Information About ®Srimanta Sankardeva |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SRIMANTA SANKARDEVA | |
| 1449 births | |
| 1568 deaths | |
| history of assam | |
| mahapuruxiya dharma | |
| hindu revivalists | |
| people from assam | |
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His literary and artistic contributions are living traditions in Assam today. The religion he preached is practiced by a large population, and monasteries (''sattras'') that he started sustain his legacy. In reverence to his personality, teachings and oeuvre, he is a ''Mahapurusha''---'Great Man'. ''EKSARANA'' Sankaradeva used the form of Krishna to preach devotion to a single God (''eksarana''), who can be worshiped solely by uttering His various names (''naam''). In contrast to other bhakti forms, ''eksarana'' follows the ''dasya'' attitude (a slave to God). Moreover, unlike the 'Gaudiya Vaishnavism' of Bengal, Radha is not worshiped along with Krishna. In uttering the name of God, '' Hari '', '' Rama '', '' Narayana '' and ''Krishna'' are most often used. Sankaradeva himself and the religion in general are particularly antagonistic to Saktism which was strongly prevalent in Assam at the time. This probably explains the non-use of Radha as an icon. His famous debate with Madhavadeva, who was a staunch sakta earlier, and Madhavadeva's subsequent conversion to Vaishnavism, is often cited as the single most epoch-making event in the history of the neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam. Madhavadeva, an equally multi-talented person, became his most celebrated disciple. A non- Brahmin , Srimanta Sankardeva started a system of initiation (''saran luwa'') into his religion. He initiated people of all Caste s and religions, including even Muslims. After initiation, the devotee is expected to adhere to the religious tenets of ''eksarana''. Failure to adhere to these tenets led to ex-communication in certain cases. Though he himself married (twice), had children and led the life of a householder, his disciple Madhavadeva did not. Some of his followers today follow celibate monkhood (''kewaliya bhakat'') in the Vaishnavite monasteries---the ''sattras''. The people who practice his religion are called variously as ''Mahapurushia'', ''Sarania'' or ''Sankari''. WORKS Literary Sankaradeva produced a large body of work. Though there were others before him who wrote in the language of the common man---Madhav Kandali who translated the Ramayana into Assamese in the 14th Century , Harivara Vipra and Hema Saraswati---it was Sankaradeva who opened the floodgates and inspired others like Madhavadeva to carry on where he left off. His language is lucid, his verses lilting, and he infused ''bhakti'' into everything he wrote. His magnum opus is his ''Kirtana-ghosha'', a work so popular that even today it is found in nearly every household in Assam. It contains narrative verses glorifying Krishna meant and is meant for community singing. It is a ''bhakti kayva'' par excellence, written in a lively and simple language, it has "stories and songs for amusement children , it delights the young with true poetic beauty and elderly people find here religious instruction and wisdom". For most of his works, he used the Assamese Language of the period so the lay person could read and understand them. But for dramatic effect in his songs and dramas he used Brajavali , an artificial mixture of Braj Language and Assamese. Other literary works include the rendering of eight books of the '' Bhagavata Purana '' including the ''Adi Dasama'' (Book X), '' Harishchandra -upakhyana'' (his first work), ''Bhakti-pradip'', the ''Nimi-navasiddha-samvada'' (conversation between King Nimi and the nine Siddhas), ''Bhakti-ratnakara'' (Sanskrit verses, mostly from the Bhagavata, compiled into a book), ''Anadi-patana'' (having as its theme the creation of the universe and allied cosmological matters), ''Gunamala'' and many plays like ''Rukmini haran'', ''Patni prasad'', ''Keli gopal'', ''Kurukshetra yatra'' and ''Srirama vijaya''. There was thus an efflorescence of great Bhakti literature during his long life of 120 years. Poetic works (''Kavya'')
Bhakti Theory
Transliteration
His translation of the ''Bhagavata'' is actually a transcreation, because he translates not just the words but the idiom and the physiognomy too. He has adapted the original text to the local land and people and most importantly for the purpose of bhakti. Portions of the original were left out or elaborated where appropriate. For example, he suppressed the portions that revile the lowers castes of '' Sudra '' and '' Kaivarta s'', and extols them elsewhere. Drama (''Naat'')
Sankaradeva was the fountainhead of the ''Ankiya naat'', a form of one-act play. In fact, his ''Cihna Yatra''---staged by him when he was only 19---is regarded as one of the first open-air theatrical performances in the world. ''Cihna yatra'' was probably a dance drama and no text of that show is available today. Innovations like the presence of a ''Sutradhara'' (narrator) on the stage, use of masks etc. were used later in the plays of Bertolt Brecht and other eminent playwrights. These cultural traditions still form an integral part of the heritage of the Assamese people. Songs
The ''Borgeets'' (literally: great songs) are devotional songs, set to music and sung in various '' Raga '' styles. These styles are slightly different from either the Hindustani or the Carnatic styles {Link without Title} . The songs themselves are written in the 'Brajavali' language. For a sample of a ''borgeet'' written by Sankardev, listen to sung by Bhupen Hazarika . Dance Sattriya Dance , that Sankaradeva first conceived and which was later developed by the ''sattras'', is now among the Classical Dance Forms Of India . Visual Art
The famous ''Vrindavani Vastra''---the cloth of Vrindavan---a 120 cubits long and 60 cubits broad tapestry depicted the '' Lila s'' of Lord Krishna at Vrindavan through richly woven and embroidered designs on silk. A specimen, believed to be a part of this work, is at the Association pour l'Etude et la Documentation des Textiles d'Asie collection at Paris (inv. no. 3222). The ''vastra'', commissioned by Chilarai , was woven by twelve master weavers in Barpeta under the supervision of Sankardev probably between 1565 and 1568 . It was housed in the Madhupur sattra but it disappeared at some point. It is believed this cloth made its way to Tibet and from there to its present place. Reference: ''Vrindavani Vastra: Figured Silks from Assam'', Rosemary Crill, Hali 62: 14(2): 1992: 76-83. BIOGRAPHY Srimanta Sankaradeva was born into the Shiromani (chief) ''Baro-Bhuyans'' family, near Bordowa in Nagaon in a village called Ali-pukhuri in c 1449 . The Baro-Bhuyans were independent landlords in Assam, and belonged to the Kayastha Hindu caste. His family-members, including parents Kusumvara and Satyasandhya Devi, were saktas. The Saint lost both his father and his mother at a very tender age and was raised by his grandmother Khersuti. He began attending the ''tol'' or ''chatrasaal''(school) of the renowned scholar Mahendra Kandali at the age of twelve and soon wrote his first verse beginning as: |
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