DAWN OF VAISHNAVISM IN PRE-SANKARI LITERATURE

Arup Saikia 

(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)

The pre-Vaishnavite or pre-Sankari literature is the first noteworthy Assamese poetic literature. The Buddhist Charyapadas were written earlier, between eight and twelve centuries. But the language is not genuinely Assamese. The language is a mixture of eastern Indian languages like ancient Brajawali. These languages are Maithili, Bhojpuri, Assamese, Oriya, Bengali, etc. But importantly, two Assamese Buddhist saint scholars—Luipada and Sarahapa—have written some Charyapadas. Naturally, the language has partial affinity with their own region—Assam. Some scholars term the mysterious words of the verses as poems of “Twilight language.” The charyas were composed by saints of different regions. So, local linguistic influence is inevitable. The pre-Vaishnavite literature after Charyapada is the dawn of the first literary linguistic form of Kamrupa.

ORIGIN: The initial literature of the world is always based on religion. The religious books or rites are the first literary creation everywhere. Assam is also no exception to it. All the kings under whom the authors got patronage are mostly Aryanized Hindus of Mongolian descent. There are only a few less significant kings of Indo-Aryan or other origin. Therefore, the first poetic literature of Assam was born under the aegis of Hindu monarchs.

Probably from the fourteenth century onwards, genuine Assamese literature emanated. The literary plots were from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Purana. There isn’t any authentic political history of Kamrupa and Assam of that period. The only self-introductory verses of the writers are kept as asseveration. They have mentioned the name of their sponsor kings. From the twelfth to the fourteenth century, many scholars were patronized by the Hindu kings. The monarchs and subjects warmly receive foreign nationals. Traveller Hieun Tsang considered Bhaskar Varman as a very qualified king. The religio-historical book, the Kalika Purana, added a bubble of beauty in the literary stream of Kamrupa. This way, mass-based education was disseminated among common people also. We here try to discuss some prominent figures of that era. 

MADHAVA KANDALI: The tallest writer of Assam before Sankardeva is Madhava Kandali. He is praised and recognized by Sankardeva himself for his unparalleled writing quality. The Kachari king of Baraha, Mahamanikya, has patronized him. Besides tribal customs, he also adopted Hinduism. The exact date of his reign is not known. But it is in around the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. His empire spread from North Cachar to the undivided Sibsagar district via Nowgong. There’s no proof that Sankardeva had ever met Kandali. But Kandali’s reference is mooted during a conversation in Mahendra Kandali’s hermitage.  school. Once a disciple of Madhava Kandali, namely Ragh Acharya, visited the “Tul” (school) of Sankardeva’s guru (mentor), Mahendra Kandali.

Regarding the translating works of the Ramayana by Kandali, Dr. Maheswar Neog said, “It’s in the hands of Kandali that the rather artificial language with occasional betrayals of the colloquial, which was employed in the religious, biographical, and even historical literature of Assam till the advent of British rule, was set and standardized. This is a language embellished with a music of its own, but with simple figures of speech like alliteration, simile, and metaphor.” The Ramayana eventually attained household popularity amongst Assamese intelligentsia.

TRINITY OF POETS: According to “Guru Carit” and other benedictory writings, King Durlabhnarayana of Kamatapura, or Kamatamandala, is the patron of the prominent poets of the pre-Sankari era. They are mainly Hem Saraswati, Harivar Vipra, and Kaviratna Saraswati. King Durlabhnarayana is said to be a contemporary of Chandibar, forefather of Sankardeva. It’s around in the second decade of the fourteenth century (1320) that he migrated to Assam. The territory of Durlavnarayana extended to the districts of Cooch Bihar, Rangpur, Goalpara, and undivided old Kamrupa of West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Assam, respectively. The exact chronology of Durlavnarayana isn’t known. Dr. B.K. Kakoti and Kaliram Medhi also differ on the date. So, the proper time or duration of the below-mentioned poets isn’t available.

The “Prahlad Carita” and “Hara-Gauri Samvada” are the milestones of Hem Saraswati’s literary journey. Both books are full of “Dulari” verses. Sankardeva and Madhavdeva afterwards decorate their prominent books with this type of verse to show their highest poetic brilliance. Writer Kaliram Medhi defined “Prahlad Carita” as a Vaishnavite book. But it’s not evidently proved. The spiritual inclination of Hem Saraswati isn’t clear, or the poet himself is confused. The theme of “Hara-Gauri Samvada” is taken from the “Kalika Purana.” This is likely to be “Sakta” oriented, opposite of the Lord Vishnu-centric “Prahlad Carita.”. 

Another noteworthy writer is Kaviratna Saraswati, famed for “Jayadratha Vadha.” The poet takes the story from the “Drona Parva of the Mahabharata. Kaviratna Saraswati’s writings may not be equivalent to Harivar Vipra or iconic Madhava Kandali. But his vivid verses of description and emphatic rhetoric plant a redeeming effect for readers.

