Bhagat is a term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe religious personalities who have obtain high acclaim in their community for their services and devoutness.It is also one of the
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
in
Mahar caste with clan totem as
King Cobra[http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2806/1/41944_1961_ETH.pdf ] and also a surname found among Marathas, Bania communities and Punjabi Brahmins.
Definition
''Bhagat'' is a
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
word derived from the
Sanskrit word ''Bhagavata'', which means: a devotee of the Lord (''
Bhagvan
Bhagavan ( sa, भगवान्, Bhagavān; pi, Bhagavā, italics=yes), also spelt Bhagwan (sometimes translated in English as "Lord"), is an epithet within Indian religions used to denote figures of religious worship. In Hinduism it is us ...
''). It usually defines the relationship between a lord and his devotee and the pure offering from a bhagat to his bhagvaan. Many such
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
devotees are followers of the ''
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 ...
'' tradition, who adhere to a prayer-led path of
realization. ''Bhagat'' is also a Hindu,
Buddhist and
Jain surname, found in various communities though it is most prevalent in the northern
states of India
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
.
Sikhism
Sikhism's central scriptural
book,
Guru Granth Sahib, has teachings of 15 ''Bhagats'', along with ''
bani'' of
Sikh Gurus, ''Bhats'' and ''Gursikhs''. Because Sikhism believes in one human creed (no one belongs to a higher or a lower social status or caste) and that accounts to adding ''Bani'' of various authors, a total of 36, in
Guru Granth Sahib irrespective of many belonging to religions other than Sikhism. Religious writings of those ''Bhagats'' were collected by
Guru Arjan. Some of them lived before
Guru Nanak, but came to have a
monotheistic
Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...
as opposed to a
polytheistic doctrine.
Broadly speaking, therefore, a ''Bhagat'' is a holy person or a member of a community whose objectives involve leading humanity towards
God and highlighting injustices in the world.
Below is a list of the ''Bhagats'' who contributed towards
Sri Guru Granth Sahib:
*
Bhagat Kabir
*
Bhagat 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, Pu ...
*
Bhagat Farid
*
Bhagat Ramanand
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 monast ...
*
Bhagat Beni
*
Bhagat Namdev
*
Bhagat Sadhana
Bhagat Sadhna, also called Sadhna Qasai, was a north Indian poet, saint, mystic and one of the devotees whose hymn was incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib. Venerated in the region of Punjab, among Sikhs and Ravidassias, his devotional hymn is wide ...
*
Bhagat Bhikhan
Bhagat Bhikhan ( pa, ਭਗਤ ਭੀਖਨ) (1480-1573), a medieval Indian Hindu Bhakti Poet-Saint, whose two hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib. There were two saints of that time sharing the same name — Bhagat Bhikhan and Sheikh Bhik ...
*
Bhagat Parmanand
Bhagat Parmanand ( pa, ਭਗਤ ਪਰਮਾਨੰਦ) was a Vaishnava mystic and saint-poet, one of whose hymns is included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Early Life
Born in Kannauj, Uttarpradesh, in a Gaur Brahmin Family in 1483,सिंह, ...
*
Bhagat Sain
Bhagat Sain was a Hindu and Sikh religious figure lived in the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century. His name was known in every house due to his devotion to god. Bhagat Sain was a barber of the royal court of Raja Ram, ...
*
Bhagat Dhanna
Dhanna Bhagat, also known Dhanna Jaat or Dhanna Jatt, Dhanna Bairagi, Sant Dhanna (born 1415) was a mystic poet and a Vaishnav devotee whose three hymns are present in Adi Granth.
Early life
He was born in the village of Dhuan Kalan near Tehsil ...
*
Bhagat Pipa
*
Bhagat Surdas
Surdas ( IAST: Sūr, Devanagari: सूर) was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer, who was known for his works written in praise of Krishna, the supreme lord. He was a Vaishnava devotee of Lord Krishna, and he was also a ...
*
Bhagat Jaidev
*
Bhagat Trilochan
Trilochan was a celebrated medieval Indian saint and one of devotee whose hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs.Mahankosh, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, ਤ੍ਰਿਲੋਚਨ: ਇੱਕ ਭਗਤ, ਜਿਸ ਦੀ ਬਾਣੀ ...
See also
*
Sant (religion)
Notes
External links
*
Titles and occupations in Hinduism
{{Sikhism-stub