Begampura (Ravidas)

Begampura ("sorrowless city") was a spiritual concept developed by Ravidas, a radical Bhakti saint, which is narrated in one of his hymns.[1][2] The concept was adopted by Sikhism.[3] The idea was of a taxless, property-less, and casteless society in the future, where people formerly divided by caste could have the opportunity to become true friends. However, Ravidas was unable to establish it practically in the real-world, while Guru Nanak had started his own concept of it at Kartarpur.[4]

Philosophy

The hymn is contained in the Amritbani Granth of the Ravidassia religion.[1] Begampura was envisioned as future, casteless utopia where everyone would be in bliss.[1] All divisions of humanity are united into a single group, erasing any divisions.[5] This unity allows the arising of genuine fraternity between people, allowing formerly divided people to have the chance to become real friends, which wouldn't be possible if adhering to the social distances on caste mandated by the Indian society.[5] Furthermore, there are no taxes and property.[5] Ravidas shared the concept in the city of Varanasi, which would have been very provocative, as Varanasi is viewed as one of the most sacred cities in Hinduism.[5] The concept was adopted by Guru Nanak, who developed the idea further.[6] Guru Nanak established the settlement of Kartarpur based on three fundamental principles, his own version of Begampura.[4] Kabir had an analogous concept of Premnagar ("city of love").[3] Ambedkar would later write literature on themes reminiscent of the concept of Begampura, with his vision of Begampura being realized in the Indian constitution, which was to work toward the future.[2] A similar idea was espoused by Martin Luther King Jr. as the Promised Land.[3]

Etymology

Begampura is derived from be-gahm, meaning "without sorrow" and pura meaning "city".[2][5]

Hymns

The verses that the concept is derived from is as follows:[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Bochkovskaya, Anna; Gupta, Sanjukta Das; Prakash, Amit (Dec 18, 2024). "Words of Ravidas: Bringing Together the Past and the Future". Interrogating Marginalities across Disciplinary Boundaries: Colonial and Post-Colonial India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-27087-5.
  2. ^ a b c Puri, Bindu (Feb 22, 2022). The Ambedkar–Gandhi Debate: On Identity, Community and Justice. Springer Nature. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-981-16-8686-3.
  3. ^ a b c Kaur, Valarie (10 September 2024). Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory. Random House. pp. 343–344. ISBN 978-0-593-44845-8. In Sikh imagination, there is a place called Begampura, sings the sage-poet Ravidas. He was born an "untouchable," yet he imagined a world beyond the one he knew. Begampura means city without sorrow. It is a place without caste, poverty, or injustice. The sage Kabir called it Premnagar, city of love.
  4. ^ a b Singh, Pashaura; Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (May 1, 2023). The Sikh World. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-84838-4. Guru Nanak names his final resting place "Kartarpur," as Creator's abode where all are equal, and where he preached "kirt karo, nam japo, vand chhako (work, worship and share)" as the path to liberation. It was neither a monastic order involved in ascetic life, nor any Sufi khanqah established on revenue free land (madad-i-mash) granted by rulers. With his organizational skills, Guru Nanak was able to establish the Begampura ("city of joy"), unlike other poet-saints, like Ravidas
  5. ^ a b c d e f Gill, Navyug (Jan 16, 2024). "Turning Caste Upside Down". Labors of Division: Global Capitalism and the Emergence of the Peasant in Colonial Panjab. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1-5036-3750-4.
  6. ^ Kalsi, Sewa Singh (1992). The Evolution of a Sikh Community in Britain: Religious and Social Change Among the Sikhs of Leeds and Bradford (PDF). Community Religions Project Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-871363-03-6. In his compositions, Ravidas takes great pride in being a Chamar. He preached the establishment of begumpura (a casteless society in which everyone enjoys life without worries). The concept of begumpura was further developed by Guru Nanak in his celebrated hymn "sabhey sanjhiwal sadayan koi na disey bahra leo" which expresses the powerful idea that everyone will enjoy equal status and nobody will be regarded as an outsider.
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