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                                    प्रो. वीरेन्द्र कुमार अलंकारः, संस्कृत विभाग, पंजाब विश्वविद्यालय, चण्डीगढ

 

नाट्यकृद् भक्तिविल्लोकसंस्कारकृत्

गीतसंगीतकाव्येष्वधीती  सुधीः।

धर्मविद्   भेदभिन्नृत्यकृद्   गायकः

देवदेवो हृदा स्तूयते शङ्करः।।१।।

 

लेभे  यो  वै  जनुः  श्रीप्रसिद्धेऽसमे

घोरकालेऽपि यो भास्वरो भायुतः।

मेने  ह्येकं  हि  धर्मं  सदा  जीवने

देवदेवः स  वै  स्तूयते शङ्करः।।२।।

 

वर्गविद्वेषहीनं  स‌माजं   भुवि

कर्तुमाचारयुक्तं   प्रयेते  सदा।

कर्मणा सन्महान् कर्मणैव खलः

देवदेवो  हृदा  स्तूयते शङ्करः।।३।।

 

शाश्वतं  वैष्णवं  धर्ममाह मुनिः

बाल्यकालादयं सन्तधीः शान्तधीः।

क्रान्तदर्शी    कविर्वेदविद्यामतिः

देवदेवो  हृदा  स्तूयते  शङ्करः।।४।।

 

एकतायां  बलं  ह्येकतायां धनम्

एकतायां  सुखं  चैकताने  सधिम्।

एकतामीश्वरं प्राह  यः क्रान्तिकृद्

देवदेवः  स  वै  स्तूयते  शङ्करः।।५।।

 

नाट्यकृद् भक्तिविल्लोकसंस्कारकृत्

गीतसंगीतकाव्येष्वधीती  सुधीः।

धर्मविद्   भेदभिन्नृत्यकृद्   गायकः

देवदेवो हृदा स्तूयते शङ्करः।।१।।

अर्थ- जो स्वयं एक बड़े  नाट्यविधा के विद्वान् या नाट्य रचनाकार हैं, भक्ति के विद्वान् हैं, सारे लोक का परिष्कार करने वाले हैं, गीत, संगीत और काव्य के कुशल अध्येता हैं, पवित्र बुद्धि वाले हैं, धर्म के यथार्थ स्वरूप के वेत्ता हैं, आपसी भेदभाव को दूर करते हैं, नृत्यकार और गायक हैं, ऐसे महान् देव श्रीमंत शंकर देव की ह्रदय से स्तुति की जाती है।।१।।

 

लेभे  यो  वै  जनुः  श्रीप्रसिद्धेऽसमे

घोरकालेऽपि यो भास्वरो भायुतः।

मेने  ह्येकं  हि  धर्मं  सदा  जीवने

देवदेवः स  वै  स्तूयते शङ्करः।।२।।

अर्थ- जिन्होंने श्री सम्पदा से सम्पन्न असम की भूमि में जन्म लिया और जो घने अन्धकार में प्रचण्ड दीप्ति या तेज से युक्त सूर्य के समान हैं। जिन्होंने अपने जीवन में सदा एक ही धर्म अर्थात् मानवता के धर्म को स्वीकार किया है, ऐसे महान् देव श्रीमंत शंकर देव की हृदय से स्तुति की जाती है।।२।।

 

वर्गविद्वेषहीनं  स‌माजं   भुवि

कर्तुमाचारयुक्तं   प्रयेते  सदा।

कर्मणा सन्महान् कर्मणैव खलः

देवदेवो  हृदा  स्तूयते शङ्करः।।३।।

अर्थ- जिस महान् आत्मा ने इस भारत की भूमि पर समस्त समाज को वर्ग या जाति के आपसी द्वेष से रहित करने के लिए और सभ्य समाज की संरचना के लिए निरन्तर प्रयास किया, जो यह मानते थे कि कर्म से ही मनुष्य अच्छा और महान् होता है तथा कर्म के कारण ही दुष्ट या पापी होता है अर्थात् किसी कुल में जन्म लेने मात्र से कोई छोटा या बड़ा नहीं हो जाता, ऐसे महान् देवतास्वरूप श्रीमंत शंकरदेव की हृदय से स्तुति की जाती है।।३।।

