by Karthik Venkatesh
The Bhakti movement empowered those on the lowest rungs of Indian
society and provided impetus for the growth of vernacular literature
All over the world, the image of the
artist-songwriter was powerful. Bards, who worked as copywriters and
fortune-tellers making fun of the trivial contracts of their time, and who
sometimes wrote and sang their verses, have appeared in many of the world's
civilizations. In India, the singer-songwriter image was fully reflected in the
Bhakti movement. The rigid system of sectarianism, the complex culture that
perpetuates the practice of worship, and the natural need for a more satisfying
way of worship and salvation probably encouraged the movement. Bhakti poets
emphasize devotion to god. Equally, many of the Bhakti saints were heretics who
chose to oppose the currents of their time with their writings. Bhakti culture
continues with a revised version even today. This movement probably originated
in Tamil in the 6th-7th century AD and became very popular with the poems of
the poets Arvarth, Nayanar, Vaishna and Shiva. Coming from both high and low
classes, these poets form the theme of awesome books that are firmly entrenched
in the list of popular books.
In the Kannada region, a movement initiated by
Basavanna (1105-68) in the 12th century for some time threatened the class
leadership and extended the foundation of the local community. Although
orthodoxy was able to resist, the Bakti movement in the region produced a rich
library of books known as Vachana sahitya which was invented by Basava himself
and his students (Akkamahadevi, Allama Prabhu, Devara Dasimayya and others).
Incorporating the bustling aphorism, the Vachanas conveyed vivid expressions of
intellectual awareness in spiritual and social matters. Basavanna, a source of
organization in Karnataka, was King Bijjala's minister. He used his great power
to initiate social change programs and saw his verses as conveying his message
to many people. Eventually he succumbed to orthodoxy, but he had begun to
develop new social thinking that still exists today, and in Karnataka, he is
still an inspirational person to this day. As a social movement, the Bhakti
movement in Karnataka, and indeed everywhere in India, challenged class rule,
emphasizing direct human interaction with the gods and the possibility of the
salvation of all human beings through good deeds and simple life. As a literary
organization, it freed poets from praising kings and introduced spiritual
themes. From a stylistic point of view, it introduced simple and easily
accessible styles such as vachanas (in Kannada) and other forms in various
languages to literature and eliminated the hegemony of Sanskrit metrical
forms. In the neighboring state of Maharashtra, the Bhakti movement began in
the late 13th century. Its supporters were known as Varkaris.
Its most famous figures include Junanadev
(1275-96), Namdev (1270-50) and Tukaram (1608-50), who wrote many poems on
Bhakti. Tokram was a traitor in several ways. A Shudra caste, he became a
businessman. Later, in defiance of Brahmin's commands, Tukaram chose to write
about religious matters, and Marathi, the people's language. That Shudra chose
to write was unacceptable to the Brahmins. Writing about religious matters in
Marathi and not in Sanskrit was another problem. Forced by the idea of
throwing his manuscripts into the river, the legend says that Tukaram fasted
until his death and that after the 13th day, his drowning books appeared in the
river, corrupted. The story itself is probably not apocryphal, yet it shows the
extent to which society is willing to go to silence the apostate. In northern
India, from the 13th to the 17th century, a growing number of poets, all of
whom were Bacchus' figures, flourished. Occasionally, with reference to the
gods, sometimes returning to their god (ishtdevata), these poets have left
behind numerous books in Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Maithili, and several other
languages.
