Bhakthi & Bhajan among Sourashtras of Tamil Nadu The beginning of the concept of Bhakthi Marga: The feeling/idea of Bhakti or devotion can be traced back to the Rig Veda. It is the very first hymn of the Rig Veda, which gives expression to a feeling of intimacy with the highest god. But, soon, the followers of Vedas began to preach an alternate ‘marga’ or path or mode, to attain salvation through simple method. The Svetasvatara Upanishad speaks of the highest devotion to God. In the Katha Upanisad it is said that the divine help, which is the reward to Bhakti, is necessary before one can be saved. Panini refers to the object of devotion in the Astadhyayi. The earliest god connected with bhakti is Vishnu-Krishna. Bhakti Marga, & Bhagavad Gita Bhakti Marga, or the path of love and devotion, indicates the law of the right activity of the emotional side of man. Bhakti is emotional attachment distinct from knowledge or action. Through it a person offers emotional possibilities to the divine. Emotion expresses a living relation between individuals, and becomes instinct with the force of religious feeling when it binds God and man. It is also mentioned in Bhagavad Gita that if human beings do not love and worship, they become shut within the prison of their own egoism. This way, when rightly regulated, leads them towards the perception of the Supreme Being. It is open to all, the weak and the lowly, the illiterate and the ignorant, and is also the easiest. For true bhakti, one requires first of all Shradh or faith as it is one of the vital elements. The infinite presents itself to the human soul in a variety of aspects. Bhagavad Gita allows freedom to the multitudes worshipping sudra devatas or petty divinities so long as worship is done with complete devotion. It purifies the heart and prepares the mind for the higher consciousness. The forms which bhakti takes are contemplation of God’s power, wisdom and goodness, constant remembrance of Him with a devout heart, conversing about His qualities with other persons, singing His praises with fellow-men and doing all acts as His service. It is devotion that is constant. True devotion issues in unselfish conduct. It is obvious that for those who insist on devotion as the final nature of spiritual life, the end is not an immersion in the eternal impersonal, but a union with the Purushottama. Prof: Dr. K. Omanakutty, in an article KSHETHRA KRITIS OF MAHARAJA SRI SWATHI THIRUNAL writes : “It is a universal fact that intensive devotion to God ultimately leads to Moksha. This truth can be traced back to the period of Vedas. In the Bhagavat Gita Lord Krishna declared bhakthi as the most important among the means to attain liberation. Bhakthi cult refers to the nine ways of devotion to reach God. The nine-fold devotion is a series of stages in the psychological attitude of the devotee for his spiritual progress culminating in God realization. This is termed as Navavidhabkathi. Among these nine bhakthis, the second, namely Kirtana attained great popularity as an easy means for the realisation of God.” South India and Tamilnadu: Bhakti Movement: While Vaishnavism seems to have been largely ignored or rejected by the kingdoms of the Vakatakas and Bharasivas in the second and third centuries C.E., by the time of the Guptas (fourth to seventh centuries CE), it had been adopted as the royal religion. During this time Vaishnava literature in its Puranic and the Tantric forms flourished. By the time the Gupta dynasty had been dissolved, Vaishnavism had divided into numerous sects and sub sects, every one of which popularized distinct variations of bhakti, constant with the rise of that movement which was building in South India. The writings of the 63 Nayanmars and the 12 Alvars nurtured the incipient bhakti movement in this region under the Pallavas and Pandyas in the fifth to seventh centuries C.E. Of these two foundational groups, the Alvars were explicitly Vaishnavite, devoting the majority of their writings to Vishnu and his incarnations. Their poems in praise of Vishnu in the vernacular Tamil are collectively known as Naalayira (Divya Prabandha), and are still recited in temple rituals today. The path of devotion as expounded by these mystics would later be incorporated into the Visistadvaita and Dvaita