 

 

 

शाश्वतं  वैष्णवं  धर्ममाह मुनिः

बाल्यकालादयं सन्तधीः शान्तधीः।

क्रान्तदर्शी    कविर्वेदविद्यामतिः

देवदेवो  हृदा  स्तूयते  शङ्करः।।४।।

अर्थ- जो वैष्णव धर्म को ही शाश्वत धर्म मानते थे, ये बाल्यकाल से ही सन्त प्रवृत्ति तथा शान्त बुद्धि के व्यक्ति थे। ये क्रान्तदर्शी कवि तथा वैदिक विद्या के लिए विशेष आस्था रखते थे, ऐसे महान् देवतास्वरूप श्रीमंत शंकरदेव की हृदय से स्तुति की जाती है।।४।।

 

एकतायां  बलं  ह्येकतायां धनम्

एकतायां  सुखं  चैकताने  सधिम्।

एकतामीश्वरं प्राह  यः क्रान्तिकृद्

देवदेवः  स  वै  स्तूयते  शङ्करः।।५।।

अर्थ- जिन्होंने मानवीय एकता को ही सबसे बड़ा बल, एकता को ही सबसे बड़ा धन, एकता को ही सबसे बड़ा सुख और एकरसता में ही ज्ञान की अग्नि को प्रदीप्त माना है तथा एकता को ही ईश्वर माना है, ऐसे उस महान् देवतास्वरूप श्रीमंत शंकरदेव की पुनः पुनःस्तुति की जाती है।।५।।

सधि-अग्नि

SPIRITUAL HUMANIST SRIMANTA SANKARADEVA

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

Dear friends from North America, I am highly priviledged to address you today on the life and works of Srimanta Sankaradeva, especially how he was a spiritual humanist. I am grateful to Naamghar Association of America for this great opportunity. The members of this Association deserve accolades for their sincerity in preserving and spreading the legacy of Srimanta Sankaradeva in foreign shore. Discussion about the saint is very scanty. Naamghar Association of America has done a commendable job by organising this dialogue.

 

Srimanta Sankaradeva was a great polymath, who contributed in numerous disciplines. He created a new religious order named Eka Sharana Nāma Dharma, which had many distinctive features. He was not only a religious leader, but also a poet, playwright, textual critic, musician, actor, director, dancer, choreographer, painter, textile designer and so on. He was even an architect, who designed the unique place of worship Kirttanghar or Nāmghar. It is different from all types of temples in India. It has columns of pillars inside the hall, which too is not seen in most other worshipping places. It was constructed with locally available materials like bamboo, wood, thatch etc unlike the huge stone-made temple structures elsewhere. That made it possible for the followers to dispense with royal patronage, which was very much essential in other religious orders to construct their expensive temples. Apart from these economic and political aspects, there was the environmental aspect too. The vernacular architecture evolved by him was completely sustainable. All the materials used in Kirttanghar or for that matter in any activity within the Thān or Sattra happened to be eco-friendly. Bamboo, wood, thatch etc were all replenishable commodities gathered from nature. So nature was not harmed in the least. This was certainly due to the sensitiveness of Srimanta Sankaradeva to ecological issues. He said in his Kirttana-ghoshā that one tree was equivalent to ten sons. In transcreation of Bhāgavata, he compared the trees with saints. Ito Vrindāvane āsai yata tarugana / Dekhā dekhā kena mahāsādhura lakshana / Karai para upakāra kino kripāmaya / Pararese arthe jivai ito brikshachaya (Bhāgavata 10/926) That means look at the trees in this Vrindavana. They have the attributes of great saints. How compassionately they help people. They live only for the benefit of others.

