Bairagi Caste

Ramanujacharya depicted with Vaishnava Tilaka and Vishnu statue
Madhvacharya

Bairagi (Vaishnava) is a caste of Hindu Brahmins whose members follow one of four orders: the Visishtadvaita belief system of Ramanuja (popularized by Ramananda in North India); the Dvaitadvaita philosophy propagated by Nimbarkacharya; the Shuddhadvaita philosophy propagated by Vishnuswami (mostly popularized by Vallabhacharya in North India); or the Dvaita philosophy propagated by Madhvacharya.[1] According to these philosophies, people are divided into four main sampradaya (English: religious systems):

Nimbarkacharya's icon at Ukhra, West Bengal

Bairagi Community People Are Mostly Involved in Agricultural Practices, They Own Lands and Many are Wealthy Landlords.They are Called by Many Names Like Patel, Maalgujaar, Pardhan, Nambardar,etc.

Veer Banda Bairagi (Banda Singh Bahadur) Memorial Statue.

Most members of the Bairagi community perform priesthood practices in temples. These people are known by various names:

Origin

The name Bairagi is derived from the Sanskrit word vairagya, which means, "one who is free from worldly affairs".

Identification of Bairagi

A Bairagi is one whose principal deity is Vishnu or either of his great incarnations: Rama or Krishna. The caste spread throughout India, but they are more concentrated in the northwestern states of the country. Bairagis can be identified by their necklaces of Tulsi beads and their tilak, (a spot of coloured powder or paste worn on the forehead, known as Urdhva Pundra). The Bairagi are vegetarian but avoid masur dal (lentil), onion, and garlic.[6]

There are 52 gotras (English: clans) and 52 dwaras (English: schools) of Vaishnavas. They follow the dual gotra system:[7] Vaishnava Acharya gotra and Rishi gotra, i.e. Kiladevacharya (Kilavat) and Kaushik gotra are gotras of the same clan. There are also some non-Brahmin Bairagis[8] who joined the community during the Bhakti movement.

Bairagi dynasties and states

Bairagi Akharas

There are three prominent Bairagi (Vaishnav) Akhadas:

Vaishnava texts

Notable Bairagi people

Tulsidas composes one of his works. Statue at Sant Tulsidas Municipal Inter College, Soron, Kasganj, India
Raja Mahant Digvijay Das
Nityanand Swami (First CM of Uttrakhand)

Spiritual people

Rulers

Politics

Writers

Actors

Classical dancers

See also

Vaishnavism

References

  1. ↑ "Philosophy Book" (PDF). Ia800301.us.archive.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 Chandrakanta (10 December 2017). "Katha Satisar". Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ "निम्बार्क संप्रदाय - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Rosen, Steven (10 December 1994). "Vaisnavism". Motilal Banarsidass Publ. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Hinduism and Buddhism: An Historical Sketch - Page 239 Charles Eliot, 1998
  6. ↑ Singh, K. S. (10 December 1998). "Rajasthan". Popular Prakashan. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Vaishnav Brahmin Gotra Patrika - Lakhan Bhardwaj
  8. ↑ Ibbetson, Sir Denzil; Maclagan, Sir Edward (1 December 1996). "Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province". Asian Educational Services. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ The Imperial Gazetteer of India [by] Sir William Wilson Hunter - 1881 - Page 429
  10. ↑ Princely States of India
  11. ↑ Rambhadracharya 2008, pp. xxvi–xxix.
  12. ↑ "हितहरिवंश - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "विट्ठलनाथ - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "परमानंद दास - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  15. ↑ "स्वामी हरिदास - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  16. ↑ "हरिव्यासदेव - Krishnakosh". Hi.krishnakosh.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Banda Singh Bahadur - Wikipedia". en.m.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
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