There was an unique religious renaissances in India during the 15th and 16th centuries. It helped dissemination of the Bhakti philosophy and glories of holy company as propounded by the Bhagavatpurana. Alongside was spread of Geeta’s Namdharma or faith in supreme one for the ultimate deliverance. A kind of monistic belief was preached to remove confusion from the common men’s minds over a pantheon. What’s more, one was led to believe that the hour of birth and birth place of a man – in other words, the phenomenon of being born as man – was glorious. (Glory to be born as man in Bharatabarsha in the Kali age.)

The eternal message of the Bhakti movement of the period was that air and water, soil and grass, plants and creepers and all birds and animals were creation of one God. So men are children of one father. Certain great men provided leadership to this memorable movement in several States. The most remarkable among them were Ramananda (AD 1400–AD 1470) born into a Brahmin family at Allahabad and his principal disciple Kabir (AD 1440–AD 1470), Vallavacharya (AD 1479–AD 1531) born into a Telugu Brahman family in South India, Namdev (AD 1400–AD 1430) of Maharashtra, Mahaprabhu Srichaitanya (AD 1485–AD 1533) belonging to a scholarly Brahmin family of Nadia in West Bengal and ‘Sarvagunakara’ Srimanta Sankaradeva (AD 1449–AD 1569) who was a Kayastha of Assam. Srimanta Sankaradeva, who introduced in the wake of the religious renaissance a new faith in eastern India to promote welfare of all living beings and of even such things as plants and grass by emphasising the message of universal brotherhood, was born in the sacred soil of Bardowa in Nagaon district on the Sukla Dasami Tithi (the tench day after the new moon) in the month of Aswin in 1371 Sakabda or AD 1449.

Srisankara, who lost his mother 15 days after his birth and became fatherless when he was seven years old, was brought up by his grandmother Khersuti. He went on spending his years with his playmates only have no yearning for learning. When he was 12, his grandmother persuaded him with much effort to enroll with the school, the great and popular contemporary Brahmin scholar Mahendra Kandali was running. Immediately after he had learnt the alphabet, Srisankara composed a poem avoiding compound words. As student, he became serious earning from his preceptor the title of ‘Deva’. His name as Sankaradeva was established during his student days.

From his guru Sankaradeva learnt in succession the Vedas, Siksha, Kalpa, Jyotish, Byakaran, Nirukta, Kavya, Kosh, Tarka, Sruti, Smriti, Mimansa, Puran, Bharat and a lot other disciplines before he was recognised as an infalliable scholar. He completed his studies in five years and came out. He was then 17. After his career as a student was over, he had to assume the title of Bar Bhuyan for the purpose of ruling the Bhuyan territory. At the age of 19 he wrote a play Chihnayatra and staged in using paintings, percussion, etc. It was in fact, the beginning of modern theatre in east India. The year was AD 1468. And, from the chronological point of view, Sankaradeva was the first man in the theatre world who used a stage screen. Chihnayatra is Sankaradeva’s memorable creation. The staging of the play demolished the barriers between the high and the low. Sankaradeva allowed equal latitude for acting to his actors who were drawn from both the so-called upper caste of Brahmins and Kayasthas and the lower strata of society such as Kamara, Kahar, Sonari, Rajat and Kaivarta.

The renowned philologist and orientalist Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay made significant observations about the universality of the great genius of Sankaradeva: “Sankaradeva is specially connected with Assam but he belongs to the whole of India, and, he has also an universal quality as a man of faith and religion, of learning and organisation.”

Srimanta Sankaradeva built a number of Namghars or centers to preach and practise religion. The Namghars and Satras and shelters for the poor and unfed that are seen in the villages of Assam and Coochbehar of North Bengal were founded by Sankaradeva. The Namghars and ‘Satras’ were not merely centers of religion. They promoted mass education. Some cottage industries were also developed around them. In most of Assam’s Namghar banking operations have been going on for four or five centuries. They are also working as people’s court for as many years. A ‘Namghar’ does yet another job. It serves as a centre of musical pursuits. Songs, dances and Bhaona are encouraged.

Srimanta Sankaradeva was a poet, writer, lyricist, composer, playwright, actor, singer, instrumentalist and author of a new religion. If all these attainments are overlooked, Sankaradeva will still be remembered for his unforgettable creation ‘Namghar’. About Srimanta Sankaradeva’s religious and humane contributions Gandhiji, the Father of the Nation, observes.

‘Sankaradeva has given the Assamese people an ideal more graceful than the one we depend on to imagine a ‘Ramrajya’. I have only practised it. I have got nothing new to offer ....the big 16th century Vaishnava renaissance influenced by Sankaradeva made the people of Assam kind, tolerant and perfect human beings.’ We accept the authenticity of Gandhiji’s observation when we see in Assam the harmonious relationship between its different races and tribals and between the religious communities including the Hindus, Musalmans, Sikhs, Christians and Jains. It must be proclaimed loudly and without reservation that the harmony, integrity and sane thinking as is now prevalent in Assam owes much to Sankaradeva’s success in drawing the people of different caste and creed into a common fold through Namghars. Srimanta Sankaradeva is also the main creator of the art, culture and music, the Assamese people are living with today. In recognition of Sankaradeva’s contributions, the legendary ‘Kalaguru’ Bishnuprasad Rabha comments in his book Asamia Kristi: ‘Of all the men born so far under the sun three are the epitome of culture. One is Srikrishna Himself. The other is Italy’s Leonardo de Vinci. And, the third is our Assam’s great genius Sri Sri Sankaradeva who is worshipped all over the State as the guru. The fact is that Assam will die if any of Sankaradeva’s creations in art and literature is ignored. According to the reputed Rabindrasangeet singer Santidev Ghosh, Sankaradeva is, on one hand, honoured as a devout follower of Krishna, and, on the other hand remembered by the Assamese people as a guru of performing arts including dance, singing and acting and also of painting.

Through his religious preachings Sankaradeva made people conscious of child care, dignity of women, removal of untouchability, unity between various tribes and communities, ecological balance through measures against air, noise and water pollution. His preachings spread over all the small principalities of the time such as Chutiya Rajya, Kachari Rajya, Bhuyan Rajya, Kamta Rajya known as Coochbehar and Ahom Rajya. Accomplishing his tasks, the great Srimanta Sankaradeva went for his heavenly abode in AD 1569 in the ‘Bheladanga Satra’ in Coochbehar of present day North Bengal. He was then 120 years old.

Courtesy: The Assam Tribune (September 2008)