The Saints named Bakhnaji, Sant Das Ji, Jagannath Das and Madho Das were associated with which of the following Sect?

Correct — option (1), Dadu Panth.

All four names in the stem belong to the Dadu tradition, so the sect is Dadu Panth. Hiralal Maheshwari's History of Rajasthani Literature (Sahitya Akademi) takes up each of them in its section on the Dadu Sampraday.

Maheshwari calls Bakhnaji (about 1553–1623) of Narayana "a disciple of Dadu". He writes that Santdas Barah-Hazari "was a disciple of Dadu and died in 1639 at Fatehpur (Sekhawati)".

In the same section, Jagannath Das of Amer compiled an anthology called Gun Ganj Nama on the pattern of Rajjab's Sarvangi. Madhau Das, described as Jagjivanji's disciple, is listed among the notable poets of the Sampraday.

Dadu (1543–1603), Maheshwari writes, founded the Brahma Sampraday at Sambhar, which was later named Dadu Panth after him. He died at Narayana.

Bakhna, Santdas, Jagannath Das and Madho Das are names from the Dadu Panth.

Why the others are wrong

• (2)
  Laldasi Sect — The Laldasi Sampraday grew around a different saint. Maheshwari writes that Laldas was born at Dholidup near Alwar in 1540 in a Mev Muslim family and died in 1648, and the sect was named after him.

  He names Haridas, Dungarsi Sadh, Prani Sadh and Bhikhan Sadh among Laldas's disciples. None of the stem's four saints appears in that account.

• (3)
  Jasnathi Sect — Maheshwari writes that Jasnathji (1482–1506) founded the Jasnathi Sampraday about 1500 at Katariyasar (Bikaner), which is its main seat.

  He lists 35 tenets of the sect, including a daily hawan, and mentions the fire dance of the Jasnathis. He places the stem's four saints under Dadu, not here.

• (4)
  Ramsnehi Sect — Maheshwari describes four Ram Snehi Sampradayas, of Ren, Shahpura, Sinthal and Khedapa, which came into being in the 18th century. He treats them as separate traditions with a common name.

  Ramcharanji (1719–1798) founded the Shahpura line at Bhilwara in 1760 and moved to Shahpura in 1769. Santdas Barah-Hazari, Dadu's disciple, died in 1639, before these seats were founded.

  Two names do recur: Maheshwari's lineage chart for these branches has a Santdas of the Gudad Panth (1642–1749) and a Madhodas Maidani. But he places Bakhnaji, Santdas Barah-Hazari, Jagannath Das of Amer and Madhau Das together in the Dadu section.

Rajasthan's sant sampradayas are devotional traditions, each built around a founder and the verse (vani) of the founder and his disciples. The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature says worship of the Formless predominates in Dadu's compositions.

Dadu (1543–1603) did his sadhana at Kardala and Sambhar, and Maheshwari says he founded the Brahma Sampraday at Sambhar, later called Dadu Panth. It divided into four branches: Khalasa, Naga, Uttaradha and Virakta.

His disciples included Rajjab of Sanganer, Sundardas (junior) of Fatehpur, Bakhnaji, Santdas Barah-Hazari and Vajind. Rajjab's anthology Sarvangi collects poems of about 65 poets.

Key facts

• Dadu (1543–1603) founded the Brahma Sampraday at Sambhar, later named Dadu Panth; he died at Narayana (Maheshwari).
• Maheshwari names four branches of the Dadu Panth: Khalasa, Naga, Uttaradha and Virakta.
• Santdas Barah-Hazari, a disciple of Dadu, died at Fatehpur in 1639; his vani is called Alam Ganj.
• Laldas (1540–1648), born at Dholidup near Alwar, gave his name to the Laldasi Sampraday.
• Jasnathji (1482–1506) founded the Jasnathi Sampraday about 1500 at Katariyasar in Bikaner.

Common traps

• The same name can belong to different traditions. Santdas Barah-Hazari was Dadu's disciple; a different Santdasji is linked with the Gudad Panth.
• Laldas founded the Laldasi sect, but Maheshwari also records a later Laldas in the tradition of Garib Das who wrote a Nam Mala naming 152 disciples of Dadu.
• The four Ram Snehi Sampradayas share a name, not a founder: each seat has its own founder.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Who founded the Ram Snehi Sampraday whose main seat is at Shahpura ?

  • (a)Dariyavji
  • (b)Ramcharanji
  • (c)Hariramdasji
  • (d)Ramdasji
  Answer(2) — Maheshwari writes that Ramcharanji founded the sect at Bhilwara in 1760 and came to Shahpura, its main seat, in 1769. Option (1), Dariyavji, founded the Ren line; option (3), Hariramdasji, the Sinthal line; option (4), Ramdasji, the Khedapa line.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Santdas Barah-Hazari, whose vani is called Alam Ganj, was a disciple of

  • (a)Laldas
  • (b)Jasnathji
  • (c)Dadu
  • (d)Ramcharanji
  Answer(3) — Maheshwari writes that Santdas Barah-Hazari was a disciple of Dadu and died at Fatehpur in 1639. Option (1), Laldas, founded the Laldasi sect; option (2), Jasnathji, died in 1506; option (4), Ramcharanji, was born in 1719, after Santdas's death.