Bairagi Caste
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):
- Shri Sampradaya[2]
- Nimbarka Sampradaya (Kumar Sampradaya)[3]
- Rudra Sampradaya[4]
- Brahma Sampradaya.[5]
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.
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
- Chhuikhadan State – Founded by Mahant Rup Das[9]
- Nandgaon State – Founded by Mahant Ghasi Das[10]
Bairagi Akharas
There are three prominent Bairagi (Vaishnav) Akhadas:
- Digambar Akhara
- Nirmohi Akhara
- Mahanirvani Akhara
Vaishnava texts
Notable Bairagi people
Spiritual people
- Tulsidas (Ramanandi - Sri Sampradaya)[11]
- Surdas (Vallabhachari Sampradaya)[2]
- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (propounder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism)[5]
- Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu हितहरिवंश propounder of Radha-vallabha Sampradaya[12]
- Gusainji (Vitthalnath) son of Vallabhacharya.[13]
- Parmanand (परमानंद दास)[14]
- Nityananda
- Swami Haridas Propounder of Sakhi Sampradaya[15] of (Nimbarka Sampradaya)
- कृष्णदास पयहारी
- Hari ram vyas (Mostly known by Radhavallabhi) (हरिराम व्यास) - Radha-vallabha Sampradaya
- हरिव्यासदेव[16] (Nimbarka Sampradaya)
- माधवदास जगन्नाथी (Maadhavadaas Jagannaathee)
- श्रीभट्ट (Shreebhatt)
- नागरीदास (हरिदासी सम्प्रदाय )
- विट्ठलविपुल देव
- बिहारिनदेव
- सरसदास
- गोविंदस्वामी
- छीतस्वामी
- नंददास
- सेवक (दामोदरदास)
- गदाधर भट्ट
- रूप गोस्वामी
- सनातन गोस्वामी
- जीव गोस्वामी
Rulers
- Raja Mahant Digvijay Das
- Veer Banda Bairagi (Bandha Singh Bahadur)[17]
Politics
- Nityanand Swami (politician) – the first chief minister of Uttarakhand
- I.D. Swami
- Balkavi Bairagi
Writers
Actors
Classical dancers
- Sitara Devi – Kathak dancer
See also
References
- ↑ "Philosophy Book" (PDF). Ia800301.us.archive.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- 1 2 Chandrakanta (10 December 2017). "Katha Satisar". Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "निम्बार्क संप्रदाय - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ Rosen, Steven (10 December 1994). "Vaisnavism". Motilal Banarsidass Publ. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 Hinduism and Buddhism: An Historical Sketch - Page 239 Charles Eliot, 1998
- ↑ Singh, K. S. (10 December 1998). "Rajasthan". Popular Prakashan. Retrieved 10 December 2017 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Vaishnav Brahmin Gotra Patrika - Lakhan Bhardwaj
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ The Imperial Gazetteer of India [by] Sir William Wilson Hunter - 1881 - Page 429
- ↑ Princely States of India
- ↑ Rambhadracharya 2008, pp. xxvi–xxix.
- ↑ "हितहरिवंश - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ "विट्ठलनाथ - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ "परमानंद दास - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ "स्वामी हरिदास - भारतकोश, ज्ञान का हिन्दी महासागर". Bharatdiscovery.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ "हरिव्यासदेव - Krishnakosh". Hi.krishnakosh.org. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ "Banda Singh Bahadur - Wikipedia". en.m.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2018-07-14.