Mahapuruxiya dharma
Encyclopedia
Ekasarana Dharma is a monotheistic
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...

 religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

 founded and propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva
Srimanta Sankardeva
Mahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva , was the greatest Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India...

 in the 15th century. Most of the adherents of this religion today live in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

. As part of the greater Bhakti movement in other parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, it rejected vedic and other esoteric rites of worship, and replaced them by a simple form that required just uttering the name (naam
Nama
Nama may mean:* Nama band, a Greek music group* Nama , a genus of plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae* Holy Name in Indian religions* Nama , a hero in ? folklore who built an ark to save his family from a flood...

) of God. The simple and accessible religion attracted already Hinduized as well as non-Hindu tribal populations into its egalitarian folds. The new converts were accepted via a system of individual initiation and were given a path to social improvement. Institutions like sattra
Sattra
Satras are socio-religious institutions in the Assam region of India that belong to the Mahapuruxiya Dharma. Monks, called bhakats, live in satras under a satradhikar. In some orders of the religion, the bhakats are celibate . The satras are not merely religious institutions but play cultural...

(monasteries) and village Naamghar (prayer houses), had profound influence in the evolution of social makeup of Assam's society. The artistic oeuvres lead to engendering of new forms of literature, music (Borgeets or songs celestials), theater (Ankia Naat) and dance (Sattriya dance
Sattriya dance
Sattriya, or Sattriya Nritya, is one among eight principal classical Indian dance traditions. Whereas some of the other traditions have been revived in the recent past, Sattriya has remained a living tradition since its creation by the Assamese Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva, in 15th century...

).

The central religious text
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...

 of this religion is Bhagavat of Sankardeva
Bhagavat of Sankardeva
The Bhagavat of Sankardeva is the Assamese adaptation of the Bhagavata Purana made by Srimanta Sankardeva in 15th-16th century in the regions that form present-day Assam and Cooch Behar...

, which was transcreated from the Sanskrit Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...

 by Srimanta Sankardeva
Srimanta Sankardeva
Mahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva , was the greatest Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India...

 and other religious preceptors. This book is supplemented by the two books of hymns: Kirtan Ghoxa
Kirtan Ghoxa
The Kirtan Ghoxa is a collection of poetical works primarily of Srimanta Sankardeva meant for community singing in the Ekasarana religion. Its importance in the religion is second only to the primary text, the Bhagavat of Sankardeva....

by Sankardeva and Naam Ghoxa by Madhabdev. These books are written in the Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...

  language.

The religion is also called Mahapuruxiya because it is based on the worship of the Mahapurux or Mahapurush ("Supreme Being"), an epithet of Lord Vishnu in the Bhagavata and its adherents are often called Mahapuruxia, Sankari, Saraniya etc. In course of time, the epithet 'Mahapurux' came to be (secondarily) applied also to Sankardeva and Madhabdev, the principal preceptors of the cult. Non-adherence to the Hindu varnasrama system and egalitarianism marked its character.

A strictly monotheistic religion, the only form of worship prescribed by this religion is uttering the name of God ("Sravana-Kirttana"), who is worshiped in the form of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 or Hari
Hari
Hari is an Avatar, another name of and , and appears as the 650th name in the Vishnu sahasranama of Mahabharata. In Sanskrit "hari" sometimes refers to a colour, green, yellow, or fawn-coloured/khaki. It is the colour of the Sun and of Soma...

. Thus it is also called ek sarana Hari naam dharma. Though a part of the wider Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...

 movement, it does not worship Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...

 with Krishna, and it is characterized by the dasya form of worship. Historically, it has been against idol worship, and especially against animal sacrifices common in sakta forms of Hinduism. Noted for its egalitarianism, it posed a serious challenge to Brahminical Hinduism, and converted into its fold, people of all castes, ethnicity and religion (including Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

).

Worshipful god and salvation

According to Sankardeva, there is only one worshipful god.

There is only one sastra, that spoken by the son of Daivakee,

There is only one god and he is the son of Daivakee,

There is only one religious duty, the worship of this god;

There is only one mantra, the name of this god.

(Sankardeva, Bhakti-ratnakara, Ch:5)

This god has both nirguna as well as saguna aspects, and it is the saguna aspects which are accessible to man. Even though there is only one god that is worshipful, Sankardeva does not deny the rest of the Hindu pantheon. He preached that just as one need not water each and every leaf on a tree, and watering the base is enough, similarly, worshiping a single god was enough. But the teachings of this religion do not dwell on the nature of gods, but emphasizes the nature of worship in the form of Bhakti.

The purpose of worship is devotion as an end to itself, and not salvation. Sankardeva writes in the Kirtan Ghoxa:

I refuse the salvation in which, being merged with thee, I miss thy lotus feet.