philosophical systems of Ramanuja and Madhva respectively. Characteristics of Bhakti Movement One chief characteristic of the Bhakti movement can be mentioned as belief in one God. A devotee could worship God by love and devotion. The second characteristic of the Bhakti movement was that there was no need to worship idols or to perform elaborate rituals for seeking his grace. The third feature on which the Bhakti saints laid stress was the equality of all castes. The fourth feature was the emphasis, which these saints laid on Hindu-Muslim unity. According to these saints all men irrespective of their religion are equal in the eyes of God. The saints preached in the language of the common people. According to these saints only virtuous man could realize God. These saints considered God as omnipresent and omnipotent. Even a householder could realize God by love and devotion Factors that helped the development of the Bhakti movement There were a number of factors, which contributed to the rise, and growth of the Bhakti movement during the medieval period. The most important factor was the destruction of Hindu temples by the invaders. Another important factor was the ill treatment of the lower classes in Hindu society by the persons of upper castes. Vaisnavism in the South The ancient Vaisnava mystics and saints in the South were known as Alvars, and the Vaisnavism teachers as Acaryas. They had a powerful exponent of these views in Ramanuja, who attacked the Advaita interpretation of the Upanisads and gave recognition to three ultimate realities, God, Soul and Matter, the last two being dependent on the first. THE SPREAD OF RAMANUJA’S FAITH ALL OVER SOUTH INDIA: The Bhakti movement in Hinduism was one remarkable feature of the medieval age. This movement remained influential for many centuries and has left deep impact on modern Hinduism. Islam which preached the principle of ‘A FORMLESS SINGLE GOD’ was mainly responsible either directly or indirectly for the revival and spread of the Bhakti Cult in India, since the Arab’s conquest of Sind in 712A.D. Under the Muslim, rule the Indians lost most of their political, social and economic privileges and found solace only in RELIGION and for that they chose the easiest means to attain ‘salvation’, that is Bhakti (Marga). They were firm in the conviction that there is ONE GOD-who can be called by different names such as RAM, KRISHNA, SIVA etc., .They realized that a devotee can have a direct communication with God through Bhakti. The efforts of the saints who propounded Bhakti movement succeeded and the ‘Bhakti’ became the MOST POPULAR CULT OF THE HINDUS. During the first half of 12th century, Ramanuja preached Vaishnavism. Devotion to God became the essence of his preaching. He was born in South India. But he became famous in many parts of India by travelling and preaching. In the year 1017 A.D., Ramanuja was born in the village of Perumbudur, about twenty-five miles west of Madras. He allowed even Sudras to visit temples on fixed days in a year and assured them that they could also attain salvation through Bhakti to their GURU OR GOD. He suggested the path of SELF SURRENDER- ‘PRAPATTI’ and absolute faith in the preceptor (Guru). (His doctrine of philosophy is termed as ‘Visitadvaidam’). According to Ramanuja, Bhakti was the real way to get God. He established the sole supremacy of VISHNU and emphasized SELFLESS SERVICE and DEVOTION to Him. He commanded such a great reverence from his disciples that in due course of time he was deified and shrines were constructed in his honour (Udayavar). Sourashtras have one temple for Ramanuja at 1-A, Udayavar Koil (East Rani Street.,) Trichy-8. It came into existence on 20.4.1901.(see the inscriptions in this temple) Bhajans Bhajan gets its name from the word “bhaj”, meaning - to serve. Bhajans are devotional songs sung by Hindus asserting their love for God, praising God`s glories or the preaching of holy men. It is a way of suggesting the total surrender of an individual to God. Bhajans grew in popularity apart from the religious point of view, they are great stress busters and people find them quite relaxing. Besides this, they also play a great role in creating social equa The PANCHARATRA WAY OF WORSHIP and the Bhagavatas: Vaishnavas are typically divided into two major (though not mutually exclusive) sects: that of the Bhagavatas and that of the Pancharatas Pāñcarātra are the Vaishnava Sanskrit texts dedicated to worship of Narayana and form part of the Agamas. Unlike Vaikhanasa tradition, the Pancaratric traditionof Agamas prescribe image worship in the place of rituals like Yajnas, mentioned in the Vedas. The origin of the Pancaratra doctrines which form the basis of Srivaisnava culture has been traced further back to the well known Purusasukta of the Rg-Veda. The Vaisnavas regard the Pancaratra literature as almost equal to the Vedas. Bhagavatas Bhagavatas (from the Sanskrit having shares) usually refers to Vaishnavite bhaktas, or followers of bhakti who are dedicated specifically to Vishnu. Historically, Bhagavatas seem to follow from the tradition of Vasudeva-Krishna-Vishnu worship, with early inscriptional references dating back as far as 115 B.C.E. K.S. Singh: India’s Communities (Vol.VI), Anthropological Survey of India, 1998 pp.1379-1380 comments: “The Pancharathra are a priestly community, who strictly follow, the Vaishanva sampradaya (tradition). They are called by different names at different times viz., Sathavathas, Bhagavatas, Pancharathrulu, and Srivaishanavalu in chronological order. Historians say that a group of Kshatriya families living in Surasena Mandalam(north india), were worshipping Lord Vasudeva as their supreme god and were called Sathavathas. This cult or tradition they were following was called Sathavatha sampradayam. Later several had embraced this cult irrespective of Varna order and were also called Sathavathas. These people migrated to Vidharba along the western coast to Mysore and finally to the kingdom. Most of the rulers in South India trace their origin from Lord Krishna of Sathvath dynasty. As time passed, the Sathvathas called themselves Bhagavathulu or Bhagavatas. According to the informations, Bhagavatan means Lord Krishna and the people who worship Lord Krishna as their supreme god. According to a great grammarian Pani (Panini?), this bhagavata cult was in existence since the 7th century B.C. in India. Many foreigners had embraced this faith voluntarily worshipping Lord Vasudevan as supreme god. From this account one may infer the reason why the Sourashtras had assumed the title ‘Bhagavatar’ which they could have started using it from the very beginning. (cf. the titles of Sourashtras living in Tanjore) Then the so called Satavatha and Bhagava changed their ways of worship and called Pancharathras, calling Lord Vasudevan as Bhagavan. The Vasihnava Brahmins of Tamil origin, who follow this cult are the Srivaishanvas. Inscriptions reveal that Sri Vaishnavism, came to Andhra Desa in 11th century and spread to alarge area during the reign of the Vijayanagar Empire. Inscriptions from simhachalam reveal that Sri Varaha Narasimha Swamy temple was in existence in1087 A.D. and since then Sri Vaishanavas were appointed as archakas (temple priests). However there is another view also as to the spread of the Bhagvata Sampradaya into the south. Mr. B.A. Saletore in his ‘Ancient Karnataka” vol.I under chapter V p.452 under foot note writes “… I may also note that, according to Mr. Govindacharya swami, the Bhagavata Sampradaya followers, due to pressure brought about by the Muhammadans in western India in the eighth century A.D., migrated to the south and people in the Telugu, Tamil and Karnataka lands.” (I.A. XLII p.196) VADA KALAI AND TEN KALAI: (after 1137 A.D.) So long as Ramanuja’s powerful personality was there, there was unity in the ranks of the followers of Visitadvaita. But after his death in 1137 A.D, the Visistadaitas became divided into two groups known as Vada kalai and Ten kalai. The Vada kalais are so called because they favoured SANSKRIT philosophical literature and the followers of Ten kalai followed the DIVYAPRABANDAM of the ALWARS. The Vada kalai school held that in the attainment of salvation INDIVIDUAL EFFORT should be the first step. But the Ten kalai believed that no such effort was necessary. In the observance of religious ceremonies, while the Vada Kalais offered food only to God on the Sraddha days, the Ten Kalais offered to the Nityas and Acharyas also. Ringing of the bell during Puja was observed by the Vad Kalais, whereas it is not accepted by the Ten Kalais. An outward distinction is openly shown in the caste mark they bear on their fore heads. The Vadakalais use the U shape and tenkalais , a mark similar to the Y form. VEDANTA DESIKAR: Vedanta Desikar as a real representative of the Ramanuja Darsana, tried to bridge the difference between the Vada Kalais and Ten Kalais. He was a staunch advocate of Prapatti; to him Alwars and Acharyas were a source of inspirationIn the history of Visitadvaida thoughts, Vedanta Desikar occupies a unique place. He passed away in 1369.A.D. All the Vada Kalai Sri Vaishanva temples contain a shrine dedicated to Vedanta Desikar just as there were shrines dedicated to Ramanuja in Sri Vaishnava temples. Royal patronage was another factor which greatly contributed to the popularity of Vaishnava faith in the Vijayanagra Empire. BHAKTI CULT & BHAJANS by the Sourashtras of Tamilnadu Till recent days, these people showed keen interest in Bhajan, perhaps deeply influenced by the Bhakti marga (ways) as preached by Bhagavat Gita. As simple, humble, ignorant/illiterate, and poor weavers, most of the Pattunulkaran found solace in enjoying their Lord Vishnu or His avatars Krishna or Rama in the devotional songs that found a major place in their devotional activity viz., the Bhajans, for which they raised at their every settlements Mutts for Bhajans and assumed the suffix ‘Bhagavar’ with their personal names. Their deep rooted Bhakti cult in the form of ‘Bhajans’ withstood them to face subsequent religious developments since the days of Buddhism and Jainism till the arrival of Islam in India which tried to fight tooth and nail aginst the idolatory form of worship. The Bhakti cult satisfied even the followers of their rival religious faiths and prevented open animosity against them. They maintained catholicity towards other religious sects or religions. Subsequent religious developments in south India, ever since their arrival in the Tamil soil, say even as early as Sangam Age or the days of early Pallavas, could not go against their avowed ideals of Bhakti Cult. Even the teachings of Alwar and Nayanmars could not harm their practices as they happen to become complementary or supplementary to each other. The Vaishnavsim of Deccan was also simply to endorse their basic tenets of Krishna cult with a slight change from Krishna Cult to Perumal cult or Rama Cult- these two being but the other forms of the Vishnu cult . Above all, the essence of Bhakti cult remained unaltered in their life ever since the Rig Vedic times till the days of Vijayanagara rule through the times of Guptas, Harsha, Maitrekas in West India and in Deccan the Rashtrakutas and Hoysalas before their movement to the Vijayanagara areas. Their devotion to Vishnu or His avatar Krishna is revealed by them in various ways or forms. In their everyday life, they utter the term ‘Bhagavan’. They dedicate everything to Krishna by uttering the words ‘Krishnarpanam’. They worship or pay respect to Krishna in all forms forms from BalaKrishna to Parthasarathy (as explained in this work elsewhere) by way of displaying portraits or paintings in their house –holds or Bhajanai mutts (prayer halls). At Kumbakonam such paintings are found in certain houses/ halls (as on 1980) witnessed by the author then. Similarly the author had the opportunity of seeing pictures depicting the various stages in the life of Krishna from the childhood till He became the chariot rider of Arjuna or Rama’s Pattabhiseka scene in almost every house hold of Sourashtra hung on the walls. Similarly temples or bhajanai mutts (where the bhajans were performed) were named after either Rama or Krishna. Also we can find a number of personal names among these people reflecting their faith in Vaishnavism. Examples are Ramamorthy, Narayanan, Krishnamoorthy, Srinivasan, Kesavan, Balaraman, Raman, Krishnan, Vasudevan, Vamanan, Seshan, Balakrishnan, etc., Also, almost all Sourashtras utter the words every now and then such as ‘Narayana’, ‘Govinda’, ‘Rama’, ‘Ramachandra’, ‘Krishna’, ‘ Mugunda’, ‘Parandama’ and so on…which reflect their intense love at heart towards Krishna or Rama. Even while they sneeze they utter only the words ‘Harikrishna!. At this juncture we should not fail to point out the fact that a small percentage of them are Saivites; but their devotion to Siva is not as intense as the followers of Vishnu. Even the followers of Siva cult never refrain from attending bhajans connected to Krishna/Rama form of worship. SOURASHTRAS-BHAKTI AND BHAJANS: ‘Sri Krishna Vilas Bhajanai mhadam’- a model: Sources of information lead one to think that it has been the practice of the Sourashtras to worship the Almighty (or ‘Bhagavan’ in the conception of these people), by way of bhajan to express their bhakti or love towards Him. As the oft migrating people, they found solace in the simplest forms of worship viz., Bhakti marga, Bhakti cult, Bhagavata sampradaya to practice Krishna and Rama cults. For these purposes they took to bhajans as a means to achieve their motives. To perform the bhajans, they began to erect constructions in miniature to be developed in due course of time as temples for Krishna, Rama and to be converted into Perumal temples in later days in certain settlements. This information, the author collected during his field work for his research on these people in the period 1978-81. K.S. Balaraman, General Secretary, Sourashtra Sabha, Ammaiyappan, near Tiruvarur, old Tanjore District was the chief informant on Sri. Krishnavilas bhajanai mhadam. Also two books on bhajans entitled ‘Bhakti rasa kkeertanaigal’ and ‘BhajanAmrita manjari’ give us supplementary information on matters related to bhajans. Kattiyam Balasamy Chettiar s/o Subba Chettiar established Sri Krishna Vilas Bhajanaimhadam on 28.5.1902. It later became to be a model for Bhakti and Bhajans. Kondiya bhagavatar, a disciple of Venkata Vittal composed keertanas on bhajan and so the bhajan paddadis (stanzas) recited during bhajans recited in this mhadam came to be termed as ‘Sri Venkata Vittala Sampradaya bhajanai’ published by the said K. S. Balaraman for performing the bhajans properly. ` Music and dance, the two important components of the bhakti cult and bhajan, were strictly followed in this ‘sampradaya’. S.L. Krishna bhagavatar collected from various sources bhakti keertnas available in Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil and included them in his two works referred above. THE MODE OF BHAJANS: The bhajans usually start with a couplet as Namavali beginning with ‘Govinda Nama sangeertanam Govinda Govinda’ ‘Janaki smaranam Jai Jai Rama, Rama. It is followed by ‘dhyana slokas’ in praise of Lord Krishna and Rama. Due reverence is given to Lord Ganesh and goddess saraswati and also to the Guru. Special bhajans are arranged on the eve of important celebrations such as Sri Jayanti and GokulAshtami. Keertanas or verses are recited to exemplify the glorious aspects in the lives of Krishna or Rama according to the events of celebration. To simplify the mode of worship they invite their Lord to shift His abode to the flame of a lamp with five wicks. Now the flame before them is the Lord in their worship through bhajan. During the days of Sri Jayanti, through ‘Uriyadi Keertanas’, they extol the mischiefs of ‘Balakrishna’. Compositions by prominent preachers in the days of Bhakti Movement in the north like Surdas, Kabirdas ,Tulasi das, Kalidas etc., are set to music and sung by devotees assembled. To signify event like the holy marriage, ‘Kalyana, sobana, and Nalungu keertanas’ are recited by the bhagavatas. They follow all the usual rules of poojas during their worship. The devotees perform the ‘Brindavan Deepa Kelikkai’- playing with sticks which in Tamil is termed as ‘KOlaTTam’ and circumbulate the lamp (Lord) accompanied by dance and ‘Kummi’ (a variety of dance) songs.Specific ragas are allotted to specific act. For example to awaken the Lord from sleep the use ‘BoopAla rAga’. Similarly, the ‘GokulAshtTami’ is celebrated for about eleven days. The first two days are allotted to celebrated His (Krishna’s) birth and UriyaDi festival. In the next four days ‘Divya NAma bhajan ‘ takes place (praising the Lord). At the end i.e., on the eleventh day, they sing ‘Suvvi’ keertanas. To mark the end of the celebration they give a Holy bath to the lord and pray Him to get back or shift to His original abode. Source: C.S.Ktishnamoorthy, The Migrant Silk Weavers of Tamil Nadu-A Study. Madurai,2014
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 04:19:20 +0000
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