Sankardev

His literary and artistic contributions are living traditions in Assam today. The religion he preached is practised by a large population, and Sattras (monasteries) that he and his followers established continue to flourish and sustain his legacy.

After the death of Sankardev, Madhavdev incorporated narrations of his life in prayer services, a practice that his disciples followed, and in due course of time, a large body of biographical literature arose. These are generally classed in two groups: early (those by Daityari Thakur, Bhusan Dwija, Ramananda Dwija and Vaikuntha Dwija) and late (Guruvarnana by Aniruddha Das, the more than one anonymous Katha-guru-carits, Bardowa-carit, Sankardev caritra from Barpeta, the Saru-svarga-khanda and Bar-svarga-khanda by Sarvabhauma). The authorship of the biography credited to Ramcaran Thakur, Daityari Thakur's father, is doubted, and it is generally dated to the 17th century and classed with the late biographies.

In general, all biographies consider Sankardev as an incarnation of Vishnu, including that by Daityari Thakur, the earliest. The late biographies differ from the early group on the count that they ascribe supernatural feats to Sankardev, and describe miraculous events; and there is a tendency to read some events of the Bhagavata into his life. The biographies are full of contradictions; even though the earlier ones are considered more accurate, not all that they claim is true. Daityari Thakur's biography, the earliest one, claims Sankardev met with Chaitanya, which is now not accepted to be true.

Biography

Early life: Bordowa

Sankardev, then named Sankaravara, was born into the Shiromani (chief) Baro-Bhuyans family at Bordowa (Alipukhuri, Tembuani) in present-day Nagaon district in c. 1449 or c. 1483. Though 1449 is generally accepted in traditional accounts, more recent scholarship has questioned this date, noting that it is not attested in early contemporary sources and appears to have been fixed in later biographical traditions; Baniprasanna Misra has proposed a revised birth period between 1479 and 1484 CE. The Baro-Bhuyans were independent landlords in Assam, and Srimanta Sankardev belonged to the Kayastha caste and was born into a prominent Shiromani Bhuyan (landed gentry) family in 1449 at Alipukhuri near Bordowa in present-day Nagaon district, Assam. His family members, including parents Kusumvar Bhuyan and Satyasandhya Devi, were Saktas. Sankardev lost his father to smallpox when he was about 7 years old, and his mother died either soon after his birth, or soon after his father's death; and he was raised by his grandmother Khersuti.

He began attending Mahendra Kandali's tol or chatrasaal (school) at the age of 12 and soon wrote his first verses karatala . The complete poem was written before he was taught the vowels, except, of course, the first one, and is often cited as an example of the early flowering of his poetic genius. He stayed at the tol during his teens, and studied grammar and Indian scriptures. He practised yoga (which he gave up later) and was physically very able, and according to legend, he could swim across the Brahmaputra while it was in spate. It is generally believed that he wrote his first work, Harishchandra upakhyan, while at the tol. Mahendra Kandali changed his name to 'Sankardev' while he was at school.

Date of Birth Uncertainty

The traditional date of birth of Srimanta Sankardev (1449 CE) is generally derived from later hagiographical traditions and is not explicitly attested in contemporary sources. Early biographical accounts from the 17th century record only the date of his death, while the year 1449 appears to have been fixed in the 18th century through sectarian and devotional literature. The increasing elaboration of guru biographies in this period, often incorporating supernatural elements and claims of divine status, has been associated with the consolidation of a fixed chronology.

Modern historians have questioned the reliability of this date, noting inconsistencies in the chronological reconstruction of his life and the use of unverifiable or late Sanskrit sources in later traditions. It has also been observed that important events described in the biographical narratives, such as Sankardev’s pilgrimages and major phases of his religious activity, are difficult to reconcile within the conventional framework without compression or omission of time spans.

Baniprasanna Misra argues that the conventional lifespan of approximately 120 years results from cumulative and possibly double-counted durations in the biographical accounts, particularly in the estimation of time spent in different phases of his early life and travels. He further notes that Sankardev’s own writings suggest a more typical human lifespan and do not support the idea of an unusually prolonged active life extending well beyond a century. On this basis, Misra proposes a revised birth period between 1479 and 1484 CE, with a date around 1483 considered plausible.

