ELSA Online MEET
31
May 2020
Luminary
Poets of the Bhakti Movement
'Prayer does not change God but it changes one who prays'
After I announced the
topic for our maiden Online Meet scheduled for 31 May 2020, I wasn’t prepared
for the overwhelming response that would spontaneously overflow in the form of presentations
markings the rich diversity of issues and concerns addressed by the saint-poets
of the Bhakti Movement. Speakers and participants from various parts of the
country brought into the discussion the life and work of Saint poets like
Kabir, Gur Nanak, Surdas, Tulsidas,
Meerabai, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sahajobai,
Bulleshah, Namdev, Gyaneshwar, Lal Ded, Rahim among others.
The Meet began with opening remarks by Prof. Ghosh who cited instances
from the life and work of Guru Nanak and Bulle Shah to highlight some of the
salient features of the Bhakti Movement. It was followed by deliberations by enthusiastic
speakers: Dr. Chanda Singh, Dr. Navleen Multani, Dr. Manju, Mr.
Saurabh Agarwal, Mr. Rajeev Khandelwal, Dr. Shailendra P. Singh, Dr. Archana
Prasad, Dr. R.S. Tiwari, Dr. Roopali Khanna, Ms. Sharvani Roychoudhury, Dr.
Geeta Sharma, Dr. Shalini Sharma, Mr. Anil Sharma, Dr. Rajan Lal, Dr. Srikant
Kulsrestha, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Shri Nihal Singh Jain, Ms. Sneha
Srivastava, Ms. Anjali Singh. The receptive audience who shared their views after
the presentations included Dr. Promila Chawla, Dr. Ranjana Mehrotra, Dr. Nutan
Kulsrestha, Dr. Santosh Singh, Dr. Divya Gupta, Ms. Manik Sambre, Dr. Kanchan Jain, Ms. Jessica
Joel and many others.
What is significant is
the unanimous view that emerged from the vibrant deliberations that in times of
turmoil, upheaval, cataclysmic changes, pestilences and pandemics, going back
to the saint poets of the Bhakti Movement is not a regressive idea but a
veritable stimulation to reset the future of mankind in a spirit of universal
oneness and brotherhood.
I must mention here that initially
it was decided to hold the Meet on ZOOM but when certain members felt that we
must avoid using a Chinese app, we were in a quandary. Thanks to Dr. Sunita Ghosh
for suggesting and guiding us to the option of using GOOGLE MEET in lieu of
ZOOM, and to Mr. Saurabh Agarwal for handling the Meet very efficiently, the event
could be successfully held.
Thank you one and all for
making the Meet a literary and spiritual experience worth cherishing.
--Nibir K. Ghosh
Bulle Shah
Presentations
New Perspectives on Bhakti Literature
Chanda Singh
The Bhakti movement gave rise to many saint poets and also
promoted the idea of divinity without attributes. The “Nirguni Bhakti” of Sikhism and “Bhatti” of Buddhism in south east Asia are expressions
of it. Bhakti could be for a cause or even a person, as in Deshbhakti, Matrubhakti, Gurubhakti etc.
We commonly understand bhakti as the path of love and devotion.
In more recent times Indian scholars have shown dissatisfaction with the word devotion.
This, they assert, does not really elucidate, fully, the feelings and beliefs of the devotee.
That “Attachment “ is more suited to explain
the devotee's relation with the object of devotion. This notion of
“attachment" existed from the earliest period of bhakti literature, and
Amir Khusro, who wrote in Hindawi’, strengthened it greatly.
“Attachment,” scholars opine, describes more aptly the
relation between the devotee and the object of devotion. In the bhakti
tradition the love and devotion become, almost, a “junoon" or obsessive
preoccupation with the devotee, so much so that he longs for, and aspires to
merge into the one he is devoted to, willing to forsake, completely, his
separate identity. For this reason the day of Death of a saint in the Islamic
tradition is celebrated as Urs, which also means Wedding. The Urs, thus, is the celebration of the immersion
of the devotee into the object of devotion. Amir Khusro says:
“Khusro rain suhaag ki, jagi pi ke sung
Tan mora mun piu ka, dou hue ek rung."
(At dawn following the nuptials I awoke with my
beloved….the body was I but the soul was of my beloved.)
Also, the mureed implores, “Mohe apne hi rung me
rungle" or colour me in your hue.
So attached was Meera to Sri Krsna that she was spoken
of as “prem diwani" and her
condition described as that of a person possessed.
It is described thus: “aisi lagi lagan, Meera ho gayi magan.”
“Attachment leads to intimacy and the devotee not only
speaks of the object of devotion as a lover or beloved, but even speaks in a
surprisingly familiar tone. Sant Tukaram of Maharashtra reminds his deity that
his existence is in fact owing to the belief and devotion of the devotee….”you
are because I am.”
An outstanding example to explain ‘attachment’ is that
of Radha and Kshna. They are now increasingly viewed as manifestations of the
same supreme divine principle. To the question, why he could not be married to
Radha, Krisna's answer was that one could not be married to one's own self. ‘Attachment’
is also in keeping with the idea of ‘one and only' ultimate reality of Advaita
Vedanta, the most scientific of all Indian Philosophies….Ultimate Reality is
one, and all else but a manifestation of it.
In the Western world, too, the mystic element in
Plato's thought gave rise to “neo Platonism”and to a host of believers that
held the Ultimate Reality to be “Nous”, or One, and everything else an
emanation of it. Zealous adherents like Plotinus, deeply attached to the “Nous,"
were ashamed of their separate bodies which trapped their souls, and went about
fully covered, save for the eyes. Neo Platonism spread rapidly and soon had an
impact on Islam, Christianity, and even Jewish thought.
Dr. Chanda
Singh, former Head,
Department of English, RBS College, Agra is author of the novel, The Last
Boga Sahib.
Kabir and Surdas: the Poets of Head and Heart
Manju
When we
think of Indian renaissance, automatically our mind starts exploring Bhakti
movement due to its remarkable contribution in the social life of the Indian
people. India is a highly religious country where everything keeps revolving
around religion. From birth to death everything is considered incomplete
without religious rituals. But as everything gets contaminated if it is not
modified from time to time, similarly the Vaidik civilization which was the
product of scientific research and logical theories had become a hurdle as
rigidity and orthodoxy had made their permanent abode in the religion. Humanity
was being slaughtered at every step in the name of caste, creed, gender and
religion. It was looking for its saviors with gloomy eyes.
