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Home , Annamacharya, Bhakti movement, Jayadeva, Ramananda, Saravali

in Indian Culture

SWAMI LAKSHMIDHARANANDA

The Flow of Bhakti ‘As oil poured from one vessel to another falls in an unbroken line, so, when the mind in an unbroken stream thinks of the Lord, we have what is called Para-Bhakti or supreme love,’ says the Bhagavatam. The nectar of Bhakti or devotion not only flowed from the devotee towards the Lord, but also flowed into the hearts of millions of Indians down the centuries. Right from the seed of Bhakti in the fervent prayers of the seers in the Vedic period to Vedic gods, through the more articulate conception in the Shvetasvara Upanishad, the emotion of Bhakti coursed through the centuries of Indian history. It went on widening its influence through the epics like and the , deepening its intensity through the like the Purana and the Purana, and rationalizing its approach through the works like Bhakti and Sandilya Bhakti Sutras. Although the flow seemed to have ebbed, the passion of love can never dry out of the Indian heart. Thus arose a great movement in the religious and cultural history of —the .

The Spread of Bhakti Sometime during the third to sixth century A.D., two groups of mystic poets, the and the Nayanmars, arose in at different times and at different places. One group promoted the worship of Vishnu and the other, . The Alvars were twelve in number. The prominent among them were , Periya Alvar, and Tirumangai Alvar. The Nayanmars were sixty-three in number. The prominent among them were , , Tirugnanasambandar and Manickavacakar. The author is a monk of the Order at Vivekananda Vidyapith, Mylapore, Chennai. o

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Some of them travelled extensively and immense philosophical and legendary impetus even visited the Northern states of India. to the Bhakti Movement. Many of the Alvars and Nayanmars were The devotional fer- vour of the Alvars and the Nayanmars and the philo- sophical legacies of the travelled north in due course of time and gave momentum to the Bhakti Movement that swept throughout between the 14th and the 17th centuries. Unlike the Bhakti Movement of the South which was centered on Vishnu and Shiva, the Bhakti Movement of the Nayanmars North rallied around and . not by birth, and hailed from (1400-1470) emerged as a communities of peasants, traders, washermen, popular Vaishnava Bhakti potters, fishermen, hunters and even toddy saint in North India. Initiated tappers. These mystics, immersed as they into the Sri Vaishnava were in the deepest emotion of devotion and tradition of Ramanujacharya surrender to the Lord, expressed their mystical and intensely devoted to experiences and realizations in songs that Sri Rama, he extensively Alvars countered the atheistic and even monistic ideas spread the path of Ram- prevalent in the society then. bhakti throughout North While the lives and teachings of the India. He accepted his Nayanmars infused new enthusiasm into disciples irrespective the Shaiva tradition, the lives and teaching of their caste and social of the Alvars influenced great Acharyas like status. Among them were (9th century), (10th (a Muslim), Raidas century) and Ramanujacharya (1017-1137) who (a shoemaker), and Sena codified and systematized their teachings into (a barber). He had women what is called the philosophy. disciples too. Later philosopher-saints like Nanak (1469- (1238-1317), (1479-1532) and Chai- 1539), the founder of the tanya (1485-1533) formulated their own Sikh tradition, counted as philosophies of devotional theism. All these one of the great poet-saints schools of thought are collectively called of Hindu Bhakti tradition, the Bhakti Schools of , which gave emphasized the chanting of

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the names of God and the singing of , These traditions focused on esoteric and which he called shabad, for achieving union emotional aspects of devotion. Chaitanya with God. The songs of Ramananda, and those was the most popular and influential saint of . He held the most enjoyable aspect of God before the people who generally had a hankering for beauty, sweetness, love and pleasure. On the western side of Indian devotional canopy, appeared great mystic poets like Jnanesvar (1275- 1296), (1270-1350), (1598–1649) and (1533-1606) who Sri Shankaracharya Sri Ramanujacharya Sri Madhvacharya ushered the Varkari tradition with passionate devotion to Lord Vittala of Pandarpur. of Kabir and , who came later, are Revolutionary saints like Samartha Ramdas included in the . (1608-81) also appeared on the Maratha soil. Vallabhacharya (1473-1531), the philo- And in the South, Annamacharya sopher saint of , popularized (1408-1503), Vyasaraya (1460-1539) and his Krishna Bhakti. Among those who followed illustrious disciples Purandaradasa (1484-1564) in his footsteps in the North were and Kanakadasa (1509-1609), Bhadrachala (1483–1563) and Mira Bai (1503–1573) who Ramadas (1620-1680) and Thyagaraja (1767- flooded the entire North India with their songs 1847) flooded the land with their devotion and and devotional fervour. Tulasidas (1532–1623), music. one of the greatest poet-saints, reformer and philosopher in North India, immersed the Salient Features of Bhakti Movement masses with devotion to Sri Rama through his However the Bhakti Movement was classic Rama Charita Manas. neither organized nor was it centrally On the eastern horizon, the Bhakti controlled by any religious leader. The innate movement was spearheaded by Jayadev potential of produced these mystics (13th century), (15th century) and and saints, philosophers and poets, to inspire Chaitanya in Bengal and Shankaradeva people through their God-intoxicated lives (1449–1568) in Assam. The Vaishnava Bhakti and to teach the people to cast aside the heavy Movement in Bengal was very different from burdens of rituals and customs, hair-splitting its counterparts in North India and the South. logic and vain polemics, and to simply and It was influenced by the Vaishnava Bhakti wholly express their overwhelming love tradition of the and the for God. They opened the gates of religion, Sahajiya Buddhist and Nathpanthi traditions. particularly devotion, to all, irrespective of

The V edanta K esari ~ 552 ~ DECEMBER 2012 113 caste, community, gender, social status or Hinduism to directly or indirectly address the language, and encouraged everyone to directly social and religious issues, without however and intensely experience God. Even though dislocating or distorting the allegiance of their teachings were not always similar, yet the the towards their religion or their essence of what they preached was common. scriptures. They taught the Some of these commonalities may be masses the core and essence briefly stated as follows: of Hindu religion according v Belief in one Supreme God—the to their understanding and creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe experience, and encouraged v Emphasis on devotion to God as the and motivated everyone, way to attain salvation irrespective of caste, creed, v Necessity of Guru to attain Bhakti gender or social status, to v Complete surrender of one’s ego and strive to attain God and lead taking refuge in God a God-centered life here v Stress on noble life and conduct and now. However, Islam v Equal accessibility of God to all may have influenced a few v Disapproving excessive rites and Bhakti saints like Kabir rituals without devotion and Nanak who may have v Disapproving vain scholarship taken up some of their ideas The Bhakti Movement peacefully from Islam, prompting coexisted with other schools of Hinduism. them to lean towards the And if Hinduism has survived in spite of formless aspect of Personal external aggressions and internal upheavals, God, rejection of doctrine it is largely due to the galaxy of these mystics of divine incarnation, and and Acharyas of the Bhakti Movement. the concept of nirguna bhakti Historians have their own theories for the upasana. But these ideas too rise of Bhakti Movement. were very much part of the Some say the advent of Hindu thought even then. Islam and the spread of is the cause of the Bhakti’s Influence on Indian Eknath Bhakti Movement. Some Culture others say the Movement Culture is the reflection was a reaction to the feudal of an individual’s or a nation’s values, oppression. The anti- beliefs, outlook of life and mode of living. feudal tone in the songs of Culture is the external expression of the saints like Kabir, Nanak, inner philosophy of life the person or nation Chaitanya and abides by. And in India, philosophy is deeply are pointed as illustrations. influenced by religion, and therefore culture One may very well say that is also deeply influenced by religion. In Meera Bai the very Bhakti Movement fact, not only the themes of cultural forms was a natural and like art, music, dance etc are predominantly spontaneous response of religious in flavor, but the very essence and

The V edanta K esari ~ 553 ~ DECEMBER 2012 114 mode of cultural form is permeated and of religious gathering and folk culture. Surdas percolated with religious values. Any change is said to have composed more than a hundred or enrichment in the religious values will thousand songs (though only about 8000 is therefore change or supplement the texture available now), collectively called Sur-Sagar, of Indian culture. Bhakti Movement has had a apart from writing Sur-Saravali and Sahitya- profound influence on the Lahiri. Indian culture. It not only In near Delhi, enriched various aspects of promoted music and is considered to have culture, but also initiated taught who was at the court of new modes of cultural the Mughal emperor Akbar. Tansen is expressions. regarded as an important exponent of the Perhaps the most Hindustani classical music and is credited with profound influence and introducing as the Miyan ka Malhar, contribution of the Bhakti Miyan ki Todi and Darbari. Movement to the Indian Eknath initiated in Culture is in composing a movement called Sanstha, of songs and poetry and which involved visiting house to house and in revitalizing music spreading religious messages through Bhajans. and group singing. The He introduced a new form of religious song Kabir intertwining of and called Bharood, apart from composing a few Bhakti, song and devotion, hundred Abhangas. Namdev and Tukaram is largely due to the fact that the path of Bhakti composed several thousand Abhangas that from its very beginning was preached through were very popular and which helped in songs. The intense emotional attachment uniting people spiritually during the difficult the Bhakti saints had towards their Divine days of foreign aggressions. inspired copious volumes of excellent religious The Vallabha tradition directly poetry and played a major role in propagating contributed to the theory and practice of religious aspirations and music. The religious and musical procedures sentiments through these of the followers of this tradition were songs. Meerabai composed systematized by Vallabha’s son Goswami more than 1200 songs Vitthalnathji (1516-1698). The ‘Ashtachap’ conveying her surrender to stream of music was thus established. It was Krishna and her longing to named after the eight musical Acharyas or unite with Him in simple preceptors who composed the music of the rhythm and repeating tradition. The tradition created a rich tapestry refrain that encouraged of temple-based music called ‘Haveli Sangeet’. millions to repeat the songs Purandaradasa composed more than and relive the moods of thousand songs, mostly in Kannada and intense longing. In many some in . He is considered to be the parts of North India, father of . He was a performer, Surdas especially , her a musicologist, and the founder of musical Bhajans have become part pedagogy. His classification of swaravali,

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jantivarase, alamkara, and lakshana factors are to Indian music, was to . the standards even today throughout South Indian literature had always commanded the India. He was the first composer to include deepest attention of any inquisitive student daily events in his compositions. He set his of Indian Culture with its overwhelming lyrics to folk tunes so that even a common man volume, profundity and sublimity. Since the can learn and sing them. earliest sacred writings of the , there He had great influence on had been a dynamic development of literature Hindustani music also. through the ages, especially in Sanskrit. The Kanakadasa contributed Bhakti Movement has its own contributions more than 240 Kirtanas to the Sanskrit literature through the learned and Ugabhogas to Carnatic theological and devotional works of the music. Acharyas and rapturous masterpieces like Gita Annamacharya is said Govinda by Jayadeva (12th century). However, to have composed as many the Bhakti Movement had something more to as 36,000 songs on Lord contribute to the Indian literary heritage—the of , development of regional languages in India. though only about 12,000 Alvars and Nayanmars composed their songs are available today. mystical songs in Tamil. Ramananda initiated Thyagaraja revolutionized philosophical and theological discussions in Chaitanya Mahaprabu and gave direction to through his works like Matanbuj Bhaskar, Carnatic music. He was so Sri Ramarachan Padhti and Anandabhashya. creative that he could turn Surdas and Meera enriched simple tunes into ragas like , through their entreating songs. Tulsidas, Harikambhoji and Devagandhari. He though attempted to compose songs in contributed more than 24000 kritis (though Sanskrit, ended up writing his classics in only 700 kritis are available now). His musical Awadhi and Braja dialects, thereby giving genius is reflected in every song of his, but his scope for these dialects to develop and immortal Pancha Rathna Kritis, with each song flourish. set in different and tala reveal the mastery Kabir’s compositions were in a pithy he had over musical techniques. and homely style, replete with imageries Chaitanya popularized the Sankirtan and similes. He expressed his poems orally (group devotional singing accompanied in Hindi, freely mixing it with expressions with ecstatic dancing) in the homes, in the of dialects like Awadhi, Braj and Bhojpuri. temples, and even on the streets. One should A considerable number of songs and poetry also mention the movement in Bengal of Kabir have been passed on to the next with following both among the Hindus and generation through oral traditions. Thus oral Muslims. Later, Bengal produced saints like traditions were revitalized. Ramprasad and Kamalakanta who left a legacy Jnaneswar composed his masterpiece of songs to the Divine Mother. Jnaneswari and Abhangas in Marathi, which The Influence on Language and Literature are reckoned as very original and priceless Another profound cultural enrichment compositions in their literary evaluation. through the Bhakti Movement, closely related Eknath, apart from rediscovering and

