Born : 1377 AD
Lived : 126 Years
Rohidas was a cobbler by profession. Though he was a cobbler by profession he would always be chanting and thinking about Vitthal. His heart was always filled with love for Vitthal. He would go to Pandhari every ekadasi and on other days he would sit in his shop and take care of his business. It so happened that the king who was ruling that city had to go on a war. The army started preparing for the war and had to acquire shoes for the soldiers. The king then asked each cobbler in the city to make 1000 shoes with in a week and send it to the palace. Every one had to agree as it was the king’s order. The other cobblers were happy and even employed a few others to work part time and started making the shoes. It was not practically possible for Rohidas to make 1000 shoes in the given time as he would always get lost in his thoughts about god by singing his praise even while working. Usually he would make only around 10 shoes in a month which was just enough for him to run his family. He tried to employ some people to complete this job but could not find any. Six days had passed by and Rohidas had not even finished cutting all the leather required for making 1000 shoes. If he doesn’t deliver the shoes by tomorrow Rohidas will be punished by the king. Rohidas did not realize all that and continued with his bhajans. That evening a young guy came to Rohidas saying that he was told by other cobblers that Rohidas was looking for a person to work for him. Rohidas was happy to hear this and asked him to come inside his shop. He then told the guy that lets try to do whatever we can tonight even if we can not complete 1000. The young guy asked him not to worry and said that he would easily complete the job. Rohidas then told him that he would do the cutting and asked the guy to do the stitching. The guy looked at the thambura in the shop and asked him if he would sing. Rohidas then said that if he starts singing he would get involved in it and forget himself and that it would a hindrance to their work. The guy insisted that Rohidas sings and said that he would take care of making the shoes. Hearing this Rohidas was happy and started singing the praise of god. When Rohidas finished the 1st song he saw that the guy had finished a few shoes by then. Rohidas was amazed by the speed with which this guy was making shoes. He then asked him if he could help him with the cutting. The guy said that all he wanted was to listen to Rohidas songs and that he would definitely finish stitching all 1000 shoes if he continues with his singing. Rohidas then asked him about his native and the guy said that he was from Pandhari and that his name was Rangan. He also said that he has seen him in Pandhari during ekadasi. Rohidas then continued his singing and Rangan continued making the shoes. Rohidas would sing a few songs and then turn to Rangan and ask if he was Pandurangan? Rangan would then smile at him and answer him that Rohidas sees everyone as Pandurangan and that is why he feels this way when he see him too. Rohidas was singing almost till dawn and Rangan had by then completed all 1000 shoes and had tied them in bundles of 100’s. Rohidas then praised Rangan for finishing the job. Rangan then said that he would brush his teeth and come. Rohidas then told him that as he had been awake the whole night, he would get some oil for him so that he could have an oil bath. He also said that he could have food with him after the bath and that he would give Rangan whatever money the king gives to him. Rangan then left the shop. Rohidas was waiting for the king’s men to come for the shoes and he gave it to them. The king’s men were happy with the shoes and gave Rohidas a lot of money. Rohidas then locked the shop and came to the river in search of Rangan but he was not there. He then enquired the people there about Rangan and understood that no one had seen him this morning. He then came back to the shop and was looking for him in the bazaar and other places but could not find him anywhere. By noon Rohidas understood that it was Vitthal who had come as Rangan. As soon as he understood this, he fainted and fell down. His wife then came in search of him and asked him what had happened. He then told his wife that Vitthal had come to do this inferior job of a cobbler for him and that he had kept some oil and dress for him and had left him without taking any of this from him. They then went to Pandhari with the oil, dresses and the money given by the king. They performed abhishekam (Sacred Bathing) for Vitthal, dressed him with new clothes and offered the money given by the king to him.