At such
a crucial time there came certain singing saints who took it as their
responsibility to save the wailing society. The poets like Kabirdas, Tulsidas,
Meerabai and Surdas poured their hearts into their verses to eradicate the
wounds from the soul of humanity. The religion which had dehumanized low caste
people became the loving lap of the sweet Lord. Hinduism, the major religion,
had the terror of excommunication for everything whatever was rejected by the
religious leaders whose verdict was considered the verdict of God. Kabirdas
untied the knots of such religion stating that the association of God can be
achieved by anyone through true knowledge irrespective of caste or religion. On
the other hand, Surdas who was deeply in love with God found him so easily
accessible as it is to reach your best friend. He called God his “Sakha” and
loved him. He preached that love is sufficient to achieve the Almighty. One
needs not to bother about the physical purity because God, the true friend, lives
right over there in the innocent hearts. If Kabirdas finds visibility of God
through the illumination of head with true knowledge, Surdas finds it through
the illumination of heart with love. But for both the poets’ body stands
nowhere.
Dr.
Manju is Associate Professor, UILAH Chandigarh University.
Devotion,
Love and Transcendence: Kabir’s Nirgun
Bhakti
Navleen Multani
Bhakti movement
was a wave of devotional sentiment and egalitarian social reform in the entire
Indian subcontinent. The heterodox devotional cults of Bhakti Movement in India (sixth-seventh century to sixteenth-seventeenth
century) were contemplative of an inner social ferment. The rigid caste system,
corrupt social practices, rituals and superstitions paved the path for devotion
in India. The Bhakti movement rejected Brahmanical superiority and propagated use
of vernacular. Devotion and love characterized the movement. Many saints adopted
various forms of devotion and worshipped different deities. Sagun and Nirgun
traditions were practised by different saints. The followers of Sagun Bhakti,
Mirabai, Surdas, Tulsidas and Vidyapati, believed that God has qualities,
concrete form and worshipped Him in the same anthropomorphous form of either
Rama or Krishna. The Nirgun bhagats, Kabir, Ravidas, Akho Bhagat
regarded God as formless, immanent and devoid of qualities. Rama, Krishna and Allah
-- names of the same God -- the Absolute, Unitary Being (Nirguna Brahman),
had no visible form for Nirgunis so they rejected idol worship.
Kabir (1440-1518),
the 15th century saint-poet and disciple of Ramananda, envisions earth and
heaven as a unified whole. God, he believes, is unitary (“the universal and
beloved community” in Royce’s words). According to Kabir devotion and love
expressed through bhajans enable the soul, liberated from ignorance,
merge in the formless god. Kabir denounces worship of images, ritual feasts and
pacificator bathing as no ritual, pilgrimage or scripture can enable communion
with the Divine. Kabir opines that the Absolute resides in the heart of man; He
is neither Hari nor Allah, confined to either the East or
the West. Kabir emphasizes the ideas of jiwan-mukta (liberation in life),
sahaj-samadhi (union
with divinity) and shabad (word) in his verses. These verses appeal to the
masses. Dohas (couplets) and songs of Kabir, visionary utterances, reveal
his devotion that cuts across social class, caste and gender. His vision of
love transcends the realm of ordinary consciousness to communicate the incommunicable.
Kabir abandons desire, passion, emotional and empirical involvement to unveil
the universal being in his intuition and seek a transcendental reality. This
transcendental consciousness (turiya) is close to Bergson’s “integral experience” and Spinoza’s
“intellectual love of God.”
Kabir
is Mahatma, like Gandhi, for the oppressed because he speaks in the tongue of
the masses against the morass of untouchability. He sings against the tyranny
of the powerful. Kabir, a Nirguni, calls
himself a premi (lover) -- in love with the divine. As a lover he yearns
to embrace his beloved. His beloved is the primal element that permeates everywhere.
Kabir’s Beloved resides within him -- pupil of the eye, the fragrance in the
flower, the pearl in the oyster shell. His verses are roaring, rhapsodic
outburst of experience of the divine. The luminosity of his poems illuminates the
idea of primal element, love. Kabir stills his restless mind and transcends consciousness
to attain the unattainable.
Dr.
Navleen Multani is Assistant Professor of English at Rajiv
Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab.
Bhakti
Movement and Lal Ded
Rajeev
Khandelwal
The “Bhakti
Movement” is regarded as a cultural revolution that impacted literary works and
propagated a common theme which was love and devotion to religious beliefs
built around one or more Gods.
The Nayanars: The
literal translation of “Nayanars” is 'hounds of Siva', and later became known
as 'teachers of Siva' were a group of 63 saints living in Tamil Nadu during the
6th to 8th centuries and were devotees of the Hindu god Shiva. It is said that
their efforts ultimately helped spread bhakti poetry and ideas throughout India
by the 12th-18th century.
Lal Ded
(1320–1392) was born in Kashmir to a Kashmiri Pandit family and was known by
various names such as Lala, Lalla Aarifa, Lal Diddi, Lalla Yogishwari,
Laleshwari, Lalishri and Lal Ded and considered as a poet, a holy woman, a Sufi,
a mystic, and a devotee of Shiva. There is evidence that during that period
liberal education was imparted to women and her verses show that she was
educated in her father’s house. She was the creator of the style of mystic
poetry called Vatsun or Vakhs. Vatsun is derived from Sanskrit 'Vachan' meaning
word/speech. Her verses known as Lal Vakhs (Vakhs are poems in the form of four
lines), are the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language and are an
important part in the history of modern Kashmiri literature.
Lal Ded was
married at 12 into a family that reportedly mistreated her regularly. Her
marriage life was unhappy, she was cruelly treated by her mother-in-law who
nearly starved her and her husband was ill-tempered. So Lalla left home at 24
to take Sannyasa and wander everywhere
for her sadhana. She became a disciple of the Shaivite Guru Siddha Siddhanta
who propounded the philosophy where the ultimate and ideal goal of a being is
to become an enlightened soul through Lord Shiva's grace. Lal Ded ultimately
excelled her Guru in spiritual attainments. It is said that Islam came to Kashmir
around (1301–20) through the first Muslim missionary Syed Sharaf-ud-Din Abdur
Rahman Suhrawardi, popularly known as Bulbul Shah. Shaivism was already in
practice and Islam reached people through Sufis who visited Kashmir thereby
developing a rapport with the native saints and scholars.
The Kashmir of her
day had Muslims, Buddhists, Nath yogins, Brahman teachers, Sufis, and Tantric
adepts. She may have learnt something from each of them. Still, she seems to
have considered herself a dedicated Saivite yogini (practitioner dedicated to
Siva) and was a preacher of the Shaiva philosophy of thought. As author and
poet Ranjit Hoskote writes: "within Kashmir, she has been venerated both
by Hindus and Muslims for nearly seven centuries; she was simultaneously
Lallesvari or Lalla Yogini to the Hindus and Lal'arifa to the Muslims.”
