Raidas belonged to the times when the caste system had it stranglehold on India. He was a cobbler by caste and mended shoes. He lived in Varanasi, the capital of Hinduism in those days. Having received the Rama Nama Mantra from Sadguru Ramandacharya of the Vaishnava tradition, Raidas had advanced to great spiritual heights and was an enlightened being. He saw the Light of existence everywhere around him and to him the waters of the Ganga were no different from the water he used in a cup for wetting and sharpening his tools of trade. Raidas saw the sanctity of God all around him and the Universe also responded to Raidas with great love and abundance.
Let us look at an incident in the life of Raidas which tells us of his highly enlightened nature:
Raidas lived near the Ganges and worked for his living making and mending leather shoes. Once a group of pilgrims came there and saw Raidas busy working on fixing some shoes. They gave him several pairs of shoes to mend and as he started his work, they asked him how many times he had taken bath in the holy waters of the Ganga. Raidas replied that he had not bathed in the Ganga at all. The pilgrims were puffed up with ego and pride. They told him: We do not want you to repair our shoes. You are an atheist who lives near the sacred Ganges who has never bothered to bathe in this holy river.
By that time, Raidas had already done their work and so they paid him a few coins for mending the shoes. He refused to accept money from them as it was his principle not to accept payment from pilgrims. They were insistent so he said: Please offer these coins in the Ganges River saying that they are an offering from the cobbler Raidas. The pilgrims went to the Ganges to take bath and threw the coins in the waters saying mockingly: Divine Mother Ganga, these coins are an offering from the cobbler Raidas. To the astonishment of the pilgrims, two beautiful hands appeared from inside the river and caught the coins. A heavenly voice said: I am honoured to accept this gift from Raidas- the Great Soul. Please offer to Raidas my gift. The two hands then gave them a beautifully crafted golden bangle studded with precious stones.
The pilgrims did not give the gift of the Ganges to Raidas. They took it to the King of Varanasi and offered to him. He was very pleased with their gift and offered them a large sum of money as reward. The King presented the bangle to his Queen. She liked is so much that she wanted another one to make a matching pair. The King ordered the pilgrims to get another bangle. The pilgrims had no choice but to tell the truth. The King went to the hut of Raidas and asked him to get another bangle from the Ganges for his Queen.
Raidas has a small container with water in front of him. He used to wet leather in it and also wet the tools of his trade for sharpening them. He said: If our mind is pure and we love Mother Ganga, She will be present even in this container. He put his hand inside the container and removed an identical bangle and offered to the King. The stunned King fell at the feet of Raidas and sought forgiveness and blessings. Raidas blessed him and continued to mend shoes.
Raidas became a great philosopher and supporter of the Vaishnava cult. His writings were simple and easy to follow and he taught the highest philosophy in the language of the common man. Some of his writings are found in the Guru Granth Saheb. Meerabai, the princess saint of Rajasthan was the disciple of Raidas. The touch of Raidas was the Midas touch which enabled Meerabai to realise the Formless Giridhargopal who pervaded the entire Cosmos within herself and all around her.People all over India respect and revere Raidas as a saint and Guru of the highest order. The cobbler of Varanasi rose to the ranks of the Enlightened and helped many others on their journey!