Srimanta Sankaradeva understood the malaise of the then society very well. A section of the priest community misled the people by misinterpreting the scriptures to suit their own interests. People had no access or knowledge of the scriptures due to illiteracy. Lot of distorted activities took place in the name of deity worship. Since worship with sacrifice was in vogue, even human beings were sacrificed before the deity. The man selected for sacrifice before the deity was called Bhogi. He had liberty to breach modesty of any female within the kingdom. No one had the courage and confidence to stand against these regressive traditions, because they were not literate; the traditional educational institutions Tol were reserved only for the boys from higher castes. Moreover there was no common platform that could be used for undertaking social reform.

The new order founded by Srimanta Sankaradeva had socio-economic factors also in addition to religious ones responsible for its emergence. He did away with the requirement of priests. It was done to redeem the people from the clutch of priests who were mostly extortionists. Moreover he did away with the influence of the Tāntriccult, who sacrificed even human beings. This was also the reason why he dispensed with female deity worship, whereas all other Vaishnavite orders in Sanātanareligion had female deity worship. Srimanta Sankaradeva insisted on Eka Sharana or submission to a single entity, dispensing with female deity worship as the decadent practice of the Tāntrics in the name of female deity worship had pushed the society to the nadir. There were at least forty temples in Assam in medieval times, where sacrifices, including human sacrifice were carried out. Srimanta Sankaradeva saved people from all these regressive customs.

Srimanta Sankaradeva differed from other Vaishnavite Gurus even in respect of devotion to lord Krishna. He adopted the Dāsya(servitude) form of devotion among the nine forms of devotion. The form of his devotion was that of servitude towards God. Contrary to that, we find the Madhura (conjugal) form or Vatsalya (affection) form or Sakhitva (friendliness) form of devotion among other Krishna-devotees of Sanātanareligion. Srimanta Sankaradeva avoided the Madhura form of devotion very carefully. This form was prevalent among the devotional orders which equated the worshipper and the worshipped. These orders, especially the Sahajiyācult led to decadence in the society by spreading unwarranted practices. They were devotees only apparently; their activities led to undermining of the status of women, whose honour were frequently breached. So there was a social necessity of highlighting the Dāsyaform of devotion instead of Madhura form of devotion. These aspects of Eka Sharana Nāma Dharmaprove the reformative nature of Srimanta Sankaradeva. There is ample scope for deducing that the necessity of social reform encouraged him to found a new order. The plethora of reformative advices in the vast body of his writings also prove that.

The elements of reform were more pronounced in his activities than religious theories. He loved people. He was a humanist, albeit with a spiritual thrust. The entire ambience inside the Kirttanghar or Nāmgharis democratic, with equal place for all. There is no differentiation or discrimination in Eka Sharana Nāma Dharmaon the basis of caste, sex or nationality. Srimanta Sankaradeva developed this order on the strong foundation of egalitarian principle. This was a revolutionary act in medieval time. That was why Mahatma Gandhi said that the Rāma-Rājyaof his dream had already been fulfilled by Srimanta Sankaradeva. In 1922, he wrote in Young India “Assam, indeed, is fortunate for Sankaradeva has, five centuries back, given to Assamese people an ideal which is also my ideal of Rāmarājya.” The evil of untouchability, which was fought against by Mahatma Gandhi throughout his life, had been totally eradicated by Srimanta Sankaradeva in his egalitarian order. Whereas the people of higher castes dominated all spheres of the society including social and religious spheres, he opened the door of his order to all and sundry. Not only that, all devotees had to sit together on the floor of the Kirttanghar or Nāmgharand partake of the offerings to God. Srimanta Sankaradeva’s spiritual follower, Guru Nanak also introduced the Langar system in the Gurudwārāon this principle only. Guru Nanak came to Bardowa in 1505 to meet Srimanta Sankaradeva. The entire system of Sikh religion was derived from Eka Sharana Nāma Dharma.

A notable feature of Kirttanghar or Nāmgharis that the Prasādaor offering to God was unique among all religious orders. Srimanta Sankaradeva saw to it that the devotees could get wholesome, nutritious food, while selecting the ingredients of the offerings. The Prasādaused in his order was wholesome food, rich in protein and other necessary nutritions. It had gram, lentil, coconut, banana etc. Even digestive elements like ginger were added in it. It reflected his concern and empathy for people.

