbagh, Delhi tomorrow at 9 am and pray for the welfare of the people.