Madhabdev writes in the Naam Ghoxa:

I salute the devotee who has no desire for salvation,

I hunger for the nectar of devotion.

Four Reals

The cari vastu or the Four Reals defined this religious system. They are:
  • Guru — reverence of a Guru, or Spiritual Preceptor.
  • Deva — worship of a single God.
  • Naam — the chanting and singing the name and the qualities of God.
  • Bhakat — the association or the congregation of devotees (bhaktas).

Sacred texts

The single most important religious text is the Bhagavata
Bhagavat of Sankardeva
The Bhagavat of Sankardeva is the Assamese adaptation of the Bhagavata Purana made by Srimanta Sankardeva in 15th-16th century in the regions that form present-day Assam and Cooch Behar...

. This work was transcreated from the original Sanskrit Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...

 to Assamese in the 15th and 16th centuries by ten different individuals, but chiefly by Srimanta Sankardeva
Srimanta Sankardeva
Mahapurusha Srimanta Shankardeva , was the greatest Assamese saint-scholar, playwright, social-religious reformer and a colossal figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India...

 who rendered as many as ten Cantos (complete and partial) of this holy text.

Two other works find a special place in this religion. Kirtan Ghoxa
Kirtan Ghoxa
The Kirtan Ghoxa is a collection of poetical works primarily of Srimanta Sankardeva meant for community singing in the Ekasarana religion. Its importance in the religion is second only to the primary text, the Bhagavat of Sankardeva....

, composed by Sankardeva and Naam Ghoxa, composed by Madhavdeva form a complete set of hymns for congregational singing.

Denominations

The religion fissured into four sanghati (samhatis or sub-sects) soon after the passing of Srimanta Sankardeva. Sankardeva handed down the leadership to Madhabdev, but the followers of Damodardeva and Harideva did not accept Madhabdeva as their leader and formed their own group (Brahma sanghati). Madhabdeva at the time of his death did not name a successor. After his passing three leaders formed their own denominations: Bhabanipuria Gopal Ata (Kaal sanghati), Purushuttom Thakur Ata, a grandson of Sankardeva (Purusa sanghati) and Mathuradas Burhagopal Ata (Nika Sanghati). They differ mostly in the emphasis of the cari vastus (four fundamental principles)

Brahma sanghati

The Brahma sanghati developed as a result of Damodardeva and Harideva moving away from Sankardeva's successor Madhabdeva's leadership. Over time this sanghati brought back some elements of Brahminical orthodoxy. The vedic rituals which are generally prohibited in the other sanghatis are allowed in this sanghati. Brahmins too found this sanghati attractive and most of the Sattra
Sattra
Satras are socio-religious institutions in the Assam region of India that belong to the Mahapuruxiya Dharma. Monks, called bhakats, live in satras under a satradhikar. In some orders of the religion, the bhakats are celibate . The satras are not merely religious institutions but play cultural...

s of this sanghati have traditionally had Brahmin sattradhikars. Among the cari vastus, Deva is emphasized, worship of the images of the deva (Vishnu and the chief incarnations, Krishna and Rama) are allowed. Among the gurus Damodardeva is paramount. Later on they came to call themselves Damodariya after Damodardev.

Purusha sanghati

The Purusha sanghati was initiated by the grandsons of Sankardeva—Purushottam Thakur and Chaturbhuj Thakur—after the death of Madhavdeva. The emphasis is on Naam. Sankardeva has a special position among the hierarchy of Gurus. Some brahmical rites as well as the worship of images is tolerated to some extent.

Nika sanghati

This sanghati was initiated by Padma, Mathuradas and Kesava Ata. The emphasis is on sat-sanga. This sanghati is called Nika (clean) because it developed strict codes for purity and cleanliness in religious matters as well as in general living, as laid down by Madhabdeva. Idol worship is strictly prohibited and it gives special importance to Madhavdeva.

Kala sanghati

The Kala sanghati, initiated by Gopal Ata and named after the place of his headquarters Kaljar, placed its emphasis on Guru. The leader of this sanghati came to be considered as the physical embodiment of Deva, and the disciples of this sect are not allowed to pay obeisance to anyone else. This sect was successful in initiating many tribal and socially backward groups into the Mahapuruxia fold, and it had the largest following among the different sanghatis. The followers of this sect were responsible for the Moamoria rebellion
Moamoria rebellion
The Moamoria rebellion was the 18th century conflict between the Morans, adherents of the Moamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings. This led to widespread popular discontent against the Ahom king and the nobles and to two periods in which the Ahom king lost control of the capital...

 against the Ahom royalty
Ahom Dynasty
The Ahom Dynasty ruled the Ahom Kingdom in present-day Assam for nearly 600 years. The dynasty was established by Sukaphaa, a Shan prince of Mong Mao who came to Assam after crossing the Patkai mountains...

.
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