Bhagat Pipa, also known as Pratap Singh Raja Pipaji, Rao Pipa, Sardar Pipa, Sant Pipaji, or Pipa Bairagi was a

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

King of Gagaraungarh who abdicated the throne to become a Hindu mystic poet and saint of the

Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th centur ...

.John Stratton Hawley (1987), Three Hindu Saints in ''Saints and Virtues'', University of California Press, , pages 63-66, 53-54 He was born in the

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

region of North

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

(east

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

) in approximately AD 1425. Pipa's exact date of birth and death are unknown, but it is believed that he lived in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century.James Lochtefeld, "Pipa", The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 2: N–Z, Rosen Publishing. , page 511 Born into a warrior class and royal family, Pipa is described as an early

Shaivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

(Shiva) and

Sakta Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

(Durga) follower. Thereafter, he adopted

Vaishnav Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

ism as a disciple of

Ramananda Sri Ramanandacharya (IAST: Rāmānanda) was a 14th-century Vaishnava devotional poet saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya, the largest monastic ...

, and later preached Nirguni (god without attributes) beliefs of life. Bhagat Pipa is considered one of the earliest influential sants of the Bhakti movement in 15th century northern India.

Life

Pipa was born into a Rajput royal family at Gagaron, in the present-day

Jhalawar district Jhalawar district is one of the 33 districts of Rajasthan state in western India. The historical city of Jhalawar is the administrative headquarters of the Jhalawar district. The district is bounded on the northwest by Kota district, on the n ...

. He became the king of Gagaraungarh. Pipa worshipped the Hindu goddess Durga

Bhavani Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is manifestation of Adi Shakti (Durga). Bhavani translates to "giver of life", meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is co ...

and kept her idol in a temple within his palace. While Pipa was the king Gagaraungarh, he abdicated and became a '

sanyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

' and accepted

as his ''guru.'' He then joined Ramananda's

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Bhakti, a movement with a strong monist emphasis based out of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

.Ronald McGregor (1984), Hindi literature from its beginnings to the 19th century, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, , pages 42-44 According to

Bhaktamal ''Bhaktamal'' ( hi, भक्तमाल, ), written , is a poem in the Braj language that gives short biographies of more than 200 ''bhaktas''. It was written by Nabha Dass, a saint belonging to the tradition of Ramananda. Though considered a ...

, a Bhakti movement hagiography, his wife, Sita, stayed with him before and after his abdication when he became a wandering monk. The hagiography mentions many episodes of his

sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

life, such as one where robbers tried to steal his buffalo that provided milk to his companions. When he stumbled into the robbery in progress, he began helping the robbers and suggested that they should take the calf.Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, , page 285 The robbers were so touched that they abandoned their ways and became Pipa's disciples. In his later life, Bhagat Pipa, as with several other disciples of Ramananda such as

Kabir Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...

and

Dadu Dayal Dadu Dayal Ji ( hi, संत दादूदयाल , 1544—1603) was a poet- sant from Gujarat, India, a religious reformer who spoke against formalism and priestcraft. Etymology "Dadu" means brother, and "Dayal" means "the compassiona ...

, shifted his devotional worship from ''{{saguni'' Vishnu avatar (

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta su ...

, dualism) to ''nirguni'' (

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...

, monism) god, that is, from god with attributes to god without attributes.{{sfn, Michaels, 2004, pp=252-256 According to the records found with local bards, 52 Rajput chiefs from clans of

Gohil Gohil may refer to: * Gohil dynasty, 12th-century rulers of Saurashtra in modern Gujarat * Gohil, a Gujarati'rajsthani clan * Gahlot, a clan of rajputs * Dinita Gohil, British actress * Gigabhai Gohil (died 2020), Indian politician * Manav Gohil (b ...

Chauhan Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan. Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...

Dahiya Dahiya, or variants, may refer to: * Dahiya (surname), an Indian surname * Dahia (title), derived from Dey * Dahieh, a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon * Dihya, or Kahina, a Berber warrior queen * Dahije, or Dahijas, renegade Janissary officers who took ...

Chavada The Chavda (IAST:Chávaḍá), also spelled Chawda or Chavada was a dynasty which ruled the region of modern-day Gujarat in India, from c. 690 to 942. Variants of the name for the dynasty include Chapotkatas, Chahuda and Chávoṭakas. During ...