However, the traditional date of 1449 continues to be widely cited in standard biographies and popular accounts.

Bhuyan shiromaniship

Sankardev soon mastered the major scriptures and thereafter left the tol in his late teens (c1465) to attend to his responsibilities as the Shiromani Bhuyan. He came to be known as the Dekagiri among his subjects and admirers. As Alipukhuri had become crowded, he moved his household from Alipukhuri to Bordowa. He married his first wife, Suryavati when he was in his early 20s and a daughter, Manu, was born about three years later, but his wife died about nine months after that.

First pilgrimage

It is possible that the death of his wife increased his already existing spiritual inclination, and he left for a twelve-year-long pilgrimage, sometime after his daughter was married to Hari, a Bhuyan scion. He handed over the maintenance of his household to his son-in-law Hari; the Bhuyan Shiromaniship to his grand uncles Jayanta and Madhav; and began his journey in 1481. He was accompanied by seventeen others, including his friend and associate Ramaram and his teacher Mahendra Kandali. At this point of time, he was 32. The pilgrimage took him to Puri, Mathura, Dwaraka, Vrindavan, Gaya, Rameswaram, Ayodhya, Sitakunda and almost all the other major seats of the Vaishnavite religion in India. He seems to have spent many years at Jagannath-kshetra at Puri, where he read and explained the Brahma Purana to the priests and lay people. At Badrikashram in 1488, he composed his first borgeet—mana meri ram charanahi lagu—in Brajavali. According to Katha Gurucharit, the first Borgeet was "Rama meri hridaya pankaje baise" and he composed it in 1481 at the very outset of the pilgrimage at a place called Rowmari. He returned home to Alipukhuri after 12 years (his family had moved back from Bordowa in his absence). During his pilgrimage, he became a part of a pan-Indian Bhakti movement and helped it blossom.

Shiromaniship refusal

On his return from his pilgrimage (c1493), Sankardev refused to take back the Shiromaniship, though on the insistence of his elders, he took responsibility of a hundred families (gomastha), but he soon handed over the responsibility to his son-in-law Hari. On his grandmother's insistence, he married Kalindi at the age of 54. Finally, he moved back to Bordowa and constructed a temple (devagriha) in c1498, possibly a thatched house, built on the original site of his father's house where he could meet with people, discuss religious matters and hold prayers, and preach. He wrote Bhakti pradipa and Rukmini harana. Soon after, he received a copy of the Bhagavata Purana from Jagadisa Mishra of Mithila, with Sridhara Swami's monistic commentary "Bhavartha-dipika". Mishra recited and explained the entire Bhagavata in the presence of Sankardev, and this event is considered critical in the development of Ekasarana. Datyari, an early biographer of Sankardev, writes: Sankardev listened with rapt attention to the exposition by Jagadish Mishra and realised that the Bhagavata was a scripture without parallel, a scripture that determined Krishna as the only God, naam as the real dharma, and aikantika-sarana and sat-sanga as the indispensable elements of the faith." He also began composing the Kirtana ghosha.

Cihna-yatra

After his exposure to the detailed Bhagavata Purana and Sridhara Swami's commentary Bhavartha-dipika, Sankardev produced a dance-drama called Cihna yatra, for which he painted the Sapta vaikuntha (seven heavens), guided the making of musical instruments and played the instruments himself. According to other biographers, Sankardev produced Maha-nata in the presence of Jagdish Mishra in the temple he had constructed at Alipukhuri.

According to Neog, this was the point when Sankardev decided to preach a new religion. Some of the first to be initiated into this religion were the wife of Jayanta-dalai, a leper named Hariram (later Tulasiram), Ramaram, his associate and Mahendra Kandali, his tol teacher. The 13 years at Alipukhuri were the period during which he reflected on Vaishnavism and on the form that would suit the spiritual and ethical needs of the people. Ananta Kandali, a profound scholar of Sanskrit, became his disciple during this time; he translated the latter part of Canto X of the Bhagavata Purana after consulting Sankardev.

