Philosophy of Sankardeva

Arup Saikia

(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)

Socio-religious scientist Mahapurusha Sankardeva’s outlook on various socio-religious matters is subject to the concerned situations. Nothing is static in the world. Our views change with time. Change is another term of progress. The prevalent social situations are churned to create a unique culture of humanity. To build an elevated culture of value on the old relics is the nature of social saints. Sankardeva is a product of the Bhakti movement. The Bhakti movement is more of a social phenomenon than religious. Spiritually, Sankardeva searched for eternal truth to eliminate caste and religious discrimination. He has facilitated worship in a healthy environment.

Dr. Banikanta Kakoti said, “The search of chief God among many Gods, the awakening of social consciousness to the realisation of the eternal truth among many truths are the chief gifts of Mahapurusha in our national spiritual field.”

The spiritual light of mediaeval India upon Assam and Assamese life as a whole was successful.

 BHAKTI CULT: The main objective of the Bhakti movement was to illuminate people. How was it materialized? The process of popular and simple devotion to the supreme deity is a social revolution in the name of religion. It soon became a religion of popular cult. The Bhakti movement is the result of popular cult combined with Vedic worship. It endorses both Saguna (God with form) and Nirguna (formless) worship. But the description of God is written or available among Nirguna followers also, despite their narrative of formless. Sankardeva admitted the inseparable union between God and other beings. But technically, Sankardeva differentiates the supreme soul from others. The self-realisation dispelling Maya (illusion) is the path of Param Brahma (the supreme soul). This is the base of his Bhakti cult to expand. The differences between Saguna and Nirguna are not logical completely. Generally, Lord Krishna is projected as the supreme being of the Bhakti cult in northern India or Assam. Assam is a mostly tribal-dominated state. The maximum number of people migrated from Southeast Asia. Their acceptance of Aryan God Lord Krishna is very significant. This paved the way for Assamese unification as a community. But their assimilation with Aryan Assamese was not direct in general. They initially practiced idolatry, followed Shaivism, etc., before transitioning to the Bhakti cult. The tribes and many people were “Shakta” in that time. The forefather of Sankardeva is Chandibor. He was born for the blessing of Goddess Chandi, or Chandika. So, as stated earlier, Bhakti religion is an admixture of folk and Vedic religion. The socio-economic condition of tribes is related to Bhagawat, Bhakti (devotion), and Bhakta (Devotee).The Bhagawat is property of tribes; devotion is part of property; and devotees are its beneficiaries.

Sankardeva and his followers have adopted a slightly modified form of the evolutionary theory described in the Bhagawat Purana. God of truth is eternal Brahma that only reigned and existed before creation. God has created “Prakriti” (nature) and Maya (illusion) from himself and manifested himself as only man. “Prakrati” first gave birth to intelligence or sense. Our different kinds of mindset originated from that intelligence. These are mainly Satvik, Rajasic and Tamasik. All three senses represent piousness, energy, and power, dullness, and ignorance, respectively. The incarnation of Hinduism also Sankardeva readily accepted. Mahapurush Sankardeva stressed for devotion only, even not aspired for salvation. Otherwise, the devotion will be motive-orientated. The famous Assamese prayer lyric of Mahapurush Madhavdeva, “Muktito Nispriho Jitu...” certify this mindset.

The influence of Chaitanya Deva from Bengal is perceivable, especially in west Assam. There is an indication in “Katha Guru Charit” in this regard. Many prominent disciples of Mahapurush Sankardeva were former followers of Chaitanya Deva. Bhakti saints like Narayan Das Thakur were also about to be initiated by Chaitanya Deva. The most ardent and efficient disciple of Madhavdeva, Mathura Das Burha Ata, alias Gopal Tanti, was a devotee of the Vaishnavite school of Chaitanya Deva. Another prominent saint is none other than Narayan Das Thakur, who bought Gopal Tanti to Madhavdeva at Sundaridiya. On the other hand, the union of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva is a milestone for Assamese society. Likewise, the initiation of Mathura Das by Madhavdeva is also, to some extent, not less than that of the Sankardeva-Madhavdeva duo. The technical expertise of Gopal Tanti is famously applied in the iconic Vrindavani Vastra. During the seventeenth century, some sattras of the Chaitanya cult were established from southern to eastern Assam. The architecture and pattern were undoubtedly Sankari. The mottoes of these xatras were the greatness of Gaudiya Neo-Aishnavism. Many “Charit Puthi” (biographies) were written to advocate that ideology nullifying others. But the Vaishnavism of Chaitanya Deva couldn’t penetrate or sustain deeply in Assam for the towering personality and democratic tenets of Sankardeva.

SOCIAL SCIENTIST: Social scientist Sankardeva knows the psychology of people very well. He prioritised homely or unregimented casual devotion through mundane affairs. Penance, austerity, charity, or sacrifice is an age-old traditional way to satisfy Deity. These processes may not come well with time. Sankardeva never preached “Sannyasa” (asceticism), which is an ancient and non-scientific ideology.

STATE AND RELIGION

The concept of modern secular state theory originated during the time of Sankardeva itself in Assam. The church began to lose hold on King in mediaeval Europe from the fifteenth century onwards. Sankardeva also didn’t approve a theocratic state. Assam was ruled by three major kingdoms, namely Ahom, Koch, and Kachari. But some small kingdoms also existed. Some of these small kingdoms adopted Sankari Neo-Vaishnavite state religion against the wishes of Sankardeva. Moreover, King Nara Narayan and Chilarai were his ardent devotees and prominent sponsors. They also took up the process to declare Neo-Vaishnavite as “Rajdharma (state religion). Sankardeva reluctantly consented for being his strong contributor. It’s recorded that after the demise of Sankardeva, a few rulers, especially Ahom, were voluntarily inculcated in “Nam Dharma” (Neo-Vaishnavism) by the Satras (Vaishnavite monasteries). The present position of “Nam Dharma” would have been changed if Sankardeva had allowed this during his lifetime. E.T. Delton said that the rules and customs the xatras imposed on people are the primary base of Assamese society.

