According to the biographer (caritakāra) Daityari, there was no
ideology of pure devotion before Sankaradeva. He describes[1] in the following words the
state of the religion of the (majority of the) people at the time of the advent
of Sankaradeva:
ইদেশত পূৰ্ব্বকালে নাছিল ভকতি .
নানা ধৰ্ম্ম কৰ্ম্ম লোকে কৰিল সম্প্ৰতি .. ৮ ..
নানাদেৱ পূজয় কৰয় বলিদান .
হংস ছাগ পাৰ কাটে সহস্ৰ প্ৰমাণ ..
তপ জপ যজ্ঞদান তীৰ্থস্নান কৰে .
ঘোৰ নৰকত পৰি পৰি সৱে মৰে .. ৯ ..
উপজয় মৰয় সংসাৰে বাৰম্বাৰ .
নাহি সুখ নেৰাৱয় সংসাৰ নিকাৰ ..
তল গৈল লোক কলি পাপ-সাগৰত .
কৃপাময় কৃষ্ণে জানি গুণিলা মনত .. ১০ ..
সিটো লোক সমস্তক কৰিবে উদ্ধাৰ .
শঙ্কৰ মাধৱ ৰূপে ভৈলা অৱতাৰ ..
ideśata pūrbbakāle nāchila bhakati .
nānā dharmma karmma loke karila samprati .. 8 ..
ānādeva pūjaẏa karaẏa balidāna .
haṃsa chāga pāra kāṭe sahasra pramāṇa ..
tapa japa yajñadāna tīrthasnāna kare .
ghora narakata pari pari save mare .. 9 ..
upajaẏa maraẏa saṃsāre bārambāra .
nāhi sukha nerāvaẏa saṃsāra nikāra ..
tala gaila loka kali pāpa-sāgarata .
kṛpāmaẏa kṛṣṇe jāni guṇilā manata .. 10 ..
siṭo loka samastaka karibe uddhāra .
śaṅkara mādhava rūpe bhailā avatāra ..
nānā dharmma karmma loke karila samprati .. 8 ..
ānādeva pūjaẏa karaẏa balidāna .
haṃsa chāga pāra kāṭe sahasra pramāṇa ..
tapa japa yajñadāna tīrthasnāna kare .
ghora narakata pari pari save mare .. 9 ..
upajaẏa maraẏa saṃsāre bārambāra .
nāhi sukha nerāvaẏa saṃsāra nikāra ..
tala gaila loka kali pāpa-sāgarata .
kṛpāmaẏa kṛṣṇe jāni guṇilā manata .. 10 ..
siṭo loka samastaka karibe uddhāra .
śaṅkara mādhava rūpe bhailā avatāra ..
In former times, in this land, there was no
(ideology of) `pure devotion` (bhakti).
The people, they did various `ordained duties` (dharma) and `acts of emulation` (karma). 8
They worshiped various devas and did `animal sacrifices` (balidāna) (to them).
They cut pigeons, ducks and goats on an infinite scale.
They did acts of penance, murmured incantations, gave offerings in yajnas and bathed in tirthas.
Yet (, in spite of all these,) all of them died, falling repeatedly into the most terrible hell. 9
They took birth and died in this `cycle of material existence` (saṃsāra) again and again.
They could not obtain happiness nor could they get rid of material affliction.
All people sank to the bottom of the sin-ocean of kali.
Knowing this, Krsna, the `embodiment of grace` (kṛpāmaẏa), pondered in mind. 10
In order to save all these people,
he became descents (avatāra) in the form of Sankara and Madhava.
nārada badati śunā mahāmuni byāsa |
The people, they did various `ordained duties` (dharma) and `acts of emulation` (karma). 8
They worshiped various devas and did `animal sacrifices` (balidāna) (to them).
They cut pigeons, ducks and goats on an infinite scale.
They did acts of penance, murmured incantations, gave offerings in yajnas and bathed in tirthas.
Yet (, in spite of all these,) all of them died, falling repeatedly into the most terrible hell. 9
They took birth and died in this `cycle of material existence` (saṃsāra) again and again.
They could not obtain happiness nor could they get rid of material affliction.
All people sank to the bottom of the sin-ocean of kali.
Knowing this, Krsna, the `embodiment of grace` (kṛpāmaẏa), pondered in mind. 10
In order to save all these people,
he became descents (avatāra) in the form of Sankara and Madhava.
[1] Daityari’s
description appears to be more in line with Sankara’s reference to the Vedic
sacrificial dharma in his rendering of
the first book of the Bhagavata (Vyasa Narada Samvada):
nārada badati śunā mahāmuni byāsa |
tumise karilā sawe jagatake nāśa ||
nirantare paśura lowāilā tumi prāṇa |
nāhi manda karmma āra ihāra samāna ||32||
ākasmike lokaka karāilā hiṃsā dharmma |
nubujilā tumio bedara tattba marmma ||
garihita karmmako kahilā dharmma buli |
tohmāra bacane loka nāśila samūli ||33||
sbabhāwe lampaṭa biṣaẏata anurāga |
sbarga pāibo buli raṅge kāṭe haṃsa chāga ||
karai nānā hiṃsā dharmma nānā dewa pūjai |
puṇyakṣaẏa bhaile dunāi narakata majai ||34||
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