She defied social
conventions and proceeded on the journey of self-realization. Her journey of
self realization begins by letting go off the ego to experience the universal
Self or Shiva.
Impurities of the
heart I burned.
Desires I killed.
Lalla, my name,
shone only
when I surrendered
completely.
Awakening in the
early dawn,
I summoned the
restless mind.
Enduring the pain,
I devoted myself
to god.
Saying "I am
Lalla, I am Lalla,"
I awakened my
darling.
On becoming one
with him,
I purified my mind
and body.
(Source: Lalla—Mystic Poet of Kashmir by Dr. Jaishree
Kak)
The Divine permeates the universe and also is in the individual
self:
The Lord is a
subtle net spread across
Inside your body;
unlike your skin
If you can’t see
Him while you are alive
How can you see
Him when you are dead.
Using striking metaphors and images, she urges people
to control the disease of the mind: Anger, greed, lust as they are hurdles in
achieving spiritual realizations:
Kill your mortal
enemies—
lust, anger, and
desire.
Otherwise they
would kill you with their arrows.
Calm them with
self-restraint and good thoughts.
Recognize their
nature and their power
Lalla emphasizes religious tolerance and refrains from
identifying herself with any sect, or religion
Shiva is
omnipresent.
Don't
differentiate between
Hindus and
Muslims.
If you are wise,
you will recognize
your true Self—
that is your real acquaintance
with the lord.
(Source: Mystical Verses of Lallā: A Journey of Self
Realization By Laldyada)
The Self may be
named Shiva,
Keshava, or
Mahavir
or the lotus born
Buddha.
Whatever name it
may have,
may it set free a
weakling like me
from worldly
afflictions.
(Kak, 2007, p. 39 Source: https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream
/10603/190655/7/07_chapter02.pdf)
It is said that
around the age of fifty Lal Ded sang some verses and a crowd gathered. On
finishing, she climbed into a large earthen pot and pulled another huge pot
over her head. When she did not reemerge the spectators separated the two
containers. She had vanished.
(Source: Book Excerpt “Love and the turning Season –
Edited by Andrew Schelling)
Osho in his book The Razor’s Edge writes that
in Kashmir there is a proverb: “We only know two meaningful words, one is Allah
and the other is Lalla.” Her verses
speak across cultural boundaries and traditions and are as relevant today as
they were six centuries ago and her mystic musings continue to have a deep
impact on the psyche of the people of Kashmir.
A National Seminar on "Remembering Lal Ded in
Modern Times" was held in New Delhi in 2000, organized by the Kashmir
Education, Culture, and Science Society. A book Lal Ded: the Great Kashmiri Saint-poetess”
edited by S. S. Toshkhani was released during the ceremony.
References:
Rajiv Khandelwal is an
acclaimed Indian
English poet with four poetry collections to his credit.
Sant
Kabir as a Mystic Poet
R.S.
Tewari
Sant Kabir, popularly known as
Kabir Saheb, a poet of the 15th century, social reformer, spiritual guide, was
the founder of a sect known as the ‘Kabir Panth’. Right from his boyhood, he
was a seeker of truth and knowledge. It was a spiritual urge and insatiable
thirst for the reality which prompted him to lead the life of an itinerant. A
close study of Kabir’s poetry makes one believe that his poetic outpourings
embody almost all the shades of mysticism and theories related to Indian
Philosophy. Mr Surendra Nath Srivastava in his book Kabir Evam Gangadas ke
Kavya ka Tulnatmak Adhyayan opines: “Kabir must have obtained the
acquaintance of the Upanishads, the Yoga of Patanjali, Mayawad of
Shankaracharya, devotion of Ramanand and Nimbakacharya, Love-born Intoxication
and Prick of Separation of Sufis in heritage.” Kabir’s mystic consciousness can
be classified into two groups: Emotional and Devotional Mysticism. The
experiences embodying his love for the Supreme make Kabir reach the summit of
extraordinary peace and supernatural pleasure. All the worldly pleasures seem
to him tasteless. The other kind of Kabir’s mystic experiences are related to
Sahaj Samadhi (A state wherein the soul enjoys continuous communion with the
Lord). In the Sahaj Samadhi, all the five senses remain in constant touch with
the Almighty. When he is absorbed in Sahaj Samadhi, he lives in Shatdal Kamal,
i.e. the sixth Chakra (Cardinal plexus) and listens to Anhad Naad (a particular
sound listened to during the journey of consciousness). He concentrates at the
node of Ida and Pingla (two nerves of human body), a point beyond the approach
of KAAL (demise). Hence, Kabir’s mysticism can be identified with the elements:
Theistic view, Love and Emotion, Guru (guide), Marg (way) and Maya (worldly
illusion). The journey of Kabir’s mysticism i.e. unification, oneness or
embodiment with his Lord, ‘the Supreme’ is supposed to pass through the six
stages in general. These are: Awakening of the self, Purgation, Illumination,
Dark Night of Soul (state of purification), Pre-phase of Union and Unification.
Dr. R.S. Tewari ‘Shikhresh’ is an
acclaimed bilingual poet. He has won laurels as Hindi Raj Bhasha Adhikari
during his tenure as ITO, Agra.
Bhakti Kaal Hindi Poets/Poetry and Kabir
Das:
Some Offhand observations
Sanjay
Kumar Misra
Frankly
speaking, I fail to relish the poems and poetry written by the Bhakti Kaal Hindi
poets. There is nothing amiss about them; it is my own inability to understand
and appreciate their poetry. Application of rational approach does not work
here; rather, according to these saint poets, supplication before the Lord is
all that is required for us the earthlings. They are quintessential mystics, seeking
truth, love, peace and harmony only in service of and devotion to the Lord. Whatever
be the literary virtues of their writings and utterances, the religious and
spiritual perspectives sort of envelop all descriptions, meanings and
interpretation. Therein lies my challenge; but therein lies the most defining
aspect of their creative art as well. It somehow does not get into my head. The
intellectual approach is of no use here.
It was
a great period in terms of growth and progress of Hindi literature. It was an
age when poets like Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas, Jaysi among others created works
which have received unmatched attention and accolades. As is well known, they
are all out and out spiritual in their concerns and sentiments. It all often
tends to touch religious tangent too. Sometimes, it is not easy to see them as
literary writers and their works as purely literary works. They are not just
poets; they have been given the tag of saint poets. Bhakti or devotion to the
God is their primary concern and the most fundamental ingredient in their
oeuvre. Devotee’s union with the deity is the only and the ultimate thing for
them.
