Born in Allahabad around 1400, Ramanand fought against the dogmatic evil of the caste system. He was a pioneer of the Bhakti movement in North India and advocated devotion as the way to attain God realization. He studied scripture at a very young age, but did not follow the coventional path. He had Hindus, Muslims, and Dalits (untouchables) as disciples and fought hard to re-establish the Indian tradition of universal brotherhood. One of his disciples was the famed mystic poet, Kabir. Ramanand saw Lord Rama as a pure expression of the supreme spirit and humanity as one big family. He gave brilliant discourse and big crowds came to hear him speak. However his poems were not preserved, only one of his poems remains; it was recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikkhs

Ramanand's Poem

Where shall I go when all the music 
and festivities are in my own house? 
My heart is content where I am,
My mind has folded its wings. 
The Guru has revealed that Brahman is in my heart. 
If I wander outside, I will see the worship of stones 
and others vainly seeking the Lord in the holy books.
The Guru has ended all my failures and delusions. 
Ramanand is now lost gazing at his Master, Brahman. 
It was the Word of the Guru that destroyed 
all my millions of attachments and distractions.

Copyright © Pacific Coast Design