Dabhi The Dabhi is a clan ( Gotra) of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Kolis of Dabhi clan ruled over Ghorasar, a princely state in Mahi Kantha Agency Mahi Kantha was a political agency or collection of princely states in Br ...

Makwana The Makwana, or Makawana is a clan ( Gotra) of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Makwana clan is mostly found among Talpada Kolis, Chunvalia Koli and Ghedia Kolis. In 1931 census of Baroda State, there were 20,700 Koli ...

(Jhala), Rakhecha,

Bhati Bhati is a clan of Rajputs History The Bhatis reportedly originated in Mathura through a common ancestor named Bhati, who was a descendant of Pradyumn. According to the seventeenth-century Nainsi ri Khyat, the Bhatis after losing Mathura ...

Parmar Parmar is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Kutch, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra. See also * Paramara Dynasty * Panwar Dynasty * Pawar * Panw ...

Tanwar Tomar (also called/spelt Tomara, Tanwar) is a clan, some members of which ruled parts of North India at different times. People belonging to the Tomara clan are found among the Rajputs of Northern India. Most of their population is primarily co ...

Solanki Solanki may refer to: * Solanki (name), surname and given name *Solanki (clan), Indian clan associated with the Rajputs *Solanki dynasty, alternate name for the Chaulukya dynasty The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty th ...

, Parihar, resigned from their ranks & offices, gave up alcohol, meat & violence; dedicating their lives to the teachings of their Guru & former King. His date of birth and death is unknown, but the traditional genealogy in Bhakti hagiography suggests he died in 1400 CE.

Key teachings and influence

Pipa taught that God is within one's own self, and that true worship is to look within and have reverence for God in each human being. {{Blockquote, Within the body is the god, within the body is the temple, within the body is all the JangamasA term in Shaiva Hindu religiosity, referring to an individual who is always on the go, seeking, learning within the body the incense, the lamps, and the food-offerings, within the body is the puja-leaves. After searching so many lands, I found the nine treasures within my body, Now there will be no further going and coming, I swear by

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

. , Sant Pipa, Gu dhanasari, Translated by Vaudeville He shared same views as Guru Nanak, the founder of

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

, and Bhagat Pipa's hymns are included in the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

.Nirmal Dass (2000), Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN, 978-0791446836, pages 181-184

In popular culture

''Shri Krishna Bhakta Peepaji'' (1923) by

Shree Nath Patankar Sadashiv Narayan Patankar (?-1941) was an Indian producer, director, and cameraman. Referred to as "one of the early pioneers of Indian Cinema", his influence is stated to be equal to that of Dadasaheb Phalke. He was one of a wide range of people ...

, ''Bhakt Peepaji'' (1980) by Dinesh Rawal are Indian films about the legends of the saint.{{cite book, last1=Rajadhyaksha, first1=Ashish, last2=Willemen, first2=Paul, title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema, url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja, url-access=registration, accessdate=12 August 2012, year=1999, publisher=British Film Institute, isbn=9780851706696

References

{{Reflist, refs=

David Lorenzen David N. Lorenzen is a British–American historian, scholar of Religious studies, essayist, and emeritus professor of South Asian history at the Centre for Asian and African studies, El Colegio de México in Mexico City. He is chiefly notable ...

, who founded the Hinduism: Essays on Religion in History, {{ISBN, 978-8190227261, pages 116-118 Winnand Callewaert (2000), The Hagiographies of Anantadas: The Bhakti Poets of North India, Routledge, {{ISBN, 978-0700713318, page 292

External links

Exegesis of Bani of Bhagat Pipa - Dharam Singh Nihang Singh

{{Writers of Guru Granth Sahib {{Hindudharma {{DEFAULTSORT:Pipa, Bhagat 1420s births Year of death missing Medieval Hindu religious leaders Vaishnava saints Rajasthani people Sikh Bhagats People from Jhalawar district Writers from Varanasi Scholars from Varanasi 15th-century Indian poets Poets from Uttar Pradesh 15th-century Indian philosophers

Life

Key teachings and influence

In popular culture

References

Further reading

External links