As I said earlier, Srimanta Sankaradeva was a great humanist. Unlike other preceptors, he did not denigrate human birth or human body. Rather he treated it as a perfect tool for elevating oneself. He said, Durlabha manushya janma nakarā biphala/ Chintā mane Mādhavara charana kamala(Kirttana-ghoshā/358) That meansone should not waste the precious human life and should rather think about the lotus feet of God.

Srimanta Sankaradeva had sound philosophical base for this importance attached to human life. He said in his transcreation of Bhāgavata,

          Tumi Brahma tattva        jagata jateka

                   tomārese krirābhānda

                                      (Bhāgavata / 3 / 157)

That meansyou are the supreme entity, Brahma. The entire creation is nothing but your play-field. So the entire creation was manifestation of Brahma for him. This was a great positive attitude. He also said that it was a great fortune to be born as human being in Bhāratavarsha.

Just like Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) who came four centuries after him, Srimanta Sankaradeva was for integral development of human beings. But while Sri Aurobindo’s perspective was limited to philosophical evolution, Srimanta Sankaradeva’s vision of development included culture too. People were supreme for him. He said once that he treated the ardent devotees themselves as his Guru. We can compare this with the anecdote about Jesus that he washed the feet of his own disciples. Srimanta Sankaradeva also treated ailing people and was an expert in Ayurveda. Once he cured a man suffering from Tuberculosis. He was a married man and he advised his disciples also not to shun the world. He understood the multi-dimensional nature of human beings and hence he never asked his followers to be ascetics. He had five children, but did not bequeath the ownership of his institutions to any of them. He eked out his own living, unlike other preceptors in India or elsewhere. This tradition is followed by the heads of Thān and Sattra in his order till these days. All devotees residing therein have to engage in cultivation work.

Srimanta Sankaradeva reformed the society. He incorporated the content of the then curriculum in his plays and hymns so that the common people could learn the content of formal education even if they did not go to school. He did not keep walls in the place of worship so that the recital could reach even those who did not come inside. He even said it categorically that women and people in the lowest echelon of the society should be educated. He wrote in Nimi Navasiddha SambādaStree shudra antya jāti tāko shikshādibāmāti. (verse 333) That means call the women and people in the lowest echelon and educate them. He even initiated women, an unheard of thing in the medieval time. Khersuti, Kalindi, Barabahi, Chakuli and Chandari were some of them.

Ethics and educational contents constitute a large part of his writings. If we remove the names of the almighty like Krishna, Ram, Hari etc from his writings, it is all ethics. For instance he asked people to shun demonic nature and to show tolerance to people of other beliefs. He was a modern man, I would say the first modern Assamese. He talked about women’s right at a time when women’s honour was violated by the Bhogis. In his transcreation of UttarākāndaRāmāyana, he came away from the original and put critical remarks against Rama in the mouth of Sita. She said Bolāibo gharani āro Rāghavara ghare/ nāi teve nāri nilājini mota pare(verse 299). That means if I again call myself as wife of Raghava, then there will not be more shameless woman than me. Even his maiden book Harishchandra Upākhyānahad a severe warning against those who treated women badly. Strika durbala kare konano niskhale/ Jvalanta bahnika bāndhe bastrara ānchale(verse 75) That means who is that evil one that makes woman weak, he ties burning fire in knot of cloth. Thus he set the feministic trend in modern Indian literature. Only a humanist would carry out such revolutionary tasks.

Srimanta Sankaradeva had his own religious philosophy. I have named it Vivartanavāda as it facilitates the elevation of the individual self or Jiva from the primary dual state to the non-dual state of identity with universal self or Brahma. Srimanta Sankaradeva gave stress on spiritual evolution of the devotee from gross to subtle, from plurality to non-duality. Evolution is an important theme in his writings. In fact he started his Kirttana-ghoshāwith descriptions of the incarnations of Ishwara. These incarnations are nothing but metaphors for different phases of development of the creatures. So Srimanta Sankaradeva highlighted the process of evolution. His philosophy was unique.  It synthesized the entire spectrum of Advaitavāda, Dvaitavāda, Vishistādvaitavāda, Dvaitādvaitavāda etc and created a unique philosophy. It accommodated thoughts of all inclinations, elevating the Jiva to the pinnacle of realization of the supreme absolute. One specialty of his philosophy is that he equated Brahma and Ishwara, which was a revolutionary hypothesis. He says this categorically in a verse of his magnum opus Kirttana-ghoshā,

          Tumi Paramātmājagatara Isha eka

          Eko bastu nāhike tomāta byatireka

                                      (Kirttana-ghoshā/ 519)

That means you are the universal self as well as the one supreme God of the creation. There is nothing else than you.    

