Rajasthan News Desk!!! Friends, welcome to this new video of Rajasthan, today we will talk about Rajasthan’s folk deity and social reformer Baba Ramdev, he is also considered to be the incarnation of Lord Krishna. On one hand, where the Hindu society worships him by the name of Baba Ramdev, on the other hand, in the Muslim society he is worshipped by the name of Ram Sa Peer.
He is worshipped in every household of Rajasthan and his praises are sung in every village. This is the same Ramdev Baba who had given away his niece in dowry. This is the same Ramdev Baba who had freed Pokhran from a dangerous demon. Every year a fair is held in his name which is known as the Kumbh of Marwar and pilgrims from every part of Rajasthan come to attend this fair, so let us know the amazing story of Ramdevji Maharaj becoming Baba Ramdev.
Baba Ramdev Peer was born in Vikram Samvat 1409 on the day of Bhado Shukla Paksha Duj in a place called Runicha near the famous village of Pokhran in western Rajasthan. His father was Ajmal Ji Tanwar, a Rajput of Tanwar clan and the ruler of Runicha and his mother’s name was Mainade. There is a popular story about Baba Ramdev’s birth that his father Ajmal Ji Maharaj ruled Pokhran and its surrounding areas. Maharaj Ajmal Ji was childless at that time due to which he was very sad. Apart from this, the terror of a demon named Bhairav was spreading in the Pokhran area. Maharaj Ajmal Ji was unsuccessful in protecting his subjects from Bhairav demon.
Raja Ajmal Ji used to do charity to get a son, feed saints, perform yagyas, worship Dwarkanath daily. In this way Raja Ajmal Ji reached Dwarka thinking of a way to kill Bhairav demon. There Ajmal Ji got a direct darshan of God, seeing tears in the king’s eyes, God wiped the tears with his Pitambara and said, O devotee, don’t cry, I know all your sorrows. I am very happy to see your devotion, ask whatever you want, I will fulfill your every wish. Pleased with the infinite grace of God, Maharaj said, O Lord, if you are pleased with my devotion, then I want a son like you, that means you will have to come to my house as a son and kill Bhairav demon and re-establish religion.
Then Lord Dwarkanath said that O devotee! Go, I give you a boon that the name of your first son will be Viramdev. Then Ajmal ji said O Lord, what is the difference between a younger and an elder son? Then Lord said that I myself will come to your house in the form of the second son. Ajmal ji said O Lord, if you come to my house, how will we know that God has come to my house? Then Dwarkanath said that the night I come home, the bells in all the temples of your kingdom will start ringing automatically, all the water in the palace will turn into milk and from the main gate to the birthplace, feet of kumkum will be visible and my akashvani (voice from the sky) will also be heard and I will become famous by the name of Avtaar.
The mundane and supernatural miracles and powers of Ramdev Ji’s birth are widely mentioned in his bhajans, folk songs and folk tales. Later, Baba Ramdev Ji’s miracles came to be known by his devotees as pamphlets. In Ramdev Ji’s folk songs and tales, mentions of killing of Bhairav demon, horse ride, Lakkhi Banjara’s pamphlet, Pancho Peer’s pamphlet, curing Netalde’s disability etc. are found in abundance. Ramdev Ji made efforts to remove untouchability, caste-based discrimination prevalent in the society of that time and for the upliftment of women and Dalits. He set an example before the society by accepting Netalde, the disabled daughter of King Dalpat Sodha of Amar Kot, as his wife. He inspired Dalits to become self-reliant and live with dignity, and at the same time Baba Ramdev opposed hypocrisy and ostentation. He explained topics like Sagun-Nirgun, Advaita, Vedanta, Bhakti, Gyan Yoga and Karmayoga in a simple and easy way. Even today, Baba’s words are sung in the form of “Harjas”.
According to popular folk tales, Baba Ramdev performed many miracles in his childhood, such as putting down the overflowing milk vessel from the stove while drinking milk in his mother’s lap, flying a cloth horse in the sky, bringing back to life a selfish carpenter who had died of snakebite, etc. As Baba Ramdevji was entering his adolescence, reports of him being a divine being were spreading far and wide. According to the popular tale, Krishna avatar Baba Ramdevji had descended on earth to eradicate the terror of Bhairav demon.
One day Baba Ramdev Ji was playing with a ball with his friends. While playing, he threw the ball so far that all his friends expressed their inability to bring the ball and said that you will have to bring the ball. Then Baba Ramdev came to Sathalmer situated in the valley of present Pokaran on the pretext of bringing the ball, but his main objective was to free the people from the atrocities of Bhairav demon. Seeing the child form of Baba Ramdev Ji alone on a deserted hill, Balinath Ji, who was sitting there by burning fire, said, “Child, where have you come from? Go back to where you have come from, Bhairav demon will come here at night and will eat you.” Then Baba Ramdev Ji requested him to stay there at night. Balinath Ji covered the child Ramdev with an old quilt in his hut and asked him to sleep quietly.
At midnight, Bhairav demon came there and told Balinath ji that there is a human being with you, I am smelling a human, then Balinath ji told Bhairav that you have not left even a single bird here for twelve kos, where did the human being come from. Due to the order of Guru Balinath to sleep quietly, Baba Ramdev did not say anything, but shook the blanket with his foot, then Bhairav’s eyes fell on the blanket and he started pulling it. But due to the miracle of Baba, the blanket started moving like Draupadi’s saree, then Balinath ji Maharaj thought that this is not an ordinary child, definitely a divine child, Bhairav demon started running panting while pulling the blanket, then Baba Ramdev ji got up and taking permission from Balinath ji Maharaj, killed the Bairav demon and freed the people from his terror.
After killing Bhairav demon, Baba Ramdevji dug a well to the north of Bhairav demon’s cave and settled Runicha village. Word of Baba Ramdevji’s miracles started spreading far and wide like sunlight. At that time, due to the Mughal Empire’s hold on India, fanaticism was also at its peak. According to legend, five Pirs came from Mecca to test Ramdev’s powers. Ramdevji welcomed them and requested them to have food. The Pirs refused and said that they only eat in their personal utensils, which are currently in Mecca. Ramdev smiled at this and said to them, look your utensils are coming and when the Pirs saw, their utensils were coming flying from Mecca. Satisfied with Ramdevji’s abilities and powers, the Pirs bowed to him and named him Ram Sa Pir. Impressed by Ramdev’s powers, all five Pirs decided to stay with him. Even today, the tombs of all five Pirs are located near Ramdev’s Samadhi. Baba Ramdevji is also worshipped by Muslims and he is worshipped by the Muslims by the name of Ramsa Peer or Ramsah Peer.
Baba Ramdev Ji was married to Naitalde, daughter of Thakur Dal Ji Sodh of Amar Kot in 1426. Ramdev Ji had two sons, named Sadoji and Devoji. Runicha well and a small Ramdev temple built 2 km east of Ramdevra temple are also worth visiting. It is said that when Queen Netalde felt thirsty, Ramdev Ji broke the underground with the tip of a spear and extracted water and since then this place has been known as “Ranisa ka Kuan”. Which got corrupted over time and changed to “Runicha Kuan”.
Ramdev believed in equality of all human beings, whether high or low, rich or poor. He helped the Dalits by giving them fruits as per their wish. He is often depicted riding a horse. His followers are spread from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai to Sindh. His temples are located in Bhilwara, Masuria Pahari Jodhpur, Biratia, Beawar, Suratkheda Chittorgarh and Chota Ramdevra Gujarat in India. Baba Ramdev took Samadhi alive at his place on Bhadrapad Shukla Ekadashi V.S. 1442.
