The raising of the Dharmadhvaja at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was a profoundly moving moment for many, and it may be worth recalling the egalitarian socio-religious movement that prevails at the temple. This is not about upholding an agenda but about our right to know our own history and heritage. A history that’s obscured by the clamour of political opponents of the ruling party, who are most welcome to oppose the party as is their democratic right. But in doing

so, they also attack the faith of the overwhelming majority of the Indian people.

The mildest observation one can muster about this regrettable reflex is that it seems counter-productive. As bhajan clubbing, the trend that’s rocking young India north to south, attests, Gen Z, for one, has undertaken to openly, joyfully, claim its Sanatani birthright. They rejoice in being their authentic selves; their singing, dancing, God-connected selves.

Meanwhile, the heartwarming historical fact that many may not know is that over five centuries of composite Bhakti culture back the Ramanandi sect that officiates at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. This monastic sect is reportedly the largest sampradaya or religious tradition in modern India. Its monasteries are led by their successive mahants or spiritual heads. No scandal attaches to them, as far as I can discover. The sect’s history has ramifications that leave you breathless.

Ramananda, the founder of the sect, is said by some to have lived between 1366 and 1467 CE, to have belonged to Prayagraj, and passed away in Varanasi. Some say he was initially a follower of the Nathpanthi sect, a Shaiva tradition in North India and Nepal, and later became a follower of the 11th-12th-century Vaishnava philosopher Sri Ramanuja of Tamil Nadu. It was Ramanuja who developed the

Vishishtadvaita philosophy, tweaking the earlier Advaita of the great reformer Adi Shankara. Apparently, Ramanuja was also the person who coined the term ‘Harijan’, later picked up by Gandhi from the by-then widespread narrative of Srivaishnavism.

Modern scholars say that it was Ramananda’s teacher, Raghavananda, a follower of Ramanuja, who came from the South, and after much wandering, settled in Varanasi. There, and not in the South, he had Ramananda as his disciple. After his studies, Ramananda is said to have settled permanently in Varanasi. He discussed spiritual themes in everyday Hindi to draw in the public. An early social reformer, he accepted disciples without discriminating against anyone on the basis of gender, class or caste, which at times led to internal disputes that were eventually resolved.

Ramananda respected both Saguna Brahman (God with attributes) and Nirguna Brahman (God without attributes); Brahman being an old philosophical term for the Paramatma or God, not the ‘brahmin’ caste. His disciples accepted both approaches as parallel paths to the Divine.

Ramananda is honoured as the founder not only of the Ramanandi sect but also of the Sant Parampara, the tradition of Bhakti saints in North India, at a time when the northern plains were under Islamic rule. Since temples were destroyed right and left, he refocused Sanatana Dharma on the individual’s personal devotion and, inclusively and substantially, reinforced the faith. Ramananda’s disciples founded sub-sects called ‘dvara’. The umbrella sect of Ramanandis continued to thumb its nose at orthodoxy by accepting women and members of all castes and religions. Their core principle was love for ‘Sitaram’, from Srivaishnavism, where Sri stands for Mahalakshmi. A twist to the tale: some say that the Nawabs of Awadh supported the Ramanandis over 200 years ago in their territorial struggle with orthodox Dasnami sanyasis for Ramjanmabhumi.

The story also goes that Sant Kabir was greatly drawn to Ramananda and wished to be initiated by him with a mantra, as is the custom. But Kabir did not know how to approach him. So, he lay on the steps of the ghat that Ramananda descended daily to the Ganga. Unseeingly, Ramananda trod on Kabir, saying ‘Ram Ram’ as he did with every step, which Kabir took as his initiation.

Ramananda’s followers led the reformist Bhakti phase in North India: Kabir, the weaver; Meerabai, the princess; Tulsidas, the priest, whose Ramcharitmanas changed Sanatana Dharma forever in the north; Malukdas, the basket-maker; and Nabhaji, the merchant’s son, who wrote Bhaktamal (Garland of Saints) about Ramanandi devotees of all castes. Verses and works that still flourish.

Now look at the further outreach. Kabir, who took forward the Santmat or tradition of teachers who reconcile devotion to Sagun (avatar) and Nirgun (formless God), and uphold the salvatory concepts of Satnaam and Sadguru, is said to have inspired Guru Nanak. The Guru Granth Sahib includes two verses from the older Bhakti wave of Jayadeva’s 12th-century Gita Govindam, whose writ runs from Meghalaya to Malabar across many languages, and verses by Sant Sadhna, a 14th-century butcher of Sindh.

There was Sant Namdev, the 13th-14th century calico printer, one of the five great Vaishnava saints of Maharashtra, and, in a wild loop, the legendary Aftab-e-Mausiqi (Sun of Music) Ustad Faiyaz Khan, 1886-1950, of the Agra gharana, was descended from Malukdas. The powerful Radhasoami sect takes spiritual lineage from Guru Nanak—‘Radha’ meaning the jivatma or individual soul that longs for reunion with ‘Swami’, the Paramatma. The verses of Kabir, Meerabai (yes, Hindi) and Namdev thrive in the centuries-old Dakshin Bharat Bhajan Sampradaya of South India that includes Panchabhasha and Devbhasha.

It’s dazzling to discover how the Ramanandis at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya are connected to this vast historical network of believers emanating from Ramananda. Stunning linkages that should unite regions.

Renuka Narayanan | FAITHLINE | Senior journalist

(Views are personal)

(shebaba09@gmail.com)