Dādu
By Swami Harshananda
Dādu (A. D. 1544-1603) was one of the brighter stars of his time and the most famous of Kabir’s followers (A. D. 1440-1518). Born in Ahmedabad (in Gujarat) he seems to have spent most of his time in Rajasthan. He passed away in the village Narāṇā (or Nārāyaṇa) of Rajasthan, where his followers known as ‘Dādupanthis’ have their chief center even now.
He established the ‘Brahma or Parabrahma Sampradāya’ with a view to uniting all the divergent faiths in one bond of love and friendship.
Dādu did not believe in the authority of the scriptures but in the value of realization. He laid great stress on the cultivation of virtues like humility, compassion, fearlessness, forgiveness and firmness in one’s path. He was a householder and believed that the natural life of the householder was best suited for spiritual realization. His children too (two sons and two daughters) were persons of high spiritual caliber.
At his request, his disciples made (in A. D. 1600) a collection of the devotional writings of all the different sects. This anthology helped the spiritual aspirants of all types in their journey towards perfection.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore