Chinmay Rahalkar

Once Shwetaketu asks his father the proof of the fact that origin of everything is Brahma. His father asks him to bring a fruit of a tree. Shwetaketu does that.

“Can you tell me what is inside the fruit?” His father asks him.

Shwetaketu opens the fruit and says “there are tiny seeds”

“Can you tell me what is inside these seeds?”

Shwetaketu bursts the seeds and finds nothing.

“And yet from nothing this whole tree emerges. Because you see you have to believe that seeds are the cause of it, even though you don’t see anything inside the seeds. Similarly, this whole world is in front you. So, you have to believe the cause of this is Para-Brahma.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.12)

 This faith, this belief is Bhakti.

In Bhagwad Geeta Shri Krishna says

सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वा सर्वपाप्योभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥ (१८.६६)

(Relinquish everything, surrender to me. I will free you from all the trappings, do not despair). Thus immersing ones’ own self completely in devotion of god is practicing Bhakti Yog.

                The Bhakti (भक्ति) tradition is often, inappropriately so, called as Bhakti movement. It wasn't started by an individual to achieve political goal for it to be called as a movement. It is a tradition that stretches back for more than thousand years. It is one of the three Yog to achieve Moksha. (मोक्ष)  The concept of Bhakti is ingrained in Sanatan philosophy. It has been mentioned in Ved as well as in Bhagwad Geeta. In fact, whether one decides to follow Karma-Yog (कर्म योग) or Jnyan-Yog, (ज्ञान योग) Bhakti forms the base for the seeker. The belief, that at the end of it, the assimilation with saguna, (सगुण) sakaar, (सकार)  vyatka (व्यक्त) and chaitanya (चैतन्य) Brahma (ब्रह्म) is possible is necessary.

                Karma-Yog and Jnyana-Yog are inherently difficult paths to tread on. Majority of masses does not possess necessary intellectual rigor or discipline. But that does not mean they cannot achieve Moksha. Bhakti provides the path to Moksha.

 Shri Krishna says

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करण एव च।
निर्ममो निरहंकारः समदु:खसुखः क्षमी॥ (१२.१३)

सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुध्दिर्यो मे भक्त: स मे प्रियः ॥ (१२.१४)

(One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me—such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.)^*

                Bhakti Yog is emotional connection with Supreme Being. The relation is intensely personal. On the surface it may look easier than Jnyana Marga or Karma Marga but it is extremely tough. Because not only one has to let go ego but also the feeling of Self and then throw one's own at the mercy of supreme being. Logic or rational has no place in this realm. Faith that Chaitanya exists and pure devotion will pave road towards assimilation with Supreme Being is necessary. The differentiating factor between loving your beloved and loving Supreme Being is that the devotion towards Supreme Being is not dualistic in nature. The feeling of “I am thee” is important. Meerabai never felt she is separate from Shri Krishna. She was one with him.

 मय्यवेश मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते।

श्रध्दया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मता:॥ (१२.२)

 (Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.)*

 Such intense devotion gave rise to numerous poems, Bhajan (भजन) and Abhanga (अभंग). The prominent feature of Bhakti tradition is that devotion was expressed in native language rather than in Sanskrit. There are numerous beautiful renderings in Sanskrit. Especially the poems of Adi Sri Shankaracharya (आद्य श्री शंकराचार्य) are melodious and fill the heart of Bhakta (भक्त) with bliss. But Sanskrit was never widely spoken and thus majority of the population could never enjoy the rich literature. Saints changed this picture. They shared their devotion with masses in native language and opened doors for them to worship on personal level. And Suddenly, Shri Krishna – the primary god of devotion for Bhakti community wasn’t merely a legend of Mahabharata but rather a friend, a sakha. (सखा) In Maharashtra, Sant Dnayneshwar's (संत ज्ञानेश्वर)   ‘ovi’ (ओवी) (a form of Marathi poems) gave rise to the language of Marathi in 12th century. Bhaavartha-Deepika, (भावार्थ दिपिका) his commentary on Shri Bhagwad Geeta has so many apt and wonderful metaphor, simile, or personification that it is considered as mother of Marathi literature. Even after eight hundred years, the expression is still fresh and the thought is so clear that Marathi mind still carry imprints of it. The language is so sweet that it’s compared with love of mother.

                The tradition is at once a religious movement that provided simpler path of Moksha to masses and also, a political and social movement that stemmed the disintegration of the society. It is widely believed that Bhakti tradition started in Southern India at around 5^th or 6^th Century AD. But it took a big leap by covering rest of the India after 10th century. Of this tradition the lineage of saints in Maharashtra holds special place for two reasons. One, the tradition started by Sant Dnyaneshwar in 12th century continued uninterrupted till about 18th century creating galaxy of individuals like Sant Namdeo, (संत नामदेव)  Sant Ekanath, (संत एकनाथ)  Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Ramdas Swami (संत रामदास स्वामी). In the dark ages that descended on the society during medieval times, these sages shone bright on masses keeping the hope alive and illuminating their wretched lives with devotion.  And second, it cut across the caste barrier. Only Sant Dnyaneshwar, Sant Ekanath and Sant Ramdas Swami came from Brahmin background. Sant Tukaram (संत तुकाराम) was a Vaishya. Sant Gora Kumbhar (संत गोरा कुंभार) was a potter while Sant Chokha Mela (संत चोखा मेळा) was a Mahar - an untouchable.  It even cut across the gender barrier. Sant Mukta bai, (संत मुक्ताबाई) younger sister of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Janabai (संत जनाबाई) features prominently among them.

                The orthodoxy was reaching nadir at that time alienating masses from devotion. But the diverse backgrounds of Marathi Saints reduced the burden of orthodoxy by breaking the conventions and opened a channel straight to God. Through their own examples they showed that one doesn't need to be born in privileged background to achieve moksha. One doesn't have to be learned in scriptures nor is it needed to be versed in philosophy. The philosophy of loving Shri Krishna without wanting anything in return and loving him beyond the Shad-ripu that rule our mind and our body, is an equally respected path in realizing Moksha .

                The Bhakti sampradaay (i.e. Bhakti community) was established by Saint Namdeo, a contemporary of Saint Dnyaneshwar in Marathi heartland around Pandharpur. He established the Vaarkari (वारकरी) sampradaay. The word Vari (वारी) in Marathi means to go to religious place. And devotees who do such visits regularly are called Vaarkari. Sant Dnyaneshwar in his short life span started going around the villages singing melodies praising Shri Krishna through abhanga (Marathi devotional songs). Saint Namdeo used to accompany him. After Sant Dnyaneshwar took samadhi at the tender age of 21, Sant Namdeo continued the tradition. After him, though, there was a dark period in Marathi history full of gory violence purported by Muslim kings as well as nauseating infighting between Maratha chieftains. Sant Eknath in 16^th century reignited the passion of Vaarkari. The procession of walking to Vithoba temple in Pandharpur singing Abhanga came to known as Vaarkari and to this date it's followed with same fervor.

                A manifestation of Shri Vishnu (श्री विष्णु) – Vithoba (Vitthal) (विठ्ठल) of Pandharpur is the main deity of these saints. He is dark in color and always depicted standing on a brick along with his consort Rukmini (Rakhu-mai). Each and every one of the saints has been blessed with Vithoba’s company.  The story of Vitthal standing on a brick goes like this – Pundalik was a great devotee of Vithoba. So God decided to grace him with his presence. But when he knocked on his door, Pundalik was busy taking care of his parents. And although he knew god himself is at the door, he didn’t stop what he was doing but threw a brick for God to stand. The devotion was pure and yet the Dharma of taking care of his aged parents took the precedence. God was so impressed that he decided to stand on the brick along with Rukmini to honor Pundalik.

                There are numerous such legends of Vitthal honoring his devotees or rescuing them from calamities. Sant Gora Kumbhar (a potter) was so engrossed in singing Bhajan during his work that he accidentally dumped soil on his toddler son suffocating him to death. Gora Kumbhar was inconsolable and cursed himself for killing his own son. The legend has it that Vitthal appeared personally to return Gora Kumbhar’s son.

                Sant Dnyaneshwar’s (who is the patron saint of the tradition) commentary on Bhagwad Geeta is so encompassing that the work ushered Marathi society into age of enlightenment. The ability to transfer rich philosophy and knowledge of Sanskrit into Marathi suddenly opened new doors. The saints who followed him used this tool to comment on various social facets. From morality to social ills like caste system, from exhorting youth to be physically strong to environmental protection, Marathi saints covered it all. Sant Tukaram Maharaj revered next to Saint Dnyaneshwar in the tradition, was specifically prolific in his thoughts. He was especially concerned about plight of general populace. He emphasized that helping poor and downtrodden is equivalent to working for god and says that, that should be the criteria for identifying sages and great souls.

जे का रंजले गांजले त्यासी म्हणे जो आपुले।
तोचि साधु ओळखावा देव तेथेचि जाणावा॥

(One who calls poor and downtrodden as his own is a real a sage and in whom the God resides) 

                He also emphasized that god resides right in your heart rather than in a temple. The avyakta swaroop is painted as a deity in the temple but unless you feel the warmth of Bhakti in your heart the idol is merely a statue.

देव देहात देहात, का हो जाता देवळात ।
तुका सांगे मूढ जना, देही देव का पहाना ॥३॥

(God resides in heart, why are going to temple? O Fool, search your heart for God) 

                Though language went through seminal change from the days of Sant Dnyaneshwar to Sant Ramdas, the thought never strayed away from lucidity, clarity and practicality. The central deity for most purposes stayed Shri Krishna and commentaries usually revolved around Bhagwad Geeta.

Vaman Pandit, in his commentary on Bhagwad Geeta, Yathaartha Deepika complains to Shri Krishna about various interpretations of Bhagwad Geeta among intellectuals and that he doesn't like any of them.

परी अजी भगवंतजी। या कलियुगामाजी॥
जो तो गीतार्थ योजी। मतानुरुप॥

कोण्या मिसें तरी कोणी। गीतार्थ अन्यथा वाखाणी॥
मज नावडे ती थोरांचीहि करणी । काय करुं जी भगवंता॥

(My dear God, in Kaliyuga everyone keeps coming up with new interpretations of Geeta. Some are critical while some say great things about the book. I don’t like any of these so called scholarly interpretations. Please help me, what should I do?)

                This Abhanga perhaps shows the profundity of devotion where a devotee is talking directly to god and asking for his help. It reinforces the view that god will come running for his devotee if the devotee is completely immersed in Bhakti.

                Apart from enlightening masses Bhakti movement played an instrumental role in another aspect. The Islamic invasion was creating havoc from 9th century onwards and with fall of Prithviraj Chauhan of Kannoj in 12th century, Delhi finally succumbed to Islamic invaders. The results were wanton destruction of all social institutions, especially of temples by invaders. Moreover, the forced conversions and mass killings in the name of religion had psychologically debilitating effect on Hindu society. Most of the other civilizations perished facing Islamic invasions but miraculously Hindu society not only survived but thrived under such religious zealotry. There were numerous uprisings as well as political stalemates that played important role but the positive effect of Bhakti tradition on the masses is without a question instrumental. None of the Marathi literature mentions invasion or persecution. Nor does it talk about methods of defending against such calamity. There is a school of thought that actually perceives this as a weakness. They argue that saints turned their faces away from the pain and instead of rallying masses, made them high on the opium of religious ecstasy. The truth can't be farther than this. Although there are few instances of Saint Tukaram Maharaj and Saint Ramdas who were in close touch with Chhatrapati Shivaji, majority of the saints stayed away from political centers. They quickly figured out the insidious nature of the invaders. But more than that the saints realized that the protection can still be achieved by making masses stronger from within. The subtlety of Saints efforts all most concealed their work and results that they achieved look more like a miracle. It took hundreds of years and tens of enlightened souls to achieve the goal.  The society needed strong faith not only in surviving the onslaught but also in the traditions, cultural heritage and illustrious history. Saints gave that faith to them. The Shakti needed strong support of Bhakti. Saints provided that. The unwavering Shraddha they had in Para-Brahma and incessant efforts these saints put in to spread that Shraddha among masses helped rapidly disintegrating society find its feet.

                Famous historian Shri Jadunath Sarkar in his book on Chhatrapati Shivaji says that Maharasthra alone boasts luminaries who ably handled sword as well as pen. He was specially talking about the forward thinkers that Maharasthra produced in 19th and 20th century along with the great warriors it produced in Marathi houses. We can safely that both these traditions have their roots in the Maratha Saint tradition. The latter day Marathi philosophers, reformist, military as well as political leaders based and derived their work from thoughts of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram.

                The Bhakti sampradaay is still vibrant and vigorous with activities in modern India. The work of Sri Ramdeo baba and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is helping millions of people in various facets of life. The movements, based solidly on Bhakti, started by late Sri Panduranga Shastri Athavle (Swadhyay movement) or Swaminarayan Gurushri tradition is spreading the pollens of social work among youth. There are numerous other examples and working towards betterment of masses. The aim is spiritual as well as social welfare of the community. The goal is to create physically as well as mentally strong individual.

The goal’s still long way and needs tremendous hard work and dedication. But with such an inspiring past, the tradition is only to grow stronger and richer.

 Notes:

* Source: Taken from www.bhagwad-geeta.us

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