The “Yuddha Kavya” (Poem of War) of mythological stories is very popular in that era. Harivar Vipra specifically has given special importance to this kind of poem. The theme of his poems is mostly based on war. These are prominently Lava-Kusar Yuddha, Babrubahanar Yuddha, and Tamradhwajar Yuddha, etc. The stories of Babrubahanar Yuddha and Lava-Kusar Yuddha are taken from Jaimini’s Ashwamedha.

Besides Vipra, the other two names—Madhava Kandali and Murukh Madhava—are added in “Bhanita,” or self-introductory verses, in Tamradhwajar Yuddha. But seeing the writing style and similarities with other creations, it’s assumed to be works of Harivar Vipra. The poet very vividly recounts the tragic circumstances when the almost all-mighty warriors are killed at the hands of Babrubahana. In contrast to mere lamentation in Jaimini’s Ashwamedha, Arjuna memorizes his past heroic deeds. The pathetic or cheerful facial expression of Arjuna efficiently transmuted into poetic verses in his defeat and victory.

The “Lava-Kusar Yuddha” is philosophically a war of conscience. Lord Rama is trying to overcome the grief for the exile of his wife, Sita, to sustain his ideal as a king. All emotions and intense, thoughtful reactions are inherently present in the human incarnation of Lord Rama. The poet doesn’t conceal it, even more vibrantly delineated. The main substance of Saint Jaimini’s creations is to glorify Lord Krishna as omnipotent. Vipra also adapts the contents from Jaimini’s to proclaim Krishna as master of the universe. The Neo-Vaishnavite impetus and radiation are clearly reflected in Vipra’s write-up.

METRES: Only three specific verse meters were practiced during that period. The first one is pada of fourteen letters, the second one is dulari with twenty (6+6+8) letters, and the third one is chabi with twenty-six (8+8+10) letters.

LITERARY GENRE: The scholars and authors have never preached any particular theory or ideal. Their main motto was to satiate the knowledge-thirsty mind. Eschewing personal views, only the stories of the epics were vividly described. The way of worshiping was above their contemplation. Hem Baruah writes in Assamese Literature (page 47). “The pre-Vaishnavite poets are neither the forerunners nor the conscious initiators of any religious ideology; to them goes the credit of extending the frontiers of literary materials and initiating a literary tendency. They didn’t initiate any school of religio-ethical thought whatsoever. Except for offering a vast reservoir of materials for literary creation, the epics themselves aren’t an instrument of Vaishnava or any such religious ideology.” If any scholar tries to preach any ideology that hasn’t taken ideological or communicative form anyway.

But remotely we perhaps can say Madhava Kandali is a precursor of Sankardeva’s Neo-Vaishnavism. Sankardeva wasn’t born in a vacuum of perception. Madhava Kandali utilized his rare poetic gift to popularize the Ramayana, i.e., Lord Rama. The glorification of Lord Rama has a sprinkle of Vaishnavism in the earliest period. The process of the Bhakti movement started with literature in disguise. Although the Bhakti movement is a part of pan-Indian events, the people must have prior or longer inculcation for ready acceptance. The writings of other poets like Harivar Vipra, Kaviratna Saraswati, or Hema Saraswati also demonstrated the supremacy of Lord Rama, Krishna, or any god. The supreme deity concept or philosophy is akin to monotheism. Monotheism centers around Lord Shiva, Krishna, or Rama. The monotheistic philosophy is based on Lord Shiva, also in South India. The Nayanars are a good example of the above contention. But in Northern India, Lord Rama and Krishna surpassed others. Later Sankardeva and Madhavdeva included the creation of Madhava Kandali in Vaishnavite literature. That placed the Kirtana and Naam Ghosha at par with the transmuted version of Kandali’s Ramayana.

LEGACY: The Assamese literary stream actually flows from Madhava Kandali and his associate poets. It isn’t exaggeration to say Sankardeva nurtured and harvested the crop sown by especially Kandali and his team. The mind-blowing narrative of the Ramayana, Kandali’s imaginary body language plants an indelible mark for later generations. Moreover, the Ramayana isn’t a fundamental creation of Kandali, but it has a lot of local influence, like Ankiya Nat (drama) of Sankardeva. The Assamese Ramayana is a kind of motivational interpretation that gradually instilled into the mindsets of the people of Assam. Literature is not about the way of chiseling and polishing of running language that appeared as Assamese literature. people. It is itself a product of people that co-exist. Madhava Kandali extracted the prevalent speaking language of Assam in refined form. This way of chiseling and polishing of running language appeared as Assamese literature. The title of contemporary professional Assamese communities is mentioned in his writings. These are merely Vaishya (trader), Sonari (goldsmith), Dhoba (washerman), Tanti (weaver), Kshatriya (warrior), Brahmin (priest), Bania (businessman), Sutar (deals in yarn), etc. It uniquely depicts the Ramayana more as indigenous. In the language of Dr. Maheswar Neog in “Asomiya Sahityar Ruprekha,” Madhava Kandali left a broad, expressive, powerful vehicle for Vaishnavites like Sankardeva through his beautiful choice of words and the musical quality of his language.”

(Arup Saikia is a cultural enthusiast, Bhaona artiste, noted writer, and alumnus of the University of Delhi.)