Almost always rebellious in their natural
instinct, these poets played a vital role in laying the foundation for social
reorganization in equal lines. Many kinds of thinking emerged from their
efforts. Kabir, a famous saint of northern India, falls entirely into this
tradition of artist-writer-critic. Living in the 13th and 14th centuries (exact
dates are opposed, but fall between 1398 and 1518), Kabir changed the religious
ideas and social gatherings of his time. Kabir preached a monotheistic belief
that directly affected the poor and assured them of their access to a deity
without a mediator. He rejected both Hinduism and Islam, as well as the vain
religious practices, and he renounced hypocrisy. This infuriated the Orthodox
clergy. But Kabir should not have felt inferior. He was a lone wolf and was not
afraid to stand up for himself and his beliefs. Another artist and lyricist,
Guru Nanak (1539-1469), was an iconoclast and, yes, a critic of the social norms
of his time. Nanak had a consensus and tried to blend Hinduism with Islam in
order to serve as a guide for all mankind. He rebelled against a society that
preferred culture over devotion and integrity.
Among the institutions he challenged was the
draft. Nanak did not subscribe to caste taboos and despised his
"high" and "low" ideas. Given the orders against the
reunion, Nanak used to accompany Mardana, the lower caste (a community of
dancers and singers). Mardana was a talented rubab player who is said to have
accompanied Nakan whenever he sang his verses. Eventually, Nanak established a
different religion, the Sikh religion, which sought to enforce its precepts. A
person who lived during the Nakan period was Ravi Dass (1450-1520), who was
born into a family of leather workers (chamar) in Varanasi. Like Nanak, Ravi
Dass also spoke of the need for a ruthless society, yet, unlike Nanak, he
suffered at the hands of insurgents and arrows as he belonged to the untouchables.
In one of his most famous poems, Ravi Dass speaks
of “Begumpura” - “a place without pain, humiliation or anxiety… free from evil,
anxiety, fear or abuse” (translated by Hawley and Juuergensmeyer in Songs of
the Saints of India). In this and many other verses, Ravi Dass has given voice
to the pain of the lower class in the treatment of Brahminical society to them.
The Ravidassia community, which continues to grow to this day, is proof that
his request is permanent. While Kabir, Ravi Dass, and Nanak were talking about
the supernatural god (nirgun bhakti), Meerabai (1498-1546) of Rajasthan
composed and sang religious verses in praise of Krishna. Meera's great devotion
to Krishna in defiance of patriarchal principles was an act of rebellion. Her willingness
to meet the king she thought of as her lover was a source of discord in her
family, but Meera stuck to it.
The Bhakti movement has empowered the people of
the Indian subcontinent in important ways and provided the impetus for the
growth of local literature. However, this tradition of the so-called
"lowly" singing and writing, did not end with the Bucket movement
entering society. In the 19th century Karnataka, Shishunala Sharif (1819-89)
was an influential figure. She is a Muslim by birth, and Sharif too. adopted
the principles of Hinduism and often sang in harmony with social order. *
During the liberation struggle, the struggle poet Ram Prasad “Bismil”
(1897-1927) composed the songs Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai and
Rang de basanti chola sung by many. rebels. In recent years, a number of
songwriters have become increasingly vocal and aggressive in what they consider
to be the injustices of the society in which they live. In October
In Punjab, Bant Singh and Jagsir Jeeda, both
Dalits and from the families of agricultural workers, sang about drunkenness,
exploitation and mistreatment of local people and corrupt political practices.
Bant was targeted at the landowners' section of the neighborhood after taking
legal action for contempt when his daughter was raped. Her limbs were amputated,
leaving her bleeding until she died. Going back to the edge of death, Bant
Singh has in recent years became a national figure after the publication of a
book about him, The Ballad of Bant Singh, by Nirupama Dutt. In Telangana, the
name Gaddar is closely related to the working class. The poet, musician and
political activist Gaddar has for decades been known for his striking songs in
the public sphere. Speaking of violence, in the past he has been attacked by
police and political rivals. As it turns out, the Bucket philosophy of great
devotion, accompanied by the contempt that went through, is not over. It
remains the same — a true example of the meek who want to inherit the earth and
try to shape it into their own. These heirs of the Bhakti culture do not believe
in the idea of emphasizing worship and devotion. Their concern, indeed
self-sacrifice, stems from economic justice and a more equitable world.
Karthik Venkatesh is an editor with a publishing firm and a freelance
writer.
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