Source : http://indiansaints.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/sant-rohidas/
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Raidas
Written By: Sadhu Mukundcharandas
Born in Mandur near Kashi, bhakta–poet Raidas was the son of a cobbler. It is a general consensus that he was born in Samvat 1433 (1377 CE), on Magh sud 15 (Purnima). Since the day was a Sunday, he was named Ravidas, which later became Raidas in Hindi and Rohidas in Gujarati. ,
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Born in Mandur near Kashi, bhakta–poet Raidas was the son of a cobbler. It is a general consensus that he was born in Samvat 1433 (1377 CE), on Magh sud 15 (Purnima). Since the day was a Sunday, he was named Ravidas, which later became Raidas in Hindi and Rohidas in Gujarati.It is said that during his previous birth Raidas was a Brahmin pandit, the disciple of Swami Ramanand. The disciple begged alms from which he cooked for the guru. Swami had instructed him not to beg alms from an unscrupulous man in town. Once during the monsoon, the disciple had no choice but to obtain alms from this man. After having the food cooked from these alms, the guru lay down for his usual nap. But he could not sleep; his mind in turmoil. Swami then questioned the disciple, who admitted to begging alms from the evil man. For this error, he had to take another birth. In this birth Swami Ramanand was still alive. Later, once again, Raidas adopted him as his guru. Along with Kabir and ten others, Raidas was among the twelve senior disciples of Ramanand.
From birth he enjoyed the company of sadhus which angered his father. Once in a fit of anger he kicked Raidas out of the house.
Raidas built a hut outside the town, spending his time in singing bhajans and sewing shoes. He possessed a beautiful murti with four arms – the chaturbhuj form of Paramatma. Everyday he sang devotional bhajans in front of this murti such as,
‘Prabhuji tum chandan ham pãni,
jãki angang bãt samãni....’
jãki angang bãt samãni....’
i.e. “O Prabhu, You are the sandalwood paste and I am mere water, your fragrance is pervading this chandan.”
Unable to tolerate Raidas’s worship of the murti, a jealous Brahmin once complained to the local king, that this practice would wreak havoc in the kingdom. The king summoned Raidas with the murti. In the palace, Raidas listened to the complaint and then placed the murti on a bajoth. He then challenged the Brahmins:
‘O Brahmins! You are the beloved bhaktas of Bhagwan. Chant your mantras so that the murti jumps onto your lap.’ The Brahmins began their recitation but the murti did not budge an inch. Then Raidas began to sing:
Unable to tolerate Raidas’s worship of the murti, a jealous Brahmin once complained to the local king, that this practice would wreak havoc in the kingdom. The king summoned Raidas with the murti. In the palace, Raidas listened to the complaint and then placed the murti on a bajoth. He then challenged the Brahmins:
‘O Brahmins! You are the beloved bhaktas of Bhagwan. Chant your mantras so that the murti jumps onto your lap.’ The Brahmins began their recitation but the murti did not budge an inch. Then Raidas began to sing:
‘Narhari chanchal hai mati meri, kaise bhakti karu me teri?’
i.e. “O Hari, my intellect is unstable, with what shall I offer you devotion?”
When the bhajan ended the murti literally flew into Raidas’s lap! Shamed, the Brahmins scrambled out. The king then honoured Raidas.
On one occasion a thirsty merchant passing by asked Raidas for some water. Raidas poured some into his cupped palms from a leather container. Water in a leather container is considered impure. Therefore, instead of drinking it, the merchant let it drip down his elbows onto his upper garment, causing a stain. The next morning when his washerwoman noticed the stain, she chewed the patch in the hope of dissolving it. By the intake of even a minuscule remnant of Raidas’s water, the woman attained trikal jnan – the power of knowing the past, present and future! Later a friend of the merchant paying him a visit, questioned her whether her master was at home. She replied, ‘No, he has gone to the leather market.’ In reality the merchant was indoors performing puja. Hearing the woman’s apparently false reply he stormed out.
‘Why did you lie? You knew I was inside.’
‘Master, though you were inside, physically doing puja, your mind was at the leather market!’
The merchant was astonished and inquired how she had attained such power. She recounted the previous day’s chewing of the stained patch. The merchant then realised his error and Raidas’s exalted status and returned to venerate him.
Once, a sadhu pained on seeing Raidas’s poverty, gave him a parasmani. In his presence the sadhu took the cobbler’s needle and touched the gem. The iron needle turned into gold. Raidas was not the least bit enticed and replied, “I do not want this maya.” But the sadhu placed the parasmani on a shelf in the house and left. Thirteen months later he returned. Raidas told him, Collect it from where you left it. I have not touched it. Thus he remained detached from worldly enticements.