The Paramātmāor universal self, which is beyond all attributes and the Ishwara, the supreme God, Who is the abode of all virtues are the same. No other branch of Sanātana Indian philosophy had taken this position before Srimanta Sankaradeva. Thus he brought two parallel paths, the path of knowledge Jnāna-mārgaand the path of devotion Bhakti-mārgatogether. Two hundred years after him Spinoza (1632-1677) said the same thing, when he preached love for the absolute being. Thus Srimanta Sankaradeva was a guiding light for Spinoza also.

He said that Ishwara exists in every being and hence one should see every one as manifestation of God. He wrote in Kirttana-ghoshāSamaste bhutate dekhibeka Nārāyana. (Verse 382) That means one should see lord Narayana in all beings. Thus he lived by the tenet of Mahā-Upanishada, which says Vasudhaiva kutumbakam. That means the entire world is our family. Obvious corollary of it was to shun violence of all types, which he categorically said. He said Hena jāni asura svabhāva save eri / Samasta prānika pujā Vishnu buddhi kari. (Kirttana-ghoshā/359) That means one should give up all demonic nature and worship all creatures by treating them as Vishnu.

Srimanta Sankaradeva forgave even his adversaries. He asked his followers not to hate the non-believers. He taught them tolerance, the most important requisite of a civilized society. He forgave all the priests who took him to the royal courts in two different kingdoms. It may be mentioned that Srimanta Sankaradeva and his followers were continually harassed by the priest community as the new religious order dispensed with the intermediaries, thereby putting livelihood of the priests at stake.

Srimanta Sankaradeva’s vision encompassed the entire humanity, it was not restricted to any geographical region. In one place, he said, Obānaraloka, Hari bhajiyoka, meaning O mankind, worship lord Hari. His altruistic love embraced entire humanity; that is nothing but humanism. He was a global citizen in true sense. This global vision has become all the more relevant today, when the entire humanity have come together to fight a Pandemic COVID19. That one’s fate is linked with that of others has been established in these trying times. It is with Srimanta Sankaradeva’s ideology that we can overcome the intransigence that prevails in many societies. He categorically said that one should not be vindictive to others and rather be compassionate. He wrote in Bhakti-Pradipa, Parara dharmaka nihingsibākadāchita / Karibābhuta dāyāsakaruna chitta(verse 141). That means one should not be vindictive to other religions; one should be sympathetic to the creatures with a compassionate heart.

Srimanta Sankaradeva believed in intrinsic goodness of human beings. He forgave all his adversaries. He did not keep any grudge against his prosecutors. When the Ahom king ordered the complainants to take initiation from the saint after hearing a baseless complaint by the priests against Srimanta Sankaradeva, the saint exempted them from that. His compassion extended even to animals and birds. Once during his pilgrimage he released a peacock and a deer from traps laid by a hunter, at the same time compensating the hunter for his losses. He did not approve of the hunter’s action but at the same time had empathy for him. When the hunter came to know about it he realised the truth of life and came near the saint. He paid obeisance to Srimanta Sankaradeva and became a disciple.

