Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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followed. These Bhakti sects were either wholly absorbed in the caste
society, or remained attached to it as an appendage of one kind or the
other. As soon as the pioneer savants disappeared from the scene,
even the theological distinctions got readily blurred and their followers
relapsed into Brahmanism. ‘Ramanandis today are quite as orthodox
as ordinary Hindus are. In every Ramanandi temple today the priest is
a brahman.’ 13 ‘The goal of Chaitanya was lost when his church passed
under the control f Brahman Goswamis,’ 14 ‘Kabir’s followers now
occupy a position between idolatry and monotheism’, 15 and some of
them have almost completely succumbed to Brahmanical influence.
‘The kabirpanthies, in consequence of their paying more respect to
Vishnu then the other members of the Hindu triad, are always included
among the Vaishnava sects and maintain, with most of them, the
Ramawants especially, a friendly intercourse and political alliance. It
is no par of their-faith, however, to worship any Hindu deity, or to
observe any of the rites or ceremonials of the Hindu deity, or to
observe any of the rites or ceremonials of the Hindus, whether
orthodox or schismatically. Such of their members as are living in the
world conform outwardly to all the usage of their tribes and castes…. 16
‘And there is no doubt that in the early times, i.e. in the 13 th to 16 th
centuries, distinction of caste was not observed in and about the temple
precincts at Pandharpur. Many of the famous saints were Mahars. There
was a love-feast called the Gopalkala at all the festivals, at which all
castes dined together. But gradually the tremendous power of caste
reasserted itself, Distinctions began to arise; and today the lowest castes
are not allowed within the temple at all, but worship at the ‘Panduka’
of a Mahar saint named Chokhamela. All religious revivals in India
beginning from Buddhism have had the abolition of caste inequalities
as their main basis. All have failed. ’17
The Kabirpanthies never attempted to organize themselves
as a distinct entity outside the caste society. This is equally true of
the other Radical Bhaktas and their followers, even though their
period of Muslim rule was a more favourable opportunity for the
achievement of this aim than the earlier times, when all anticaste
liberal movements were subjected to the full weight of
Hindu political sanction. The conversions Hindus mostly from