It is
not easy to categorise the Bhakti poets. They are men, women, commoners,
royals, hermits, family persons, Hindus, Muslims, sagun, nirgun and of all
types. It is interesting to see that although they were strongly oriented
towards spiritual path, their poetry was not based on the core ideals and
beliefs of Hinduism or Islam. They were not scholars of classical and religious
texts like the Vedas, the Gita, the Koran, either.
Nirgunmargi or sagunmargi, both categories of these saint poets believe in
liberation from earthly/material struggle to gain salvation through the path of
love of the Lord and surrender before Him by opposing the orthodox religious
rituals, customs of both Hindus and Muslims as dictated by pandits and maulvis.
I am
reminded of an interesting observation by noted Hindi critic, Dr. Ram Bilas Sharma,
who suggests a nexus between the bhakti movement and feudalism in those times,
that is, the Bhakti Kaal. The feudal lords, who were both Hindus and Muslims, reveled
in the disharmony between the Hindus and Muslims. The religious leaders such as
mullahs and maulvis and pandit and pujaris were party to the feudal
exploitation of the social and economically weaker sections. They played with
the sentiments of commoners and helped the feudal lords by portraying them as
representatives of God on earth; hence, the people must not defy them. In
contrast, the Bhakti poets mocked at and lambasted communal bigotry and fanaticism
of the priestly class. The ordinary folks, weavers, poor farmers and the like
began to feel that they could manage without the pandits and mullahs. This sort
of stance by the saint poets weakened the edifice of feudalism by unshackling
the stranglehold of the pandits and mullahs on faith and religion
The
Bhakti saint-poets derided and almost rejected the orthodox customs and religious
traditions and social hierarchies practised by the priestly and feudal class of
both Hindu and Muslim people. They went by their own experiential and spiritual
understanding of the God and the relationship of the individual with Him.
Another
striking thing about their creative output is the use of the vernacular, the
language used by the commoners instead of Sanskrit or Persian, which was the
language of the priestly class and the gentry. Kabir compares Sanskrit, the
language of gods and the preserve of Brahmins, to Kupa Jal, the stagnant water
of a well, and bhasha (vernacular, in which the bhakti poets sang) to the
running water of a stream. संसकिरत है कूप जल, भाखा बहता नीर. So in a way, it is the
Bhakti Kaal which set the decline and fall of Sanskrit.
One
glaring example of the falling apart of the hold of Hinduism on people is the
emergence of Sikhism as a distinctive religion during and after this Bhakti
Kaal. It is interesting to see that its early gurus were under great influence
of Kabir and his ideas.
Kabir
is in many ways the first major poet of the Hindi language. He is the earliest
saint poet of the Bhakti movement in Hindi literature. This saint poet
tradition in North India in particular was in some ways an effort to dismantle
the structures of classical Hinduism by bringing in new ideas. Kabir is
primarily concerned with God, his experience of God and finding salvation
through spiritual path. He is also a powerful satirist and critic of the social
order of the day and also the established religions, Hinduism and Islam. As a
critic says, Kabir’s life and work made nonsense of the line between Hindus and
Muslims. Kabir’s understanding was not the result of his reading of sacred
texts but of his own spiritual experience. He vehemently denounced the
hypocrisy and futility of many popular Hindu and Muslim practices. His wisdom
is born out of self-realization and his sayings are plain and simple. Kabir is
very clear in his mind that the mullahs and pandit cannot appreciate what he
says. There cannot be a meeting of their minds for the simple reason that what he
says is the result of his spiritual experience and what they say is what is
written in their sacred books. Hence, the unbridgeable gulf of faith between
the two. Kabir tells them innocently, yet very profoundly, and quite
sarcastically: मेरा तेरा मनवा कैसे एक होई रे! / मैं कहता हूँ आंखिन देखी / तू कहता है कागद देखी!
What I
find quite disconcerting, for myself at least, about Kabir and other saint
poets is their over-arching insistence on bhakti or devotion to the Lord. I
find the element of social responsibility and social reform lacking in their
concerns. It might be an offshoot of their challenge to the dogmatic faith and
orthodox rituals and customs; but social-economic and political changes were
not their overt aims or purpose. They sort of believed that good deeds or
acquisition of knowledge, though laudable in themselves, will not go a long way
in gaining salvation. It is possible only through Bhakti, the love of the Lord.
Nothing else matters as much.
Therefore,
Kabir was not a revolutionary in any social or political sense. He was
iconoclastic but was not concerned at all with putting an end to poverty. His
goal was spiritual rather than social or economic or political liberation. I am
intrigued as to why does he come so heavily on religious dogmas and hypocrisies
when his obsession was not social reform or political change but only spiritual
search for peace and harmony with the Lord. His poems are full of metaphysical
questions which are often similar to metaphysical speculations raised in the
Gita. Quite often, these are incomprehensible riddles.
My
favourite doha of Kabir is : ‘पोथी पढ़ि पढ़ि जग मुआ, पंडित भया न कोय, ढाई आखर प्रेम का,
पढ़े सो पंडित होय।’ But even here, I
realized quite late in my quest to understand him, the love Kabir talks about
is not the love between man and woman or between humans perhaps; given his
spiritual focus and preoccupations; love here refers to the love of the Lord.
It suggests that all intellectual persuit of knowledge is futile in way if one
has not found or understood the spiritual love, which is the surrender to and
union with God.
Interestingly,
the cult of Kabir panth came after him. He did not write or prescribe anything
as Kabir Panth. He was a seeker after truth. Kabir believed in a Supreme Being
which has not been defined. He is beyond all descriptions and beyond our
comprehension. He has no colour, no shape and no body. He is indivisible,
indestructible, immeasurable and is all pervading. He is the absolute reality
which cannot be expressed in words or speech by us. I reiterate: all this is very
much experiential; it is beyond intellectual comprehension; it lies somewhere
in the realm of transcendental reality; it cannot be intellectualized and
rationalized; it has to be felt and experienced.
It also
ought to be underscored that much of what passes as writings/utterances of
Kabir is actually not what Kabir wrote or said. A huge body of scholarly
research work on Kabir’s texts exists without any consensus and finality as to what constitutes the original Kabir.
This is perhaps because Kabir’s extensive popularity right from his times. In
this connection, I recall Vinay Dharwadker, who is one of the most worthy
translators of Kabir, remarking that like W.H. Auden’s tribute to W.B. Yeats as
being a poet whose death was kept from his poems and who became his admires,
Kabir too survives in the valley of its making, the mouth and ears of his
admires and the Kabir singers. Let me quote a few lines from Auden’s poem ‘In
Memory of W.B. Yeats’: “Now he is scattered among a hundred cities/And wholly
given over to unfamiliar affections,/To find his happiness in another kind of
wood/And be punished under a foreign code of conscience./The words of a dead
man/Are modified in the guts of the living.”
