Madhavdeva: The Luminous Icon of Spirituality

Ranjit Kakati

(Ranjit Kakoti can be contacted at ranjitkakotinlp@gmail.com)

The 15th and 16th centuries are very crucial periods in the history of India because of the emergence of a host of prominent religious preachers of Vaishnavism ushering in peace and harmony in the chaotic society of those times. That period in the greater territory of Assam, which was not divided into seven states then, was an era of turmoil and social chaos. Rampant and religious degeneration was common in the society as a consequence of which people became devotees of the power of gods and propitiated different deities craving for physical pleasure and materialistic benefits. The aesthetic beauty of true spirituality was ignored in every reason while worshipping the deities. It was at such a critical juncture that Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva, the champion of spirituality was born in Assam as the saviour of those people who was attached with short lasting earthly pleasure only, as if God descending on earth to redeem the society from utter chaos.

Chiseling out of the essence of the Gita, the Bhagawat Purana and the Upanishads, Sankaradeva preached the Ek Saran Nama Dharma, the religion of humanity, love, devotion and peace. The essence of religion is taking refuge in one God only through pure devotion. The Mahapurush paved a new path for the people, even to the unlettered, for self realization in order to proceed towards the nearness of Absolute Soul which is embodied as Krisna. He, with his colossal contributions to the humanity as an art of living, succeeded in the spiritual and cultural uplift of the people and united various ethnic groups of the entire north-eastern part of India. But it is discussed that Sankaradeva’s dream, perhaps, would not have come true if he had not met Madhavdeva who later became his most devoted and dedicated disciple to carry forward the philosophy of the religion. The first meeting of Madhavdeva with Sankaradeva was rather a stroke of luck for both of them and for the Assamese community which is blessed with their ever enlightened wisdom of spiritualism.

Madhavdeva was born to Govindagiri Bhuyan and Monorama in 1489 at Latekupukhuri of Narayanpur in Lakhimpur district of Assam. Govindagiri was the jaminder of Banduka in Rangpur district of Bangladesh at present. But owing to the disturbances created by the Kachari king, Govindagiri along with his wife fled to Narayanpur where they were given shelter by Harisinga Bora, a high official of the Ahom Kingdom. In his home at Letekupukhuri was born Madhavdeva. Harisinga Borah arranged for Madhavdeva’s early education at Narayanpur. There the family lived without any kind of economic hardship as long as Harisinga Borah was alive. But after his death, subsequently famine occurred in the area following a drought which too was devastating.

At that time Madhavdeva was a young man equipped with knowledge of farming and well versed in the scriptures. However, the famine forced Govindagiri and his family to leave the place in search of refuge among near relatives. Surprisingly, all his relatives refused to offer them shelter in those hours of need. At last Ghagari Maji, one of Govidagiri’s friends living in the Ghagar Chapori between rivers Subansiri and Ghagar in Lakhimpur district, gave the family shelter for fourteen years. There Madhavdeva’s sister Urvasi was born. When Urvashi attained marriageable age, the family shifted to Bordowa rowing down the mighty Brahmaputra. At a place called Honkorakuchi, Urvashi was married to Gayapani who was later known as Ramdas as a follower of Sankardeva’s ideology. Leaving Monorama with Urvashi and Ramdas, Madhavdeva and his father went again to Banduka where Madhavdeva continued his education under a teacher named Rajendra Adhyapak and he became well versed in the Tantras, Tarkashastra, Puran and other literature associated with Shaktism. His father died soon after. Then Madhavdeva’s half-brother Rupchandra alias Damodar took over the charge of jaminder while he started a business. He came back to Honkorakuchi at the news of his mother falling illness. He offered a goat for a sacrifice to goddess Durga praying for the recovery of his mother from the serious illness. Subsequently, his mother recovered from illness and that was why he urged Ramdas to procure a goat for propitiating the goddess. Ramdas refused to comply announcing that he was the disciple of Sankaradeva and dead against worshipping of other deities by offering anything as a sacrifice. This infuriated Madhavdeva as he was out and out a Shakta, the worshipper of Shakti (power). Then, Ramdas suggested him to argue with Sankaradeva in order to establish his points of his doctrine. Next day both of them went to Sankaradeva who was staying at Dhuyahata-Belaguri Xatra. Sankaradeva received him lovingly though Madhavdeva was determined to argue with him against the tenet preached by Sankaradeva. Then a debate, which continued for four and a half hours, started between them. At last Sankaradeva disarmed Madhavdeva by reciting a sloka (verse) from the Bhagawat Purana, the meaning of which was: “Pouring of water at the root of a tree causes the branches, leaves and flowers to thrive, but if you pour water on the leaves and branches, no part of the tree will thrive. To sustain and nourish the limbs and organs of the body, you have to satisfy your hunger by eating, but if you undertake fasting and wear ornaments on every limb, you feel no satisfaction. In the same way, he who worships the supreme deity (the absolute reality) appeases the minor deities, but if he worships anyone of the minor deities he pleases none.”

This sloka convinced Madhavdeva who admitted his limitation. He offered himself as a disciple of Sankaradeva and soon established himself as the most favourite disciple of his Guru (teacher). The joint effort of Sankaradeva and Madhavdeva promulgated the new tenet of Ek Sarana Nama Dharma far and wide. Together with his Guru, Madhavdeva heralded the great spiritual and cultural resurgence in Assam during the 16th century.

Madhavdeva’s contribution to Sankaradeva’s religion and Assamese literature and culture was immense. Along with a great pile of his literary outputs, Madhavdeva wrote the Nam-ghosa and translated the Bhakti Ratnawali of Visnupuri as per suggestions of Sankaradeva. The Nam-gosha, treasure of one thousand hymns imbued with literary beauty, lucidity and ecstatic joy established him as the luminous icon of spirituality. The philosophy of Madhavdeva, of love, compassion, humanity and surrender to Lord Krisna as the Absolute Truth reflected in Nam-ghosa is a perennial source of inspiration to all. The quintessence of Vaisnavite philosophy banking on the Vedanta scripture is proved by the magnum opus of the Nam-ghosa which reflects the personality of Madhavdeva in ample measure. Significantly, the text of Nam-ghosa is referred in most cases to interpret the philosophy of the Vaisnavite religion advocated by his Guru Sankaradeva.

People feel the calls of the ‘self’ echoed in the core of their hearts in the lucid hymns of the Nam-ghosa. It is the universal appeal of the masterpiece which helps us to appreciate the resources which man has within himself. The call is nothing but the call for the transformation of human being which uplifts the moral values transcending the fluctuations of the human mind. So the Nam-ghosa should not be confined within the boundary of the religious practices because the pure comprehension of its wealth of wisdom might be a measure for the prevention of the deterioration of human values in present-day society. It is time researchers of the new generation come forward to make a systematic study to appreciate the multi-dimensions of the masterpiece lying beyond its literary and mystic value.