Bhagat is a term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe religious figures who have obtained high acclaim in their communities for their acts and devotion. It is also a term ascribed to one of the
clans in the
Mahar caste, with their clan totem being a
King Cobra. Furthermore, Bhagat is additionally a surname found among
Marathas,
Bania communities and
Punjabi Brahmins.
Definition
''Bhagat'' is a Hindi and
Punjabi word derived from the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word ''Bhagavat'', भगवत्, which means saint or devotee.
It is known to be used as an epithet for Vishnu or Krishna. ''Bhagat'' is also a
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
,
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, and
Jain surname, found in various communities throughout India. Though, it is most prevalent in the northern
states of India.
Sikhism
Sikhism's central scriptural
book
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
,
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 one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...
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
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and highlighting injustices in the world.
Below is a list of the ''Bhagats'' who contributed towards
Sri Guru Granth Sahib:
*
Bhagat Kabir
*
Bhagat Ravidas
*
Bhagat Farid
*
Bhagat Ramanand
*
Bhagat Beni
*
Bhagat Namdev
*
Bhagat Sadhana
*
Bhagat Bhikhan
*
Bhagat Parmanand
*
Bhagat Sain
*
Bhagat Dhanna
*
Bhagat Pipa
*
Bhagat Surdas
*
Bhagat Jaidev
*
Bhagat Trilochan
See also
*
Sant (religion)
Notes
External links
*
Titles and occupations in Hinduism
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