Kabir’s
acolytes and songsters have kept on singing his songs and also adding their own
versions and creations to the Kabir corpus. Talking about the spurious elements
in various Kabir couplets, noted Hindi writer Shyam Sundar Das comments in the
introduction to his Kabir Granthavali in regard to a manuscript of Kabir
poems: “इस संग्रह में दिये गए दोहों आदि की भाषा और कबीर दास जी के नाम पर बिकने वाले ग्रन्थों में के पदों आदि की भाषा में आकाश पाताल का अंतर है।” This is true of so many editions of Kabir poems available
in the market.
What I admire
most in and about Kabir is his distaste of humbug and his pouring of scorn over
Muslim qazis and Hindu pandits. He was a truly a crackpot weaver from Benaras,
as Arvind Krishna Mehrotra describes him talking about his outspokenness and
defiance.
I would
like to end this post with the mention of Pataal Lok, a web series
currently quite popular on Amazon Prime Video. I saw it recently to kill time
during the ongoing lockdown period and was thrilled to hear a very famous Kabir
bhajan ‘सकल हंस में राम बिराजे’ at the end of this otherwise dark and gory web drama.
It has been sung by famous singer of Kabir songs, Prahlad Singh
Tipaniya. It is a very lilting and melodious rendition by Tipania. Kumar
Gandharv used to sing Kabir very mesmerizingly. But I find Tipaniya magical with
his earthly flair. One should listen to it with eyes closed.
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Misra teaches English at
RBS College, Agra
Meerabai: Spiritualism as Protest Against
Feudalism and Patriarchy
Saurabh Agarwal
Meera is a princess, a queen, a woman, and a luminous figure of Bhakti
Cult. This is not an easy combination for someone living in medieval
India. It is through her poetry that we see her rise above the
social boundaries of those times, which were imposed by the feudal and
patriarchal society. She is expected to fit into the traditional mould of a
devoted wife and daughter. But she through her Bhajans defies the social
structure which is completely patriarchal. Also in her own life she resists
several oppressive social customs of medieval India which were designed to keep
women in confines of domesticity.
While reading her Bhajans, it is important to note the prevalent
conditions of medieval society where the woman had a little role for themselves
beyond the walls of their household. Sati was an accepted custom, widow
remarriage was a taboo and education of girls was rare. Meera belonged to the
Sisodia Rajput family, the rulers of Chittor, who had always held their honour
above their life. Politically the Rajputs were arch-rivals to Mughals who had
the ambition to rule the major part of the Indian Subcontinent. It is in those
times that a Rajput queen, a widow, and a Sanyasan stands up against her
own family and political establishments to proclaim her individuality.
She writes deeply devotional poems or
bhajans that are lyrical in nature and are addressed to Lord Krishna. Her
devotion is not ordinary bhakti which extols the power of her Aradthya Dev or
demands salvation, nor does it takes the form of Sakha Bhav, treating divine as
a sole friend and saviour, but Meera seeks the highest form of relationship
that has the sanction of society that is a marital bond. By doing this
she places her own husband, addressed as Rana in her poems, in secondary position
by being betrothed to Lord Krishna. This is clear defiance to the social norms
where the husband is the central figure to a woman’s life. Thus she envisages
for herself a relationship that supersedes the worldly marriage for it denies
her equality. On other hand, her marriage to Lord Krishna is formed on equal
terms for she says ‘मैं तो लियो है बराबर तोल’. But what she attains from this divine conjugal is
an eternal wait ( हरी दरसन की प्यासी ), mythical
union and social ostracization.
She does not care what society thinks of her as she places her faith and
devotion over the worldly pleasures and domestic restrictions. This view is
expressed by her in the lines below:
सीसोद्यो रूठयौ तौ म्हारौ काई कर लेसी।
म्हें तो गुण गोविन्द रां गास्यां हो माय।
राणो जी रूठ्या वांरो देस रखासी।
हरि रूठ्यां कुम्हलास्यां हो माय।
लोक लाजरी कांण न मानू।
निरभै निसांण घुरास्यां हो माय।।
Her voice appears to acquire severe rebellious tones when she talks of
her own family in unflattering terms
लोक कुटुम्बी बरजि बरजहि बतिया कहत बनाई।
लोग कहयां मीरा भई बावरी सासु कह्यां कुलनासी री।
सास लडे मेरी ननद खिजावै राणा रह्या रिसाय।
पहरो भी राख्यो चैकी बिठार्यो ताला दियो जडाय।।
Her poetry is generally understood to be the treasure house of devotion
but it holds glimpses of her deeper anguish as a woman who has been denied her
rightful place in the patriarchal world. It also shows the desire to dismantle
the system which does not permit her to explore the spiritual opportunities and
it had imposed severe strictures on women. The spiritual world was organised in
various Sampradayas which prohibited the entry of women.
Meera chooses to live a different kind of life after the death of her
husband. She chooses to intermingle freely with the sadhus and spiritual-minded
people but her family was against this idea. But she asserts her independence
as she declares
राणा म्हाने या बदनामी लागे मीठी।
कोई निदो कोई बिन्दो में चलूंगी चाल अपूठी।।
She moves out of Chittor and meets Sadhus of Banaras. Her interaction
with the people of Sampradayas and other cults leaves her dismayed and
disillusioned for they had resisted her admission to the inner circles of the
spirituality. Her reaction to this is
‘कासी को लोग बडो विसवासी, मुख मैं राम बगल मैं फासी।’
She stands firm in defiance to the social norms imposed on her as she
wrote-
माग और पाटी उतार धरूगी ना पहिरू कर चूडो
मीरा हठीली कहे सन्तन सों बर पाया छै मैं पूरो’
Her pilgrimage throughout the country in search of her lord is
beautifully captured in her poems. But all her devotion and search for her Lord
finally leaves her distraught for she is the lone warrior against the feudal
system with its deeply entrenched oppressive systems as seen in this line:
आधी राणा की फौज आधी मीरा एकली रे’
Upholders of patriarchy and feudalism may find it convenient to dismiss
Meera as a saint and Bhakti Poet and her poetry as devotional songs but a close
analysis of the life she lived and the devotion she portrays in her poems
reflect her deep frustration towards the social forces and norms she had the
courage to oppose. Her devotion to the Lord was as unparalleled as was her
desire to change the society of her times.
Saurabh Agarwal is an independent
entrepreneur and avid lover of literature.