The V edanta K esari ~ 555 ~ DECEMBER 2012 116 popularizing Jnaneswari, wrote a voluminous has been the most important contribution and detailed commentary on eleventh canto of the Bhakti Movement to literature. Apart of the Bhagavatam in Marathi. Tukaram’s from the direct contributions of the Bhakti abhangas, which run into thousands, were all saints to the regional literary enrichment, in Marathi. the Bhakti Movement acted as a source of , the celebrated inspiration for subsequent regional literary biography of Chaitanya written by Krishnadas developments. Volumes of Bhakti and other Kaviraj, and Chaitanya Bhagabata, the religious literature were composed and written hagiography of Chaitanya, both written in in regional languages thenceforth. Bengali, are literary classics in that language. The upsurge of Bhakti in society Shankaradeva who introduced Vaish- influenced the themes and forms of dances navism in Assam also stimulated the growth of prevalent in India. Indian dance and , . His disciple, Madhavadas, as a whole, including folk dance and street wrote in Assamese the Bhakti-ratnavali dealing plays, became popular by taking devotional with aspects of Bhakti and the Baragitas that themes which were rich in emotional content, depicted the life of Krishna in Vrindavan. sentiments and values, thereby enriching its There were also translations of the Puranas own cultural value. into Assamese. wrote his songs on and Krishna in Maithili language. Temples and Architecture Arunagirinathar (15th century), the One more important influence of the famous devotee of Lord Muruga (Karthik) Bhakti Movement was the intense urge to in Tamil Nadu, composed his magnum opus establish magnificent temples as an expression ‘Tiruppugazh’, which consisted of 16,000 of devotion. The Rajarajeshwara Temple at songs, blending literature and devotion Tanjore, the Udayeshvara Temple at Udaipur, harmoniously. His poems coupled elegant Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneshwar, and the lyricism with complex rhymes and rhythmic Temple at represent the best structures and are known for its poetical and of the devout architectural urge. Several musical qualities, as well as for its religious, rock temples and massive temples built by moral and philosophical content. Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras in Tamil Nadu The compositions of Annamacharya, and temples built by the Chalukyan and Bhadrachala Ramdas, and Thyagaraja were Vijayanagara dynasties in , bringing all in Telugu. Apart from the famous kritis, in a new era of art and architecture, owe their Thyagaraja authored two musical plays in influence to the Bhakti Movement. Telugu, Bhakti Vijayam and Nauka Throughout India, the temples began to Charitam, using some of the best and beautiful function as the nucleus of religious life and literary expression in . social congregation. They became the seats for Vyasaraya, Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa’s disseminating religious and cultural values works were in Kannada. through discourses and discussions and acted In short, rendering the intricate doctrines as a stage for evolving collective dance and of religion and truths of highest spirituality in music art forms like ghata-nibandhan. They a simple and familiar language so that even strengthened the theistic feelings and involved the most illiterate person can understand them the people in a very intimate way. It was in

The V edanta K esari ~ 556 ~ DECEMBER 2012 117 the temples that the Hindu ritualistic practices the poor and the downtrodden into a common and theistic devotional aspirations met and fold. Kabir strived to interfuse ideas of achieved confluence thereby integrating Vedic Hinduism and Islam so that traditions and Bhakti aspirations. both Hindus and Muslims can tread the spiritual path Promoting Social Inclusiveness harmoniously. For him, And finally, the Bhakti Movement Bhakti not only transcended redefined many social values. its caste boundaries but also Right from the Alvars and the Nayan- the religious boundaries. mars, the Bhakti saints showed through Eknath was one their lives that saintliness and devotion of the earliest reformers is not dependent on caste or birth. They of in demonstrated and preached that anybody Maharashtra and Annama- having intense passion of devotion can have charya initiated reforms immediate experience of God. So emphasis in Andhra Pradesh. Saints on caste or birth for religious living began like Samartha Ramdas not to break. That the so-called untouchables only inspired the people like Tiruppanalvar, Nandanar, , etc., in devotionals, but also sinners turned saints like Vipra urged them to initiate Kanakadasa (Tondaradipodialvar) and Arunagirinathar, and implement social and ‘uneducated’ Kabir, Nanak or Tukaram, political reforms to establish a healthy women like Andal, Meerabai, Karaikal and secure society. Purandaradasa and Ammaiyar and could turn Kanakadasa addressed social issues through into saints. That these saints were revered their compositions. Kanakadasa graphically and followed even by the orthodox sections portrays through allegories in his unique of Hindu society showing that saintliness literary work, Ramadhanyacharitre, the conflict was given more importance than caste, birth, between the rich and the poor. Kanakadasa education or gender. vociferously condemned the social evils and , through his doctrine of took great efforts in reforming the under sharanagati (self-surrender to God), opened privileged communities. the gates of salvation to all, even to the As a result, India’s spiritual culture lowliest and the meek, and reinstalled regained its strength to resist pressures confidence and dignity in their social living. from socio-political forces from abroad and He took revolutionary steps to allow the so- the decadent atheistic reform movements called untouchables into temples and even within the nation, and marched on with its admitted Muslims into his fold. Imbibing this unparalleled adaptability to the needs of time spirit of Ramanuja, Ramananda became an and to inspire generation after generation influential social reformer in Northern India to regain faith in their religion and spiritual

and took a very radical approach to include heritage that was rightly theirs. o t t

Fix thy mind on Me only, place thy intellect in Me: (then) thou shalt no doubt live in Me hereafter. —, 12.8

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