From Alipukhuri, Sankardev moved back to Bordowa in 1509 and built a thaan. Some authors claim that this than had all the major features of a sattra (central kirtanghar, sari-hati etc.), whereas many others assert that these features did not exist during Sankardev's time. This than was abandoned and more than a hundred years later in the middle of the 17th-century, Sankardev's granddaughter-in-law, Kanaklata, established it again.

Literary works in the Baro-Bhuyan territories

1. Non-Bhagavata group
   • Harishcandra-Upakhyana
   • Bhakti-pradip
   • Kirtan-ghosa (Uresa-varnana)
2. Non-Bhagavata mixed with Bhagavata elements, not influenced by Sridhara Swami
   • Rukmini-harana-kavya
3. Lyrics
   • Borgeet
4. Bhagavata tales, not from Book X
   • Ajamilopakhyan (Book VI)
   • Amrta-manthan (Book VIII)
   • Kirtan-ghosa (Ajamilopakhyan, Prahlada-caritra, Harmohana,
   • Sections ii–vi

Ahom kingdom

Gangmau

Biswa Singha began his activities to remove the Bhuyans from power in the western part of the Brahmaputra valley in 1509. Furthermore, the Bhuyans in the Bordowa area picked up a quarrel with their Kachari neighbours, and when attacked, Sankardev advised the Bhuyans to move, which brought to an end the independence of this group of Bhuyans. Sankardev and his associates first crossed the Brahmaputra river in 1516–17 and settled first at Singari and finally at Routa; and when Viswa Singha advanced towards Routa, Sankardev moved to Gangmau in the Ahom kingdom in 1527 (after the fall of Chutia kingdom). At Gangmau, they stayed for five years, where Sankardev's eldest son Ramananda was born. At Gangmau, he wrote the drama Patniprasad. He lived alone at a place named Gajalasuti out of dissatisfaction with some relative. He penned the play there.

Dhuwahat

While at Gangmau, the Koch king Biswa Singha attacked the Ahoms. The Bhuyans fought for the Ahoms, and the Koch king was defeated. Due to the unsettled situation at Gangmau, Shankardeva next moved to Dhuwahat, near Ahatguri in present-day Majuli, washed away by the Brahmaputra in 1913. The Bhuyans were settled here by the Ahoms with land and estate, Hari, Sankardev's son-in-law, became a Saikia, and his cousin Jagatananda, grandson of J, received a title 'Ramarai'. At Dhuwahat, he met his spiritual successor Madhavdev. Madhavdev, a sakta, got into a religious altercation with his brother-in-law, Ramadas, who had recently converted to Vaishnavism. Ramadas took him to Sankardev, who, after a long debate, convinced him of the power and the efficacy of Ekasarana. The acquisition of Madhavdev, with his talent in poetry, singing and dedication to his new-found religion and guru, was a significant event in the Ekasarana history. At Dhuwahat, he managed to attract wider attention and popularity, and he initiated many others into his religion.

The popularity of Ekasarana and the conversion of people alarmed the priestly Brahmins, who reacted with anger and hostility. Sankardev tried to diffuse their hostility—by meeting with them at the house of his relative Budha-Khan and asking his Brahmin antagonists to install a wooden idol of Jagannath, called Madan-Mohan, at his religious seat. (Sankardev left this idol hanging on a tree when he took flight from Dhuwahat, and it was rescued years later by Vamshigopaldev and installed at Deberapar-sattra). The Brahmins finally complained to the Ahom king, Suhungmung (1497–1539), who summoned Sankardev to his court for a debate with them. Sankardev was able to convince the king that he was not a religious rebel and a threat to the social order, and the charges against him were dropped. The hostility, nevertheless, continued.

Flight from Dhuwahat

Though the positions of the Bhuyans in the Ahom kingdom began comfortably—with Sankardev's son-in-law, Hari, becoming a Paik officer and Ramrai, his cousin, becoming a royal official—the relationship gradually deteriorated. After the death of Viswasingha, who was inimical to the Bhuyans, and the rise of Naranarayan (1540), the Koch-Bhuyan relationship improved somewhat. Sometime in the 1540s during the reign of Suklenmung (1539–1552), a royal officer visited the region for an elephant capturing expedition. Hari did not make himself available, and an elephant escaped through a barrier managed by the Bhuyans. The officer took grave offence at this dereliction of duty and arrested Hari as well as Madhavdev. At Garhgaon, Hari was executed and Madhavdev interned for about a year. According to Daityari, taking advantage of the Koch advance against the Ahoms (1546–1547), Sankardev and his followers escaped from the Ahom kingdom as they fell behind the vanguard of the Koch army setting up their garrison in Narayanpur further to the east.