Kashi
(Varanasi): A Fertile Land for Bhakti Movement
Geeta
Sharma
Kashi (one of the seven Holi Puris, -- the
awakened city, the City of Salvation, City of Mahashmshan Manikarnika where
fire of funeral pyres never diminishes) is the ‘Microcosm of Hinduism’. Here we
find Imprints of each and every genre of culture, religion, literature, music, spirituality,
art etc. Think of a genre and you will find at least half-a-dozen well renowned
signatures of that genre flourished on this fertile land.
The silent revolution called the Bhakti
Movement was brought out by a galaxy of socio-religious reformers who adopted
the method of devotion not only to achieve salvation but to awaken the society,
breaking the myths and bringing social change.
Ramanujacharya from South and Gyaneshwar from Maharashtra visited Kashi in
that era to sow the seeds. Ramananda, the disciple of Ramanujacharya broke the
pattern of castes with his choice of disciples from all sections of the
society.
Aggressiveness, straight-forwardness and
mysticism and no fear of death in Kabir-a
terrific combination of Singer-Songwriter-Critic (तू कहता कागद की लेखी, मैं कहता आँखिन की देखी); visionary
approach of Tulsidas (कलि बारहिं बार दुकाल परै/पण्डित सोई जो गाल बजावा /कलिजुग सब ज्ञानी-विज्ञानी);
humility, myth breaking attitude and self pride of Ravidas (मन चंगा तो कठौती में गंगा/प्रभुजी तुम चन्दन हम पानी/कह रैदास खलास चमारा) are
the deep delved traits of residents of Kashi even today. Meerabai, in a state
of conflict wrote a letter to Goswami Tulsi Das in Kashi asking his advice. His
response “जाके प्रिय न राम बैदेही। तजिये ताहि कोटि बैरी सम, जद्यपि परम सनेही.. was
the motivating factor when she left home proclaiming हे री मैं तो प्रेम दिवानी....
Even today Kashi has lovingly preserved these
signatures from Bhakti Movement in the form of Ghats/Temples/Events/Annual
Literary Ceremonies etc.
Dr. Geeta R Sharma is IQAC
Coordinator, Pt. DDU Govt Girls' Degree College,
Sewapuri (U.P.)
भक्ति काल व भक्ति काल के संत
अनिल कुमार शर्मा
भक्ति काल व भक्ति काल के संत एवं कवियों का काल 1343 ईसवी से 1643 ईसवी तक तीन सौ वर्षों का माना गया है यह समय हिंदी साहित्य का श्रेष्ठतम युग माना जाता है ।इस काल में अनेक उच्चकोटि के विद्वान कवि लेखक हुऐ , भक्तिकाल में अनेक प्रकार से ईश्वर की भक्ति का प्रचार-प्रसार एक हुआ ,यह समय भक्ति की मौन क्रांति कहा जा सकता है ।
सभी भेद भाव से ऊपर उठ कर ,जात-पॉंत के अंतर से हट कर यह सूत्र प्रचलित हो गया था
जात-पाँत पूछे ना कोई
हरि को भजे सो हरि का होई
सगुण और निर्गुण भक्ति की धारायें बह रही थीं
इसी समय 1275 ईसवी में औरंगाबाद में ज्ञानदेव का जन्म हुआ जो बाद में संत ज्ञानेश्वर के नाम से विख्यात हुऐ। नाथ सम्प्रदाय के महान संत निवृतीनाथ संत ज्ञानेश्वर के गुरु थे और भाई भी थे जो विषेश ज्ञानी थे ।निर्गुण भक्ति के संत ज्ञानेश्वर के ज्ञान की ही पराकाष्ठा कही जायेगी कि उन्होंने मात्र पंद्रह वर्ष की आयु में मराठी भाषा में श्रीमद्भगवत गीता की सरल व्याख्या कर महाराष्ट्र को ज्ञान और भक्ति से परिचित कराया । संत ज्ञानेश्वर ने योग वशिष्ठ का भी सरल व्याख्या की , अमृतानुभव हरिपाठ लिखा .अभंग भक्ति कवितायें लिखीं इस तरह तेरहवीं शताब्दी के इस महान संत ने सहजता के साथ अपने ज्ञान से कुछ तथाकथित स्थापित मठाधीशों को असहज कर दिया ।
उस समय एक चांगदेव नाम के संत जिनकी आयु 1400 वर्ष मानी जाती थी वह बहुत प्रसिद्ध थे उनके सम्मान में संत ज्ञानेश्वर को जाना था तो यहॉं यह बताना भी ज़रूरी है संत ज्ञानेश्वर के भाई सोपान व बहन मुक्ताबाई व निवृतीनाथ चारों बहन भाई महान भक्त थे जो एक दीवार पर बैठे थे चांगदेव के सम्मान मे जाना था तो भक्ति के प्रताप से दीवार पर बैठे हुऐ ही सम्मान सभा में पहुँच गये ये चमत्कार उन लोगों के लिये था जो इन चारों भाई बहनों को समाज से निष्कासित किये हुऐ थे संत ज्ञानेश्वर ने 1296 ईसवी में मात्र 21 वर्ष की आयु में पूना के पास आलंदीमें जाग्रत समाधि ले ली यह स्थान आज भी जाग्रत महसूस किया जाता है । भक्ति की कोई नांप नही होती कोई पैमाना भक्ति की गहराई नापनें के लिये उपलब्ध नहीं है यह एक अनुभूति है एक स्थिति है एक अहसास है भक्त और भगवान के बीच बह रही ज्ञान एवं विज्ञान की बहती अविरल धारा है ।
अनिल कुमार शर्मा , कवि व लेखक
Spirituality Vs. Religion: Bhakti Movement and its
Universal Relevance in A Troubled World
Roopali Khanna
What is the ultimate goal of life?
Why this misery, why this strife?
We want happiness, but don’t achieve our
goal,
Because we don’t realise we are the soul
In ignorance we live and we die,
We look at the sky, we pray, we cry,
But why we are born, we don’t find out why
Who are we, who is this i?
-Anonymous
All too often we assume that self is
the monopoly of the few and inaccessible to others. When people hear
the word ‘self-realisation,’ maybe it conjures up images in their minds of some
Himalayan cave. The true purpose of the bhakti movement was to make people
realise that God was approachable to all irrespective of their religion or
social status. There is no monopoly of priests on God and that self-realisation
was an attainable virtue. Bhakti poets ranted in their poetry time and again to
introspect and find the truth within. This reminds me of Kabir Das when he
wrote :
“Jaise Til Mein Tel Hai, Jyon Chakmak
Mein Aag, Tera Sai Tujh Mein Hai, Tu Jaag Sake To Jaag." Meaning:“ (Just
as a seed contains oil, fire is present in the Flintstone, he urges people to wake up to the holy spirit that dwells inside
each of us.)
