The Sadh, also known as Satnami, is a minority
Bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
-era
Hindu sect
Hindu denominations, ''sampradayas'', traditions, movements, and sects are traditions and sub-traditions within Hinduism centered on one or more gods or goddesses, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and so on. The term ''sampradaya'' is used for bran ...
in India. It is a
monotheistic Hindu sect where its followers believe in a formless and supreme god called
Satnam
Satnam (Gurmukhi: ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ) is the main word that appears in the Sikh sacred scripture called the Guru Granth Sahib. It is part of the Gurbani shabad called Mool Mantra which is repeated daily by Sikhs. This word succeeds the wor ...
Satpurush.
According to M. A. Sherring, he may have been influenced by the teachings of
Ravidas
Ravidas or Raidas, was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a ''guru'' (teacher) in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punj ...
. This sect is thought to be an offshoot of
Ravidasi sect and composed of lower strata of the Hindu society, particularly, leather workers, sweepers, carpenters, Goldsmiths etc.
History
The sect was formed by Birbhan Sadh in Bijesar, a village near
Narnaul
Narnaul is a city, a Municipal Council, and location of headquarters of the Mahendragarh district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located in the National Capital Region of India.
History
Narnaul is built on a prominent tell, but th ...
,
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
in the year 1543 CE. They use the name
satnami to call upon God and thus call themselves ''satnamis''.
Group or gathering of Sadh's is pronounced as "sangat" (association).
.
[ Chapter XV. Digital Library of India. ERNET.]
See also
*
Jagjivan Das
*
Sant Kabir
*
Guru Ravidas
*
Guru Ghasidas
References
{{reflist
Hindu denominations
Bhakti-era Hindu sects
Social groups of Uttar Pradesh
Indian castes
Weaving communities of South Asia
Dalit communities
Satnami
Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh
Scheduled Castes of Haryana