Literary works in the Ahom kingdom

1. Arguments against those antagonistic to bhakti
   • Kirtan-ghosa (Pasanda-mardana, Namaparadha)
   • (Vipra)-patni-prasad (Ankia Naat)
2. Tales from Krishna's early life
   • Kirtan-ghosa (sisu-lila, rasa-krida, kamsavadha, gopi-uddhava-samvada, kujir vancha-purana, akrurar vancha-purana)
3. Borgeets

Koch kingdom

Sunpora

Sankardev and his followers reached Kapalabari in the Koch kingdom in the later part of 1540 and put up there. But the water was very alkaline there. Several members, including Madhavdev's mother, Manorama, died there. So after staying for some time at Kapalabari, Sankardev and his group moved to Sunpora in 1541. At Sunpora Sankardev initiated Bhavananda, a rich trader who had extensive business interests in the Garo Hills and Bhutan Hills besides Kamarupa. The trader, Narayana Das, settled at Janiya near Barpeta and took to agriculture. A man of the world otherwise, he soon flourished and became a provider to Sankardev and his devotees. He came to be known popularly as Thakur Ata.

Patbausi

After moving around, Sankardev settled at Patbausi near Barpeta in the Koch Kingdom and constructed a Kirtanghar (house of prayer). Some of the people he initiated here are Chakrapani Dwija and Sarvabhaum Bhattacharya, Brahmins; Govinda, a Garo; Jayaram, a Bhutia; Madhai, a Jaintia; Jatiram, an ascetic; and Murari, a Koch. Damodardev, a Brahmin, was initiated by Sankardev. Damodardev was entrusted by Sankardev to initiate Brahmin disciples. A Sattra was also constructed for him at Patbausi itself. Later, R. Damodardev became the founder of the Brahma Sanghati sect of Sankardev's religion.

Among Sankardev's literary works, he completed his rendering of the Bhagavata Purana and wrote other independent works. He continued composing the Kirtan Ghosha, further translated the first canto of the Ramayana (Adi Kanda) and instructed Madhavdev to translate the last canto (Uttara Kanda), portions that were left undone by the 14th-century poet Madhav Kandali. He wrote four plays: Rukmini harana, Parijata harana, Keligopala and Kalidamana. Another play written at Patbausi, Kansa Vadha, is lost. At Patbausi, he had lent his Bargeets numbering around 240 to Kamala Gayan. But unfortunately, Gayan's house was gutted and most of the Bargeets were lost. Since that incident Sankardev stopped composing Bargeets. Of the 240, 34 remain today.

Second Pilgrimage

Sankardev once again left for a pilgrimage in 1550 with a large party of 117 disciples that included Madhavdev, Ramrai, Ramaram, Thakur Ata and others. Thakur Ata had to return after just one day's journey. Madhavdev had to take the entire responsibility of logistics. He, on the request of Sankardev's wife Kalindi, urged him to return from Puri and not proceed to Vrindavana. Sankardev and the group returned to Patbausi within six months in 1551.

Koch capital and Bheladanga

On receiving repeated complaints that Sankardev was corrupting the minds of the people by spreading a new religion Nara Narayan, the Koch king, ordered Sankardev's arrest, and Sankardev went into hiding. Chilarai— the general of the Koch army, half-brother of the king and married to Kamalapriya, the daughter of Sankardev's cousin Ramarai— then convinced the king to give Sankardev a hearing instead.

For the audience with Nara Narayan, as he moved up the steps to the court, Sankardev sang his Sanskrit totaka hymn, composed extempore, to Lord Krishna, madhu daanava daarana deva varam and as he sat down, he sang a borgeet, narayana kahe bhakati karu tera, playing on the name of the king. At the debate with the court pundits that followed, Sankardev was able to refute all allegations against him. The king declared him free and honoured him with a seat close to the throne. Sankardev began to attend Naranarayana's court regularly and received the freedom to propagate his teachings.

