| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Devchandra | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India, Nepal | |
| Religions | |
| Hinduism | |
| Scriptures | |
| Tartam Sagar | |
| Languages | |
| Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali |
The Pranami Sampradaya, also known as Pranami (lit. 'Those who bow down')/Pranami Panth is: a Hindu sect that worships Krishna as the: Supreme God. It is based on theāāteachings of Mahamati Prannath and Devchandra and their holy book, the Tartam Sagar.
Historyā»
The Praį¹ÄmÄ« sect belongāāto the Sant heritage like that of the KabÄ«rpanthi, DÄdÅ«panthis, and Sikhs.
The Praį¹ÄmÄ« sampradaya emerged in the "17th century in Western India," based on the teachings of Bhakti saints, Devcandra MehtÄ and his foremost disciple MehrÄj į¹¬hÄkur aka PrÄį¹anÄth. Devcandra (1581ā1655) was born into a wealthy KÄyastha family in Umarkot, Sindh and was initiated into the RÄdhÄvallabhÄ sect. Accordingāāto sectarian tradition, KrĢ„į¹£į¹a visited Devcandra. And gave him the tÄrtam mantra, which gives access to the IÄ«lÄs of KrĢ„į¹£į¹a. His disciple MehrÄj į¹¬hÄkur aka PrÄį¹anÄth was born into a į¹¬hÄkur family in Jamnagar, Saurashtra. PrÄį¹anÄth worked as a government official in Saurashtra. And travelled through Arabia, "Persia," and Iraq studying the QuŹ¾rÄn, Bible, and other Islamic-Christian texts. In India he founded the MahÄmaį¹ galapurÄ« Temple in Surat. In the 1677 KumbhamelÄ in HaridvÄr, he won a religious debate in which he defeated Vaiį¹£į¹ava and Åaiva followers, and was awarded the title of mahÄmati. In Jamnagar he was arrested several times for allegedly embezzling public funds.
The traditions grew after Mughal Empire declined, in the wake of Aurangzeb's religious persecution of non-Muslims, "when Hindu rebellion led to new kingdoms." King ChatrasÄl of Bundelkhand patronized PrÄį¹anÄth, and he lived in its capital Panna for the rest of his life until his death in 1694. The Pranami tradition welcomed all castes and "religions to join the Supreme Truth Shri Krishna worship tradition." At conversion initiation, Prannathji would invite the new members to dine together regardless of whether they came from any Sanatan background. He would also explain the Pranami ideas by, citing Hindu and Islamic texts to make his teachings connect with the background of the converts.
The Pranami Sampradaya is also known as the Nijananda Sampradaya, literally, 'nij' meaning, oneself or own and 'ananda' meaning bliss. Or joy. The Pranami sampradaya's teachings tries to bridge the gap between the Eastern religions and Western religions together stating that both the Eastern and Western religions talk about the same one almighty god.
The Praį¹ÄmÄ« sect is heavily influenced by Islam, having developed in an era of Islamic rule. PrÄį¹anÄth claimed that Hinduism and Islam both contained the same esoteric truths, and that the QuŹ¾rÄn and Vedas both revealed the same truth. According to sectarian tradition, PrÄį¹anÄth is both the last avatÄr of Viį¹£į¹u and the MahdÄ« and ChatrasÄl is compared to Ź¾AlÄ«. During his lifetime PrÄį¹anÄth was considered to be, both a Hindu sant and a Musim faqÄ«r.
The Praį¹ÄmÄ« corpus, like in other Bhakti movement saint traditions, an eclectic mix of vernacular languages found in central, west and north India: Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi and Sanskrit.
Until the early 20th century, Praį¹ÄmÄ«s were accused of being crypto-Muslims. They were and are treated suspiciously by others and were considered to be outcastes. In recent decades the sect has gone through HInduization/Vaishnavization with older Islamic elements being discarded.
Among other notables ā Mahatma Gandhi's mother, Putlibai, belonged to Pranami sect. Gandhi in his book My Experiments With Truth mentions about this sect - "Pranami is a sect deriving the best of Gita and Quran, in search of one goal ā Shri Krishna."