STRATEGY: Secularism and democracy—the two words are new. But the foundation stone where it stands is very old. Sankardeva tried to build a harmonious society comprising all communities, including caste Hindus and tribals. Sankardeva has just started the process or part of the project. Full accomplishment isn’t possible in anybody’s lifetime. He believes that a democratic welfare society is always congenial to democratic humanitarian rule or religion. It is not the matter of forceful inculcation. Intimacy and cordiality are two protected shields of Vaishnavism. Therefore, Sankardeva may engage his especially upper caste by Brahmin disciples like Damordeva to casually initiate their own community.

Mahapurusha Sankardeva hasn’t preached any new religion. His activities are products of Hinduism and pan—Indian Bhakti movement. Even the “Namghar,” an Assamese religious shrine, is like an extended front portion of the main temple. This open shed is used to receive devotees. The sanctum sanctorum is located inside of the dome like structure. It is not right to term the only dome structure as a temple. The entire setup, including the gateway, is called the temple. The “Monikut” of Namghar replaces the dome in the architecture of Namghar. The dome structures of religious shrines are for visibility or attraction. No other data is found in this regard.

Dr. Banikanta Kakoti wrote an article titled “Sankaradeva’s Spiritual Gifts.” Through the article, Dr. Kakoti introduces people to the spiritual world as opposed to the consumerist world and explains how Mahapurusha Sankardeva gave people a glimpse of this world. According to Kakoti, Sankardeva contributed in four directions to the spiritual life of the Assamese. First, the realisation of monotheistic Sanatan Dharma. Among many gods, Sankaradeva established monotheism by recognising only Krishna as God. Secondly, the pure heart is the main playground of spiritual realization. The more the heart and mind are purified by righteous thoughts, the more fertile the power of God’s perception becomes virtual.

Spiritual thought cannot be inspired by external rituals, sacrifices, worship, etc. Thirdly, there is no distinction between high and low caste, rich and poor in spiritual thought. All classes of people have equal rights to worship God. Fourth, the path to liberation or salvation. All worldly attachments have to be abnegated to attain ultimate salvation. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the importance of these aspects of life. Sankardeva expounded these four types of thoughts to the people of Assam for spiritual benefits.

SOCIAL MILIEU:  The personality of a human differs in various perspectives. The personality and social deeds of Sankardeva are evaluated in the social senses of Assamese society. There is no doubt that all-round development of Assamese people is the motive of Sankardeva. What did Sankardeva think about his own community? Which is the fittest path to motivate them? This depends upon the adroitness of the leadership. A lot of social manoeuvres with tactical compromising skills have to be applied. We have to discover Sankardeva in this above-mentioned arena. There are two streams in Assamese society. One is the thoughts and outlooks of Aryan people, and another one is Aryanized clans. It is not easy to bridge the two. So the influence of Neo-Vaishnavite movement is uneven area-wise. Originally born in a casteist environment, the Aryan, and casteless Aryanised people accept it differently. To accept casteless society is natural for Aryanised tribals. The present socio-religious society of Assam also reflects this trend. Sankardeva tried to eradicate this division completely. But the own ethnic roots of people have paramount influence on themselves. The assimilation of social senses with people’s lifestyles is the path to unification for what Sankardeva stands for. Thoughts of Sankgardevaa:

Philosophy may be an abstract concept. But application or implementation of philosophy is a diplomatic task especially in terms of Sankardeva. Because the society or monarchy was inimical to the Bhakti movement. No monarch supports a unified society. The divisions of subjects are tools to govern. So how do we determine the philosophy of Sankardeva? We instantly declare Madhavacharya a dualist. Likewise, qualified monism or monism is attributed to Ramanujacharya or Shankaracharya, respectively. Sankardeva’s main concern is to sustain for social reformation. He probably didn’t go to the depths of minimal discrepancies of Neo-Vaishnavism. Sankardeva thinks that any new initiative or event of society should be result-orientated. The thought of Sankardeva is based on the Bhagawat. Monotheism is his strategy. The ethics of Sankardeva are reluctant to the puritanical lifestyle of tradition. Sankardeva is more of a socio-historical figure than religious. The times of Sankardeva are taken into consideration to assume his theory as revolutionary or modern. Therefore, barring some, his creation, the xatras are still relevant for their egalitarian approach.

How is SANKARDEVA?

Sankardeva is a man of flesh and blood. He was born more than five hundred years ago in an adverse environmental background.

But it is important to understand the inexhaustible prevalence and relevance of his ideals and works. The supreme excellence of his personality still presents the practical theory of making life great by improving human strength. In the context of Sankardeva’s time, it would be unfair to expect Sankaradeva to play the role of a pioneer of progressivism by openly rebelling against caste discrimination or such socio-political injustice. However, he established a unique achievement in creating a democratic social consciousness by spreading the rights of all irrespective of caste and community. His remarkable achievements—the secular presentation of epic characters, the localisation of Indian Vedanta philosophy with indigenous contexts, and the expansion of sophisticated religious behaviour, etc. Moreover, the freeing of art and culture from the class of nobility and bringing it to the masses causes far-reaching effects. It is the call of the time to evaluate the ideals of Sankaradeva from such a practical perspective and it will keep the ideals of the Guru sustainable despite the adversities all around.

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