UpdateBot at 06:16, 1 July 2022

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{{Short description|Bhojpuri poet and author (1646-1688)}}
{{Infobox philosopher
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|name =
|birth_date = {{birth year|1646}}
|birth_place = Manjhi, [[Chhapra]], India
|death_date = {{dya|1688|1646}}
|death_place =
|school_tradition = [[Ramanandi Sampradaya]]
|main_interests = {{hlist|[[Mysticism]]|[[Theism]]|[[Syncretism]]|[[Poetry]]}}
|influences =
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}}

'''Dharni Das''' (1646-1688) was a [[Ramanandi Sampradaya|Ramanandi]] saint and [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]] poet who contributed significantly to the development of [[Bhojpuri literature]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sinha|first=Bindeshwari Prasad|title=Kayasthas in Making of Modern Bihar|publisher=Impression Publication|year=2003|isbn=|location=|pages=251}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Chakraborty|first=S.N.|title=Behar Herald, [1875-1975]: Centenary Number|publisher=Bengalee Association, Bihar|year=1975|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref> He was from a [[Kayastha]] family and contemporary of the Emperor [[Aurangzeb]].<ref name="Superintendent, Secretariat Press">{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=Bihar District Gazetteers: Saran, vol. XIV|publisher=Superintendent, Secretariat Press|year=1960|isbn=|location=Bihar|pages=}}</ref> His followers are called ''Dharnidasis'', who wear a beaded string around the neck, song bhajans and are vegetarian.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Pankaj|first1=Ashok K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHd0DwAAQBAJ&q=shabd+prakash|title=Dalits, Subalternity and Social Change in India|last2=Pandey|first2=Ajit K.|date=2018-10-26|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-429-78518-4|language=en}}</ref>

== Life ==
He was born in 1646 A.D. in a Kayastha family of Manjhi village near [[Chhapra]] in Bihar. His father's name was Parshuram and mother's name was Birma and his childhood name was Gaibi.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Durgashankar Prasad|title=Bhojpuri ke kavi aur kavya|publisher=Bihar Rashtrabhasa Parishad|year=1968|isbn=|location=Patna|pages=93}}</ref> His ancestors were employed on the post of Diwan in Manjhi estate. He also served the state before becoming a Saint. The popular myth about his conversion to a saint is that, once during his work he poured a [[Lota (vessel)|Pot]] of water on the papers, on asking the reason for doing that he replied that Lord [[Jagannath]] was ablaze during arti and he had done that to extinguish the fire. When the landlord enquired he found the story to be true. After that he became a Saint.<ref name=":0" />

In 1657AD, he became the follower of the school of [[Ramananda]], who was a propagator of [[Vaishnavism]].<ref name="Superintendent, Secretariat Press"/> One of the two incidents that led him to leave the worldly life and adopt monkhood was his father's death, and the second was the death of Mughal Emperor [[Shah Jahan]]. He took initiation from a saint named Charandas, and then became the disciple of Vinodanand. Sadanand and Karunanidhan were two of his notable disciples.<ref name=":0" />

In his lifetime, he established several Mathas like ''Paras Math'' near Ekma, ''Sahnam Math'' near [[Bhatni Bazar|Bhatni]], where every year a fair is held associated with him and his followers Sadanand and Shivanand. He also established a math at Manjhi. His religious ideas were against [[Idolatry]] and [[Superstition]]. He also authored three books Prem Prakash and Shabd Prakash, which were in Bhojpuri and Braj Bhakha and third was Aalif, which was in [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tiwari|first=Arjun|title=Bhojpuri Sahitya ke itihas|publisher=Vishwavidyalaya Prakashan|year=2014|isbn=|location=Varanasi|pages=102}}</ref>

== Works ==

He has written three books:

* Prem Prakash (or Prem Pragas)
* Shabd Prakash
* Aalif

Shabd Pragas was published in 1887 from Nashik Press in Chhapra.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Upadhyay|first=Krishnadev|title=Bhojpuri Sahitya ka itigasa|publisher=Bharatiya lok Sanskriti Shodh Sansthan|year=1972|isbn=|location=|pages=57–58}}</ref> A collection of his compositions named ''Dharnidas ki vani'' was also published in 1911 as a booklet of 47 pages from [[Allahabad]].<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian poets]]
[[Category:Bhojpuri-language writers]]
[[Category:1646 births]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]

{{India-poet-stub}}

Dharni Das - Revision history

UpdateBot at 06:16, 1 July 2022