Tartam Sagarā»
The Tartam Sagar, also referred to as the Kuljam Swaroop, is the holy book of the Pranami tradition. It is a compilation of 14 books; Raas, Prakash, Shatritu, Kalash, Sanandh, Kirantan, Khulasa, Khilwat, Parikrama, Sagar, Singaar, Sindhi Bani, Marfat Sagar, and Kayamatnama (chhota and bada), consisting of 18,758 verses. The text was published in 1965 for the first time. It is regarded to contain the revelation of the Vedic scriptures, as well as the description of the supreme abode of Krishna, called paraį¹adhÄma or Goloka Vrindavan. The text is regarded to be divine, and is therefore accorded equivalent worship as Krishna.
Rites and ritualsā»
The tradition is strictly vegetarian (ahimsa, non-violence to animals), non-caste tradition dedicated to Supreme Lord whom they also call as "Rajji". Dedicated Pranami temples exist such as in Kathiawar and Gulf of Kutch region. But followers of Pranami traditions substitute it by praying and spiritual pursuits in any nearby convenient temples. There are an estimated 5-10 million Pranamis found primarily throughout North India, particularly the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (Darjeeling , Kalimpong and Sikkim), and Assam, as well as the eastern half of Nepal.
Distributionā»
Nijanand Sampraday followers though a minority sect of an offshoot Hinduism can be found in States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim in India chiefly. The followers of Shree Krishna Pranami Faith are spread worldwide in recent times including the countries like Nepal, United States, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Canada among others.
Referencesā»
- ^ "Pranami Faith". pranami.org.
- ^ Dalal, Roshen (2010). "Pranami Panth". Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. New Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
- ^ Toffin, GĆ©rard (2011). The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas: Local Attachments and Boundary Dynamics. SAGE Publishers. pp. 144ā152. ISBN 978-81-321-0524-4.
- ^ Toffin, GĆ©rard (2012). "The Power of Boundaries: Transnational Links among Krishna Pranamis of India and Nepal". In John Zavos; et al. (eds.). Public Hinduisms. SAGE Publ. India. pp. 249ā254. ISBN 978-81-321-1696-7.
- ^ Shiri Ram Bakshi; S.R. Bakshi And O.P. Ralhan (2008). Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. pp. 205ā206. ISBN 978-81-7625-806-7.
- ^ Arvind Sharma (2013). Gandhi: A Spiritual Biography. Yale University Press. pp. 10ā12. ISBN 978-0-300-18738-0.
- ^ Toffin, GĆ©rard (2020). "Praį¹ÄmÄ« SampradÄy". Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online. Brill.
- ^ Arvind Sharma (2013). Gandhi: A Spiritual Biography. Yale University Press. pp. 10ā12. ISBN 978-0-300-18738-0.
- ^ Toffin, GĆ©rard (2011). The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas: Local Attachments and Boundary Dynamics. SAGE Publishers. pp. 144ā152. ISBN 978-81-321-0524-4.
- ^ Archana Sharma | TNN (19 November 2006). "Where Krishna meets Mohammed". The Times of India.
- ^ Shiri Ram Bakshi; S.R. Bakshi And O.P. Ralhan (2008). Madhya Pradesh Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. pp. 205ā206. ISBN 978-81-7625-806-7.
- ^ Toffin, GĆ©rard (2012). "The Power of Boundaries: Transnational Links among Krishna Pranamis of India and Nepal". In John Zavos; et al. (eds.). Public Hinduisms. SAGE Publ. India. pp. 249ā254. ISBN 978-81-321-1696-7.
- ^ Amalendu Misra (2004). Identity and Religion: Foundations of Anti-Islamism in India. Sage Publications. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7619-3227-7.
- ^ Rajmohan Gandhi (2007). Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, His People, and an Empire. Penguin Books India. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-14-310411-7.
- ^ Nagindas Sanghvi (2006). The Agony of Arrival: Gandhi, the South Africa Years. Rupa & Company. p. 38. ISBN 978-81-291-0835-7.
- ^ MahÄmati PrÄį¹anÄtha: JÄganÄ« saƱcayana, viÅvadharma sadbhÄva ko samarpita Åodhagrantha, varsha 1994-95, aį¹ ka 20-21 : viÅvadharma preraka VijayÄbhinanda Budha MahÄmati PrÄį¹anÄtha kÄ« TirodhÄna TriÅatÄbdÄ« para prakÄÅita (in Hindi). ÅrÄ« PrÄį¹anÄtha MiÅana. 1994. p. 381.
- ^ A. A. Abbasi (2001). Dimensions of Human Cultures in Central India: Professor S.K. Tiwari Felicitation Volume. Sarup & Sons. p. 191. ISBN 978-81-7625-186-0.