Srimanta Sankaradeva was pioneer in the entire world in using cultural tools like plays for proselytizing work. The great German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), who used his plays as forum for conveying his leftist and anti-fascist message, came four centuries later. Srimanta Sankaradeva was also the first playwright in all modern Indian languages. He used the language of the common people to convey his message even though he was a great Sanskrit scholar. The Brajāwalilanguage he used in the plays was nothing but the colloquial form of Assamese language. Moreover he used ethnic ingredients in costumes used by the characters of his plays known as Ankiyāplays. He took these ingredients from tribes like Rabha, Tiwa, Mising, Jaintia etc. All his works were targeted at bringing together people of different castes and ethnicity. In his classical dance form known as both SattriyāNrityaand Sankari Nritya, he took hand and foot movements from tribes like Mising, Karbi, Bodo, Rabha, Dimasa etc. Similarly his music had ingredients from tribes like Ahom, Tiwa, Bodo, Dimasa etc. The literary and cultural contributions by him brought all ethnic groups together, because they found their own heritages reflected in it. The cultural wealth created by Srimanta Sankaradeva became a common heritage for all ethnic groups. He could do this because he loved people. He did it in spite of the fact that most of the tribes believed in animism, not in the religious philosophy preached by him. This showed his magnanimity. He was above narrow sectarianism. Thus he created the modern Assamese society. This is why he is known as father of Assamese society.

Srimanta Sankaradeva created the institution known as Thān or Sattra, the Kirttangharor Nāmgharbeing its central component. It may be mentioned here that when set up in villages, it is popularly called Nāmgharand when set up in Thān or Sattra, it is calledKirttanghar.This multi-faceted institution is the fore-runner of community groups like Kibbutz, Commune etc. The strong community life in Assam is a legacy of Srimanta Sankaradeva. The Nāmgharis not for religious functions only, but also for cultural activities and socio-economic activities. Thus the institutional structure of his religion highlighted the emphasis on people rather than theology. It achieved social unity in an unprecedented manner and worked for social welfare. All discussions about the societal activities take place here. The societal disputes have been resolved by most people of Assam over the centuries in the floor of Nāmghar, not in court-rooms. The village life has been regulated from the Nāmgharonly. Thus Srimanta Sankaradeva was pioneer in the entire world in local area administration. The seed of Panchāyatirājwas embedded in the structure of Nāmghar. This institution is one of the greatest creations in recent centuries for integrated development of any society.

I have given a brief introduction to the life and works of the great spiritual humanist, Srimanta Sankaradeva. I hope it will make you interested in further studies about the polymath. I am grateful to you all for hearing me. To conclude, I wish a great journey to Naamghar Association of America. Thank you.

[Lecture delivered in an online programme organised by Naamghar Association of America on 19th July, 2020]

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


The Thân or Sattrainstitution is a living heritage bequeathed to the posterity by Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449 AD - 1568 AD). Unlike most heritages, which are long dead, the Thân or Sattrainstitution continues to be a vibrant one. Earlier, it was known only as Thân. Later on the name Sattra also came to be used. The religious order Eka Sarana Nâma Dharma of Srimanta Sankaradeva sustained itself for more than five centuries on the strength of the Thân or Sattra. ... more


by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1568), the founder of the Vaishnavite order Eka Sarana Nāma Dharmawas a multi-faceted person whose works had different dimensions. In spite of being a religious preceptor, he included aesthetic activities like Sattriyādance, Bargeetsong, Sankari music, Ankiyāplays, painting and sculpture in his scheme of things. Needless to say, all these were his own compositions. Even mundane activities like agricultural production found place in this pattern. Obviously he was a man of the world as well as man for the world. He wanted to make life good and beautiful for people around him. Therein lay his aesthetic approach to life. One who finds beauty in life cares for the quality of other peoples’ lives. Srimanta Sankaradeva did that. He cared for the quality of life for people around him.... more

by Rohit Venkateshwaran


(Continued from part I)


भकतेसेमोरहृदिजानिबानिश्चय
भकतजनरजानाआमिसेहृदय
मइबिनाभकतेनिचिन्तेकिछुआन
भकततपरेमइनिचिन्तोहोआन ll १८२९
I forever am enshrined in the heart of My devotees. Devotees, forever are enshrined in My Heart! My devotees think of nothing but Me, and I, nothing but them!"