Though
all religions emphasise
spiritualism as being part of faith, the teachings of the sages of the Bhakti
cult believed that one can be 'spiritual'
without being religious or
a member of an organised religion.
This has been the core mission of the bhakti movement. These saints taught us
in vernacular language that devotion needs an inward step. When you’re seeking
inner nature you are spiritual. We can’t
ignore the fact that the truth is same for all of us despite our differences
and uniqueness. The whole conflict on the planet is not as much between
good and evil as it is between one man’s beliefs versus another man’s belief.
And I believe the need for belief is more psychological than spiritual
This
movement played a major role in simultaneously instilling great psychological
courage among the masses of battered Hindus whose Gods were trampled upon and
their murtis (idols) mutilated and destroyed. When the Ramayana or
stories from our Puranas could no longer be recited or performed openly
under an oppressive Islamic state, the Bhakti saints made them immediately
accessible, by making Rama one’s neighbour, while Krishna was just waiting on
the other side of the river. These saints drew parallels, analogies, and
illustrations from everyday life, which helped retain Sanatana Dharma as
a living and lived tradition.
When
we see the great bhakti poets -- be it Shankar Dev of Assam, Narsinh Mehta of
Gujarat, Meera of Rajasthan, Ravidas of Uttar Pradesh, Mahadevi of Karnataka,
Tukaram of Maharashtra, or Auvaiyar of Tamil Nadu -- we find that they hail
from all classes of society and from varied backgrounds. The Sufi saints of the
Muslim community also inspired the movement. The significance of the movement
can be seen in the quality of the divine message these saints and Sufis share
on their part and not in the differences in details of the story they speak.
These
Bhakti poets composed spontaneous poems, which ended up making the wisdom of
the Vedas accessible to all. Though they faced some backlash from a certain
section of society but they stuck to their resolve of "being
inclusive", which is the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma.
Finally, the Bhakti
movement without destroying the Hindu social frame work, fostered ideas of
brotherhood and equality before the loving God. Its saints drawn from all
levels of society proclaimed that in Bhakti, caste had no meaning. Thus in spite of
their plurality, their collective message to mankind is one—that is to live in
harmony, peace and brotherhood burying all differences whatsoever.
Dr. Roopali Khanna is Guest Lecturer in English at Baikunthi
Devi Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Agra.
The
Bhakti Movement and Tulsidas
Santosh
Kumar Singh
Tulsidas, a great devotee
of Lord Ram, an enlightened soul on
earth, a simplistic personality
in thoughts, an eminent spiritual saint is an encyclopedia of thoughts and
genius in all ages. He has shown a path of Bhakti, Gyan and Vairagya to all the
mortal human beings. ‘Goswami’ title was given to him because he controlled
over all worldly desires. His wife Ratnawali became the inspiration of his
selection of right path in his life and he dedicated and devoted whole
heartedly his complete journey of life under the feet of God engaging himself
with meditation, contemplation. His spiritual philosophy does not keep him away
from the thorny social problems of this modern world. He often enters all the
burning topics of the world and successfully finds their proper solutions for
the betterment of the human beings. He does not believe in caste, creed and
religion. He loves all the creatures
without any discrimination (Siya Ram mai
sab Jag Jani, Karau Pranam Jori Jug Pani). He finds unity in diversity.
According to the belief of Tulsi, bad habits hinder our journey of progress.
The inspiration of God must remain with us all the time. It enlightens the dark
and fearful route of life. The real freedom is the forces of thought which
makes us dynamic and progressive.
He paves a solid ground
for the passing of a successful life in
this temporary world (Sansar Tera Ghar Nahi Do Char Din Rahna Yahan, Kar Yaad
Apne Ush Rajya Ki Swaraj Niskantak Jahan). He has composed following
creations: Ramayana, Vinay Patrika,
Kavita Vali, Geetawali, Barvai Ramayana, Ramlala Nahchu, Prashnawali, Dohawali,
Vairagya Sandeepni, Janki Mangal, Parvati Mangal etc. According to
Tulsidas, the destiny should be accepted by all (what is lotted, can not be blotted), (Jo Vidh Likha Lalat Mein Met
Sake Na Koy). Man should make the life beautiful by good deeds (Mantra Mahamani
Vishay Vyal Ke, Mentat kathin Kuank Bhal Ke). In adverse circumstances,
Patience and Belief should be maintained to be victorious in life. (Jako Jape Satya Sanehu, Wo Tahe
Mile Na Kachu Sandehu). He was gifted with special supernatural power which is
beyond human perceptions. He introspected God (Lord Ram, Lakshman, Lord Shiva ,
.Maa Parvati, Lord Hanuman) with his naked eyes. He was inspired by Lord Shiva
and Maa Parvati to write a great epic Ramayana. In Kashi Vishwanath
temple Lord Shiva put his signature writing 'Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram on his
holy religious book Ramayana (Ramcharit Manasa). In the same way,
Lord Ram also put signature on his great book 'Vinay Patrika'. His epic Ramcharit
Manasa is considered the highest selling book as well as most lovable by
the entire world. Scholars have accepted Tulsidas as the greatest scholar in
the world and later this book got name and fame in everyone's heart and it has
been read and worshipped from many
centuries to till today. He is to be known as 'Trikaldarshi' (a man who knows
Past, Present, Future) by grace of God.
At present Kalyug is going on, its age
was written by Tulsidas (four Lakh fortyfour years). Now Kalyug is
approximately fourty four years old, in an adolescent age. Even Kalyug Bhagwan
came to meet him and discussed regarding Kalyug and its effect. In Ramcharit
Manasa in Uttar Khand, he has written about the happenings of Kalyug including human psychology and
nature of activities. Now-a-days, all the countries of the world are facing the
problem of a dangerous disease like Corona which is uncurable, Goswami ji has
already written about it in his time zone. He was such a great future
forecaster. Ramcharit Manasa is the remedy of all diseases in this
world. It teaches the greatest human values. It is a journey of soul from this
mortal world to immortality. Its essence is to get salvation or deliverance
which should be the main aim of every human being on this planet.
Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh teaches English at Sachdeva
Institute of Technology, Mathura.
Bhakti
Movement: Societal Transformation through Literary Spiritualism
Sneha
Srivastava
Bhakti movement is
a period between 7th century to 12th century in southern
India and from 12th century to 19th century in northern
India. It was a reaction to societal dogmas and orthodoxy. It brought
revolution through reformation and provided a new perspective to the society. Up
to 6th century, the society was segmented both vertically and
horizontally. Professions and lifestyles were chosen, based on birth driven
hierarchy. The fourth order and females were granted inferior roles in society.
