On 11th October, 2014 Bihar is going to witness a historic event i.e. the foundation of a new sub-sect Ramavat Sangat following the general principles of Ramandacharya who declared that the Jat pat puchhe nahin koi, Hari ko bhaje so Hari ko hoi. i.e. no one should ask anyone’s caste and social standing. and he who worships Lord Hari, is endeared to him.
This foundation ceremony will be performed in the presence of ascetics from Ramanand’s sect as well as those from Kabir, Ravidas, Sain and Dhanna sects in the Shri Krishna Memorial Hall. Although Kabir, Ravidas, Sain, Dhanna and others were disciples of Ramanand; they had parted ways for centuries and after a period of more than five hundred years they are assembling together under the auspices of Mahavir Mandir trust.
Ramavat Sangat will believe in the worship of all gods but will stress the worship of Ram, Sita and Hanuman. It will follow the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas but will regard the Ramayana and the Gita as the highest scriptures. It will ask its members to abstain from meat, liquor and drugs of any kind. It will inculcate moral values and will ask its members to follow the path of honesty. Philanthropy will be the pillar of this sect.
The Ramavat Sangat will carry an extensive compaign for the eradication of discrimination in the worship. For this purpose it will organise sangat and pangat on large scale. Sangat means collective worship in a temple by sitting togather irrespective of caste and social status. It must be performed on weekly or monthly basis. Pangat means collective dining on some religious festival, in a temple by sitting together without any discrimination.
Members of this sect will address each other Ram-Ram or Jai Siyaram or Hari Om. It will oppose Babadom and work for the abolition of untouchability and other social evils. There will be no middleman between God and devotee in this sect. Therefore, the procedure of initiation in this sect will be peculiar and in the following manner:
A person who wants to be initiated will come to the Hanuman temple after the Shayan Arati at night and will make a sankalpa with a s´loka from the Gita and will touch a dozen mantras kept in a pot. All the mantras will be placed at the feet of Hanumanji in the temple at night. In the morning after the arati he will be asked to pick up one mantra kept in a closed envelop and that mantra will be his initiation mantra. The prist in the temple will tell him the meaning of the mantra and its context and the way of the recital. Hanumanji will be considered the Diksha-guru and thus there will be no middleman.
Whereas other religious organisations have been harping on rituals only, this Ramavat Sangat will, apart from rituals, carry on agenda of reforms with stress on social equality.