Chilarai was instrumental in keeping Sankardev safe and supporting his work. Many of Sankardev's literary and dramatic works were completed in his domain with his patronage and protection. Sankardev acknowledged his appreciation in his play 'Ram Vijaya'.

Sankardev shuttled between Koch Behar, the capital, and Patbausi, his seat. He was often hosted by Chilarai, and on his request, agreed to have the images of the childhood days of Krishna at Vrindavan woven on cloth. He engaged the weavers of Tantikuchi, near Barpeta, to weave a forty-yard-long tapestry panel. Sankaradeva provided the designs to be woven, chose the various colours of thread to be used, and supervised the weaving. It took about a year to complete and, deriving its name from its theme, came to be known as the Vrindavani vastra. It was presented to Chilarai and Naranarayan. A section of this cloth is preserved now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Chandsai, a Muslim tailor serving the Koch king, became a disciple of Sankardev at Kochbehar. When Sankardev returned to Patbausi some time later, Chandsai too came with the saint. Sankardev frequented the capital for more than 20 years and enjoyed unstinted royal patronage for the first time.

End

He made arrangements with Madhavdev and Thakur Ata and gave them various instructions at Patbausi and left the place for the last time. He set up his home at Bheladonga in Kochbehar. During his stay at Kochbehar, Maharaja Naranarayana expressed his wish to be initiated. Sankardev was reluctant to convert a king and declined to do so. (According to one of the biographers, Ramcharan Thakur) A painful boil; a visha phohara – had appeared in some part of his body, and this led to the death of the Saint. Thus, in 1568, after leading a most eventful life dedicated to enlightening humanity the Mahapurusha died, after four months of his last stay at Bheladonga–, aged 120.

Literary works in the Koch kingdom

1. Bhagavata tales, not from Book X
   • Bali-chalana (Book VIII)
   • Anadi-patana (Book III, Vamana-purana)
2. Bhagavata tales from Books X, XI, XIII
   • Kirtan-ghosa (Jarasandha yudha, Kalayavana badha, Mucukunda-stuti, Syamanta-haran, Naradar-krishna-darsan, Vipra-putra-anayana, Daivakir-putra-anayana, Veda-stuti, Lilamala, Rukminir-prem-kalah, Bhrigu-pariksha, srikrishnar-vaikuntha-prayana, Chaturvimsati-avatar-varnana, Tatparya)
3. Gunamala
   • Section i
4. Renderings of Bhagavata Purana
   • Bhagavata X (Adi)
   • Bhagavata XI (with material from Books I and III)
   • Bhagavata XII
   • Bhagavata I
   • Bhagavata II
   • Bhagavata IX (lost)
   • Kurukshetra (Book X, Uttarardha)
   • Nimi-nava-siddha-samvada
5. From Ramayana
   • Ramayana, Uttara-kanda
6. Lyrics
   • Borgeets
   • Totaya
   • Bhotima
7. Doctrinal treatise
   • Bhakti-ratnakar
8. Drama (Ankia Naat)
   • Kali-daman
   • Keli-gopal
   • Rukmini-haran
   • Parijat-haran
   • Ram-vijay
9. Visual Art
   • Vrindavani vastra – parts of this work are preserved in London.

Timeline

• v
• t
• e

↓Birth
(c. 1483)↓Returns; remarries↓Initiates
Madhavdev↓Leaves Ahom realm↓Death
(1568)↓Pilgrimage 1↓North-bank migration↓Pilgrimage 2↓BheladongaBordowaPilgrimage 1BordowaGangmauDhuwahatPatbausiSusenphaaSuhenphaaSupimphaaSuhungmungSuklenmungSukhaamphaaChakradhwajNilambarViswa SinghaNaranarayan↓Martin Luther born↓Meera Bai born
(c. 1498)↓Tulsidas born
(c. 1532)↓Guru Nanak died↓Chaitanya born↓Chaitanya died│1460│1470│1480│1490│1500│1510│1520│1530│1540│1550│1560│1570