Guru Ghasidas was born in an era when evils like casteism, untouchability, religious fanaticism and conservatism thrived in Hindu society. Humans were treated worse than animals. Brahmanism was the order of the day. Through his Satnam...
moreGuru Ghasidas was born in an era when evils like casteism, untouchability, religious fanaticism and conservatism thrived in Hindu society. Humans were treated worse than animals. Brahmanism was the order of the day. Through his Satnam Panth, Guru Ghasidas hit out at caste-based atrocities, untouchability and the varna system. Not only Dalits but also tribals and a large section of OBCs were drawn to the Satnam Panth. This was the biggest anti-caste movement of the region and a large number of people became its adherents. Life and times Guru Ghasidas was born in Giraudpuri village of what is now Balodabazar district. His was a family of humble means. His father was Mehgudas and his mother Amrautin. Ghasidas' exceptional mind was evident even in his childhood. Casteism did not allow him to seek an education and at an early age, he was married to Safura, who was from Sirpur. Subsequently, Ghasidas abandoned familial life and devoted himself to the service of humanity. He travelled on foot, spreading the message of the Satnam. He spent a large part of his life in Bhandarpuri, Telasi and Chatwadham villages. He delivered his sermons in these villages, which were attended by people of all religions and castes. Impressed by his thoughts, they adopted Satnam Panth. Today, the number of Satnamis is around 4 million. Guru Ghasidas passed away in 1850. The exact date of his death is not known. Satnam movement Guru Ghasidas' movement to make people aware of their rights and the need to assert these rights earned him the ire of the brahmanical forces. Hundreds of thousands of people – mainly the backward Telis, Kurmis, Rauts and Ahirwar – came under the in»uence of Satnam Panth and adopted it. The brahamincal forces adopted a new stratagem to contain the panth. They crafted new surnames like Ramnami, Suryanami, Suryavanshi and Satnami. All his life Guru Ghasidas assailed the inhuman Manuwadi system of caste, untouchability and varna. He made the common man aware of its evils. Later, his younger son Guru Balakdas took the movement ahead. It is said that Balakdas was very courageous and tenacious. He started the Rauti system to increase the reach and in»uence of the panth, and succeeded. The number of members of the panth grew exponentially. Guru Balakdas started wearing the janeu (scared thread) and always carried a sword with him. The idea was to show that merely by wearing the sacred thread or by carrying a sword, one does not become a Brahmin or high-caste. He would say that it was one's deeds that made one high or low. He also stoutly opposed the Dola system prevalent then and received the full backing of the entire Shudra community in this endeavour. The Savarnas started seeing him as a threat – so much Forever on the margins Guru Ghasidas was born in an era when evils like casteism, untouchability, religious fanaticism and conservatism thrived in Hindu society. Humans were treated worse than animals. Brahmanism was the order of the day. Through his Satnam Panth, Guru Ghasidas hit out at caste-based atrocities, untouchability and the varna system