 

Now compare the above with Abhang 2622 from Sant Eknath's collection. The language is nectarine Marathi: ... more

by Rohit Venkateshwaran

 

Sant Eknath was an epoch-making saint, social reformer as well as literary figure in the Vaishnavite Bhakti Movement of Maharashtra. Like our Mahaguru Srimanta Sankaradeva, he too was a poet par excellence who rendered the essence of the Srimad Bhagavatam in the language of the masses: Marathi.

 

With all humility, I render in English the most widely quoted part of Gurujana's "Kirtana Ghosha": the 4th Kirtan of the 26th Section "Sri Krishnar Vaikuntha Prayan", and compare it with Abhang no' 2622 of Sant Eknath’s collection (the “Eknathi Gatha”). Both are magnificent pieces of poetry which encompass Lord Sri Krishna's final teachings to Uddhava (in the 11th Canto of the Bhagavatam) before He ascended to Vaikuntha. This will be a long read, but the experience for sure, will be delightful! ... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


Srimanta Sankaradeva is generally remembered as a religious preceptor, who founded the Eka Sarana Nâma Dharma order. But that is not his only identity. His activities were not confined to the realm of religion alone. His activities were multi-dimensional. He contributed so many things to the society, or to be more precise to the humanity. He created many new things, new type of building structure, new social structure, new type of social management, new educational system, new food, new health care, new musical instrument, new music, new dance form, new form of play, new form of textile art, new form of painting and so on. There was innovation in almost all his activities. Very often he did not follow the beaten track. He charted his own path. His new path was always so attractive and suitable that people soon started to follow him in the new path.... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti 


Study about the life and works of Srimanta Sankaradeva is of great academic importance in Assam. The father of Assamese nation, Srimanta Sankaradeva is revered by people from all walks of life in Assam. 


The literary and cultural contributions by the saint continue to influence the modern creative works. But strangely very little is known about him outside the state. ... more

by

Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


Srimanta Sankaradeva was one of the foremost religious philosophers in the world. His religion Eka Sharana Nâma Dharma laid the foundation for a new religious philosophy. The present author has named this philosophy as Vivartanavâda as it facilitates the elevation of the Jîva from the primary dual state to the non-dual state of identity with Brahma. The pertinent features of this philosophy are : ... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


Srimanta Sankaradeva was the first playwright in all modern Indian languages. It started with his play Chihna-yatra, which was enacted in 1468 AD at Bordowa in front of 10,000 audience. His plays are known as Ankiya play. Enactment of the Ankiya plays authored by Srimanta Sankaradeva and his successor-disciple Madhavadeva is called Bhaona. Many plays have been written since then by different Assamese playwrights in the style of the Ankiya plays. But these later compositions are not called Ankiya play. So Ankiya Bhaona means the enactment of only the Ankiya plays authored by Srimanta Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva. ... more

by Dr Madan Sarma


Translation has played a crucial role in the development of Assamese literature. In fact, translation and adaptation of important Sanskrit texts-both religious and secular-have helped the growth  and development of various forms/genres of literature in a number of Indian languages. ... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti



Srimanta Sankaradeva created a new religion, Eka Sarana Nâma Dharma. But he was not a religious preceptor alone. He had multi-faceted talent in the disciplines of dance, music, drama, verses etc. He also created a new social structure. He may be placed among the all time greats in the world for his role in social reform alone. The time when he was born in was a time of terror and tyranny. ... more

by Dr Ananyaa Barua


Srimanta Sankaradeva's Eka Sarana Nama Dharma was an attempt to revive the pristine aspect of Gita's philosophy of complete self-surrender in Love. God to Srimanta Sankaradeva was above duality, above Purusha and Prakriti. 'There was none but One' was his creed. Mahapurushiya or Eka Sarana Nama Dharma centers round this core principle. In the Shvetashvataropanishad, it is found : ... more

by Dr Arshiya Sethi


The Sattras were born out of the Bhakti movement as it came to Assam. Like the Bhakti movements in many other parts of India, the Bhakti movement in Assam, called the Eka Sarana Nama Dharma, had a creative audio visual aspect for its propagation. Through his creative genius Sankaradeva was able to mould the Cultural life of Assam. The epicenter of the cultural life of Assam was the Sattra, which for five centuries has been the crucible of the Sattriya cultural tradition.  ... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