Once Queen Zali Ratnakunvarba, wife of Maharana Kumbh of Chitor visited Kashi on a pilgrimage. Along with the Brahmins, she invited Raidas to have a meal. The Brahmins refused to sit with him. Therefore, he sat separately. When everyone started eating, to their horror, they saw one Raidas sitting between every two Brahmins! When the Brahmins stood up, they saw only Brahmins. As they sat down to eat, they again saw images of Raidas sitting between them! The Brahmins then realised that whatever varna a bhakta is, he may still have attained an exalted status. The rani then accepted Raidas as guru. Another Rajput queen, Mirabai, also became his disciple (see Ch. 32). Describing himself, Raidas said,
When the bhajan ended the murti literally flew into Raidas’s lap! Shamed, the Brahmins scrambled out. The king then honoured Raidas.
On one occasion a thirsty merchant passing by asked Raidas for some water. Raidas poured some into his cupped palms from a leather container. Water in a leather container is considered impure. Therefore, instead of drinking it, the merchant let it drip down his elbows onto his upper garment, causing a stain. The next morning when his washerwoman noticed the stain, she chewed the patch in the hope of dissolving it. By the intake of even a minuscule remnant of Raidas’s water, the woman attained trikal jnan – the power of knowing the past, present and future! Later a friend of the merchant paying him a visit, questioned her whether her master was at home. She replied, ‘No, he has gone to the leather market.’ In reality the merchant was indoors performing puja. Hearing the woman’s apparently false reply he stormed out.
‘Why did you lie? You knew I was inside.’
‘Master, though you were inside, physically doing puja, your mind was at the leather market!’
The merchant was astonished and inquired how she had attained such power. She recounted the previous day’s chewing of the stained patch. The merchant then realised his error and Raidas’s exalted status and returned to venerate him.
Once, a sadhu pained on seeing Raidas’s poverty, gave him a parasmani. In his presence the sadhu took the cobbler’s needle and touched the gem. The iron needle turned into gold. Raidas was not the least bit enticed and replied, “I do not want this maya.” But the sadhu placed the parasmani on a shelf in the house and left. Thirteen months later he returned. Raidas told him, Collect it from where you left it. I have not touched it. Thus he remained detached from worldly enticements.
Once Queen Zali Ratnakunvarba, wife of Maharana Kumbh of Chitor visited Kashi on a pilgrimage. Along with the Brahmins, she invited Raidas to have a meal. The Brahmins refused to sit with him. Therefore, he sat separately. When everyone started eating, to their horror, they saw one Raidas sitting between every two Brahmins! When the Brahmins stood up, they saw only Brahmins. As they sat down to eat, they again saw images of Raidas sitting between them! The Brahmins then realised that whatever varna a bhakta is, he may still have attained an exalted status. The rani then accepted Raidas as guru. Another Rajput queen, Mirabai, also became his disciple (see Ch. 32). Describing himself, Raidas said,
Jãtibhi ochhi, karambhi ochhã, ochhã kisab hamãrã,
niche se Prabhu unch kiyo hai, kahã Raidas chamãrã.
niche se Prabhu unch kiyo hai, kahã Raidas chamãrã.
i.e. ‘My varna is low, my deeds are low, my talent is low, yet Prabhu has uplifted me from such a lowly state.’
Raidas lived till the age of 120 (105 according to another source) and died in 1519 in Chitor. Here, in the compound of Mirabai’s Krishna mandir where he was cremated, there is a shrine named Sant Raidaski Chhatri. Today his following is known as Raidasi..
Raidas lived till the age of 120 (105 according to another source) and died in 1519 in Chitor. Here, in the compound of Mirabai’s Krishna mandir where he was cremated, there is a shrine named Sant Raidaski Chhatri. Today his following is known as Raidasi..
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Lord, There is no inconsistency between Thou and me or me and Thee.The relationship is like bangle to gold or wave to water.The ceaseless lord, were we not sinners, How wouldest thou be called the emancipator of the fallen.
Shri Guru Ravi Das Ji was born in the village Mandoor Garh, on the outskirts of Kashi (Benaras) in the year 1377 AD ie Bikrami Samvat 1433 (widely accepted by most scholars). His birthday comes every year at Puranmashi in the month of Magh. His mother's name was MATA KALSI JI and his father's name was BABA SANTOKH DASS JI.
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