Rapt in the name : the Ramnamis, Ramnam, and untouchable religion in Central India

251 Pages·2002·2.019 MB·English

by  Lamb, Ramdas

Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page i
Rapt in the Name
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page ii
SUNY series in Hindu Studies
Wendy Doniger, Editor
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page iii
Rapt in the Name
The Ramnamis, Ramnam,
and Untouchable Religion
in Central India
(cid:1)
Ramdas Lamb
State University of New York Press
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page iv
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2002 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lamb, Ramdas.
Rapt in the name : the Ramnamis, Ramnam, and untouchable religion in Central
India / Ramdas Lamb.
p. cm. — (SUNYseries in Hindu studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN0–7914–5385–5 (alk. paper) — ISBN0–7914–5386–3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Ramnami-samaj. 2. R¯ama (Hindu deity)—Cult. 3. Dalits—Central India—
Religion. I. Title II. Series.
BL1295.R36L36 2002
294.5'5—dc21 2002070695
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page v
For
Susan,Sachi,Ravi
Meena Bahin,Leelaji
and all the Ramnamis
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page vi
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page vii
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Contents
Preface ix
Notes on Transliteration xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Providing the Context 11
Chapter 2 Historical Development of the Ram Tradition 25
Chapter 3 Ramnam and the Ram Story in Hindi 35
Chapter 4 Religion and the Low Caste in Central India 45
Chapter 5 The Ramnami Samaj:Its Contemporary Forms 77
Chapter 6 Ramnamis’Contemporary Use of the M¯anas andRamnam 113
Chapter 7 The Ramnami Life:Six Biographic Sketches 135
Conclusion: A Question of Values 175
Appendix I 183
Appendix II 195
Notes 197
Glossary 215
Bibliography 219
Index 231
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This sect member’s mukut(hat) shows the physical diversity with which Ram-
namis can express themselves.
Ramdas Lamb: Rapt in the Name page ix
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Preface
It has been nearly three decades since I first became aware of the Ramnami
Samaj, an Untouchable religious movement in Central India, and nearly two-
and-a-half decades since I began my relationship with the group. I was a Hindu
monk at the time I first met them and my interest was strictly personal. I was
initially attracted by their striking visual appearance, then by their theological,
philosophical, and social views. Later, after returning to America and beginning
my academic career, my interest in the samaj expanded to include a variety of
scholastic curiosities and concerns as well. This book, then, is a result of both
my personal and professional relationship with the Ramnamis.
I first visited India as a tourist for three weeks in 1968. Intrigued by my
experiences there, I returned in the spring of 1969 and resided there until 1977.
Since then, I have returned more than a dozen times to the subcontinent to
continue my research on and relationship with the land and its people. Although
I have continually sought to expand my horizons and understanding of India
over the last several decades, the magnitude and multivalence of the country is
such that it is extremely difficult for any one individual to do more than scratch
the surface and comprehend all that is there. However, with each contact, I have
been fortunate to broaden my understanding of, and experiences with, the
Ramnamis. I hope this presentation will pay tribute to their uniqueness, sincer-
ity, and genuineness.
Thepurposeofthepresentstudyistwofold:(1)toexaminetheevolution
andelaborationoftheRambhaktitraditioninIndia,withspecificreferencetothe
rolesoftheRa¯ mcarita¯ nasandthepracticeofRamnamtherein;and(2)toprovidea
detailedexpositiononapresent-daymanifestationofRambhaktiintheformof
theRamnamiSamaj.WhiletheRamnamisexistontheirownasauniqueillus-
trationofcontemporaryantinomianHindudevotionalism,thesectisalsoavi-
brantexampleofwhathasbeenanintegralpartoftheever-changingRamtradi-
tioninIndia,fromitsinceptiontothepresent:theinvolvementandinfluenceof
thoseonthesocialandreligiousperipheryinthegrowthofRambhakti.
Among the corollary South Asian issues addressed in these pages are the
concepts of self-identity formation and the role of brahmanical scholars and