Saint Garibdas Ji Maharaj was an Indian spiritual leader and a reformer. A rich farmer, his spiritual journey started when "Almighty God"

Kabir Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...

came to meet him and initiated him at the age of 10 years. After getting spiritual awareness from "Almighty God Kabir", he uttered many Banis that are collected as holy book Garib Das ki Granth. Garibdas Panth is also a Kabirpanth. Saint Garib Das Ji told through his Banis that Kabir Sahib is the supreme God in Satlok. Garibdas died in 1778 A.D., and over his remains, a memorial was established.

Early life

Sant Garibdas Ji born in 1717 to a family of Dhankhar

Jats The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...

in the village Chudani,

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district,

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, India.. His father was Shri Balram Ji and his mother was Shrimati Rani Devi Ji. Chhudani is his mother's villate. His father belonged to the Dhankhar gotra of Karontha village,

Rohtak Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9 (old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the Nationa ...

district. Shri Shivlal Ji had no son. Therefore, Shri Balaram Ji was kept in the house. After 12 years of marriage Sant Garib Das Ji Maharaj Ji was born. Shri Shivlal Ji owned 2500 Bighas (big Bigha, or 1400 acres). Sant Garib Das Ji inherited all that land. Garib Das Ji worked as a cowherd as a youth.

Spiritual Journey

Saint Garib Das's spiritual journey started when Kabir met him at age 10. According to his account, after taking

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

from 'Lord Kabir', he accompanied him to Satlok. On the way, Kabir showed him heaven. In Satlok, he saw Kabir sitting on the throne. Garib das was shocked because Kabir was also standing beside him. After a while, the two forms merged, and only the Kabir sitting on the throne remained. Kabir sent him back to earth where he started 'revealing' these stories to the village folk. The knowledge supposedly received from 'God' was compiled in seven months in Garib Das's garden of berries by sitting under a Khejri (Jand) tree, and thus ''Garib Das ki granth'' (Amarbodh, Amargranth) was composed. His followers claim that Garib Das ascended to 'Satlok' in 1778 at the age of 61. A memorial, Chhatri Saheb, was erected at the village Chhudani. A memorial Chhatri Sahib was built in his honor. He appeared again in the same body and lived for 35 years at

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the public administration, administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Sain ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. A memorial to him is present in Saharanpur.

Kabirpanth

The sect started by Sant Garib Das Ji Garibdas Panth is a Kabirpanth. In the Holy Kabir Sagar chapter Kabir Bani (Bodh Sagar) and chapter Kabir Charitr Bodh, Garibdas Panth is written as the twelfth sect (Panth) of Kabirpanth and that it would be "the Dawn". It is also written there that the thirteenth Panth will emerge from the twelfth Panth only when Kabir Sahib himself appears in the twelfth Panth.

Work

The Banis uttered by him are revered by his followers as ''Sat Granth Sahib'' or ''Amar Granth Sahib'', a holy book that is the collection of the Banis of Sant Garib Das Ji Maharaj alone. It contains about 24,000 ''banis''.

Philosophy

Just after Garib Das returned to Earth, he uttered numerous ''banis'' proclaiming Kabir to be the Supreme God in Satlok. Supposedly like Kabir, Garib Das Ji criticised Hindus' and Muslims' spiritual leaders for ignorantly preaching wrong worship and knowledge - although the true teachings of Kabir are a matter of scholarly debate.

References

External links

Online portal for Baba Garib Dass Ji's Baani
*Complete Bani of Sri Garib Dass hee, https://web.archive.org/web/20121128063214/http://www.banigaribdasji.com/index_files/Hour1.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Garib 1717 births 1778 deaths People from Jhajjar district Hindu activists Bhakti movement 18th-century Indian people