I have always considered Srimanta Sankaradeva as my role model. His multi-faceted contributions fascinate me. Our socio-cuItural lives are permeated by his influence even now. I feel proud that he was born in Assam. But very little was known about him outside Assam till some time ago. It has therefore been my endeavour to let people know about him and his unparalleled works. I have written what I have learnt about his life, works and philosophy. ... more

Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva and Guru Nanak : a comparative study

by

Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

 

Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1568) and Guru Nanak (1469-1539) were both leading lights of medieval Bhakti movement in Bharatavarsha. They both left permanent marks on the society in the sub-continent in both religious and cultural spheres. There are many similarities in the religious principles preached by these two great social reformers. ... more

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

 

India is a great country with great cultural wealth. But her enormity also means that dimensions of all her problems also happen to be very big. Her social system has been such that from time to time it has required the service of great reformers to do away with the undesired accumulations. Srimanta Sankaradeva and Swami Vivekananda were two such great reformers who redeemed the then societies of unwarranted growths. They had different approaches to the socio-religious problems, but had many common grounds, which make interesting reading. They are two rare religious leaders who made clear statements on the Chaturbarna system and its negative impact on the Indian society. Their concerns remain valid even now, long after they have passed away from the scene. ... more

Madhavadeva

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


Madhavadeva's father Govinda Bhuyan was an accountant of Pratap Rai, the king of Banduka, presently in Rangpur district of Bangladesh. Forefather of Govinda had earlier migrated from Kannauj along with other Bhuyans. Govinda married a girl named Anuchita in Banduka. Anuchita died at an early age leaving an infant son, Damodar. When Damodar grew up, Govinda transferred his office to Damodar and set out for upper Assam with some merchandise. He reached Tembuwani and was glad to find the Bhuyans residing there. Srimanta Sankaradeva persuaded him to marry again and arranged a match with his cousin Manorama. Srimanta Sankaradeva also appointed Govinda as 'Bora' or a revenue officer of the Bhuyan kingdom at Rowta.... more

Vaishnava Literary Tradition of Assam

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti


             Assam has a rich tradition of Vaishnavite literature. The majority of the people in Assam are believers of Vaishnavite faith. So the literary activities in Assam have been dominated by the Vaishnavite literature. The history of such literature goes back to the sixth century, when Puroshottama Gajapati authored a book named Deepikâ Sanda. An emperor of the Jitari dynasty, Puroshottama Gajapati can be called the pioneer of Vaishnavite literature in Assam. Ratnapura was the capital of his empire Kamarupa, the ancient name of Assam. He wrote this book by taking ingredients from different Sanskrit treatises like Hangsakâki, Jâmal Samhitâetc. He criticised the decadent Tantrik rituals in his book. But since he was not a theoretician, there was not much theoretical analysis in the book. He predicted that there would be dominance of unrighteousness in Bhâratavarsha. ... more

by Dr. Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1568 AD), the patron saint of the Assamese people was a social reformer besides being the founder of a new religious order Eka Sarana Nama Dharma. He used the tool of culture to preach his socio-religious ideology.... more

Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

Art is a way of expressing one’s ideas in aesthetically appealing forms. These include sculptures, paintings, masks, carvings, murals, illustrations etc. It was therefore quite natural that Srimanta Sankaradeva, the father of Assamese literature and culture used this medium to a large extent for his proselytizing activities.... more
 Dr Pona Mahanta

 
The history of regular Assamese drama and theatre began with Srimanta Sankaradeva (1449-1568 AD). He wrote and produced plays nearly five centuries ago when classical Sanskrit drama was at a low ebb and when Shakespeare was not even born.... more
Admin Jan 10 '12 · Rate: 4 · Comments: 1 · Tags: theatre, srimanta sankaradeva, ankiya play, bhaona, sutradhara

by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti

           The North East India was known for different ethnic conflicts when Srimanta Sankaradeva was born here in the fifteenth century. Those ethnic groups were Karbi, Ahom, Kachari, Chutiya, Naga, Manipuri Meitei, Koch, Mising,... more

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