Bhakti movement
emerged as a movement of the poets and pen for the upliftment of people.
Numerous poems were written to showcase unification of God, self-realization,
equality by virtues etc. For the first time, the deities stepped out of their
royal temples to reside in the hearts of commoners. Mode of expression was in
vernacular languages to cater to the masses.
Luminaries such as
Ramananda, Kabir Das, Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Ghasidas, Saint Tukaram criticised
the caste and gender discrimination fervently. Kabir Das, Surdas, Dadu Dayal,
Eknath etc. preached universalism with God. Meerabai and Andal were a few
important poetess. Bhakti movement played a small but significant role. The
weapon of social transformation was spiritualism. Unfortunately, it got faded
by adapting the practices it once criticised. Howsoever, it registered its role
in history by broadening visions, empowering the masses rather than classes,
uplifting the weaker sections of society etc.
Whenever the
society yields and surrenders before ritualism, superstitions, communalism,
regionalism etc., broad insights from historical reformations like bhakti
movement always acts as a beacon in darkness all around. In this light bhakti
movement was undoubtedly a landmark to bring in fresh air of unification and
empowerment through the inspirational and peaceful weapon of poetic
spiritualism.
Ms. Sneha Srivastava, an Engineering graduate, is a poet
and freelance writer based in Gwalior.
Bhakti Movement with Special Reference to
Surdas, Rahim and Lal Ded
Anjali Singh
The word ‘bhakti’
is derived from a Sanskrit word – ‘bhaj’; one of the meanings being devotion or
attachment to something spiritual, something that is a means of salvation. Thus,
it means ‘passionate devotion’ (to a deity); the exchange of love and devotion
between God and the devotee. Bhakti has a spiritual connotation; in a layman’s
language it can be said to be a devotion to the principles or concepts of
religion that stimulates both the intellect as well as the emotions.
Let’s take a brief
look at its emergence as defined by the scholars. Around 8th
Century, in the medieval times, the caste system prevalent in Hinduism assumed
monstrous proportions. The domination of Brahmans in all spheres was a source
of discontent and it was the birth of a movement from down south. It was called
the ‘Bhakti movement’ that focused on love and devotion to religious concepts;
various schools of thoughts sprouted at this time. They all preached against
the caste system and used local language to reach out to the masses. Between
the 15th and the 17th centuries it reached its peak.
Its primary aim was
to reform Hinduism; a revival, reworking and recontextualisation of ancient
vedic traditions. Bhagvad Gita was one of the texts it took its
inspiration from. It had a tremendous social impact. It gave rise to trends
such as Spiritual leadership, pursuit of Salvation, gave visibility to the
marginalized groups such as women and the lower castes and a rise in voluntary
social service. It was also the trigger for
religions such as Sikhism.
Further, it can be compared to the protestant
reformation of Christianity in Europe as it evoked shared religiosity, direct
emotional and intellection of the divine, and the pursuit of spiritual ideas
without the overhead of institutional superstructures.
Some of the famous
poets of the Bhakti movement were – Kabir, Merabai, Tulsidas, Namdev, Nanak,
Tukaram, Surdas, Rahim and Lal Ded etc. I would like to shed some light on three
bhakti poets – Surdas, Rahim and Lal Ded.
Surdas
Surdas the blind
poet wrote songs of praise for Lord Krishna. I am sharing my own explanation of
one of his songs.
प्रभू मोरे अवगुण चित न धरो ।
समदरसी है नाम तिहारो चाहे तो पार करो ॥
एक लोहा पूजा में राखत एक घर बधिक परो ।
पारस गुण अवगुण नहिं चितवत कंचन करत खरो ॥
एक नदिया एक नाल कहावत मैलो ही नीर भरो ।
जब दौ मिलकर एक बरन भई सुरसरी नाम परो ॥
एक जीव एक ब्रह्म कहावे सूर श्याम झगरो ।
अब की बेर मोंहे पार उतारो नहिं पन जात टरो ॥
Here Surdas talks
of dichotomy in all existence and yet it is Lord Krishna who sees beyond the
flimsy side of things. Surdas talks of himself and how he is flawed. But has
faith that Lord will overlook these faults. Thereafter, he compares the iron
that is cast in different ways to serve different purpose. For example, there
is a vessel made of iron that is used for worship while the same iron is used
by the butcher in the form of a cutting instrument. Another comparison drawn is
using the philosopher’s stone – that puts both merits and demerits on par and
turns them both to gold using its power.
The next comparison is that of flowing water in the form of a river and a
little rivulet that is filled with unclean water. However, on being united,
they merge and are known as holy Ganges. The last comparison is that of the
soul and the supreme being. The humans are but a creation of the supreme being.
The merging of the human soul with the supreme being would purify and cleanse
the flawed human soul.
RAHIM
Rahim, a poet was one of the nine gems in the court of Emperor Akbar.
Despite being born as a Muslim, he was a devotee of Lord Krishna and Ram. His superbly
written couplets or dohas are dedicated to them. He was not only well versed in
Sanskrit but also in Persian.
Ab Rahim muskil padi, gaadhe
dou kaam
Saanche se to jag naahi, jhoote milaai na Raam
Saanche se to jag naahi, jhoote milaai na Raam
Here is a fine fix, Rahim,
which path should I choose?
This world will not abide my truth,
by my falsehoods I will forsake Ram.
which path should I choose?
This world will not abide my truth,
by my falsehoods I will forsake Ram.
Lal Ded
The kashmiri poet, Lal Ded had a practical approach
to learning. After having imbibed from the scriptures, she sought to use her
direct experiences to source her experimental learning. She was a master and
believed that she practiced what she preached.
What the books
taught me, I’ve practised.
What they didn’t teach me, I’ve taught myself.
I’ve gone into the forest and wrestled with the lion.
I didn’t get this far by teaching one thing and doing another.
What they didn’t teach me, I’ve taught myself.
I’ve gone into the forest and wrestled with the lion.
I didn’t get this far by teaching one thing and doing another.
The forest she says is the
world. and the lion is the worldly ambition. She wrestling with the lion is
indicative of how she has fought the worldly desires and ambitions and emerged
victorious within herself.
In the current scenario, the
COVID seems to have come to reform humanity. To combat divisive tendencies,
humans need to realise that there is just one god and that the greater cause is
the all encompassing humanity that all the different religions teach. Could
this be the start of the Reformation of Bhakti movement of the 21st
century!
Anjali Singh is a Ph.D.
Research Scholar based in Agra.
