LAST PAGE

Hinduism:Transformation during the Medieval Period

Dr. M. V. Kamath

My dear Gauri,

An amazing thing about the medieval period (13th to 17th century) is the enormous transformation that Hinduism underwent which changed it almost beyond recognition.

Hinduism, till then, was a mixture of prayers to the Vedic gods (Indra, Vayu, Agni, Varuna and others) accompanied by sacrifices and yajnas. Animal sacrifice had considerably lessened, thanks to the effects of Buddhism and Jainism, but otherwise there had not been much change. Some scholars insist that the new changes were brought about by the impact of Islam. There is no agreement on this. But beginning with the 13th century, a new attitude towards God came to occupy the minds of the Hindus with devotion or bhakti replacing sacrificial rites gradually.

Forms of religious expression changed. Group singing created a new and popular cultural form, known as the kirtan. The power of the Brahmin class was loosened and saints and gurus came to have spiritual authority. The new devotional religion, without destroying the old Hindu social framework, fostered ideas of brotherhood and equality before the loving Lord and its saints drawn from all levels of society.

One reason why some scholars doubt the theory that it was because of the impact of Islam that Hinduism moved towards worship through bhakti is that even before the coming of Islam into India, the concept of bhakti (devotion to the Lord) had become popular in South India, as early as the seventh century, in the poems of the Nayanaars, devotees of Siva, and of the Alvaars, devotees of Vishnu.

From the seventh to the tenth centuries, there grew an extensive hymnal literature in the land of the Tamils. How did this new urge towards spiritualism travel to North India? Obviously, not through Tamil which could not have been understood by the people north of the Vindhyas. The language of communication was Sanskrit. The Bhagavatha Purana (ninth century) was written in Sanskrit by Vaishnavite Brahmin scholars and this soon became the principal text of Vaisnavism all over India. This was a turning point in the history of the Vaisnavite faith.

Whereas earlier books on Krishna were very much in the old Puranic tradition, the tenth book of the Bhagavatha Purana contains a magnificent exposition of bhakti, centred on Krishna’s childhood and youth. It has been said that the Bhagavatha Purana is one of the truly great works of Hinduism. It has been translated into all Indian languages and there are forty translations in Bengali alone! The figure of Krishna holds the stage, as child and lover, hero and trickster, but always marvelous and entrancing even in his most daring exploits.

Just as the story of Krishna became popular, so did the story of Rama and homes all over India soon began to reverberate with songs praising these two heroes who came to be considered avatars (incarnations) of the God Vishnu.

One reason for the popularity of these songs was that they were written in the languages of the people and not in Sanskrit, which remained the language of scholarship. These songs could be understood by everyone, and the poor, of course, were the happiest. Instead of their going to religion, religion in the shape of devotion had come to them. The poor could now truly participate in worship. The bhakti cult drew the best from people of all classes, but the appeal, understandably, was the highest among the poorest. Nevertheless, bhakti united the rich and the poor, the Brahmin and the Shudra, the Kshatriya and the Vaishya. All of them found in Krishna and Rama what they could never find in meaningless sacrifices and in the colourless gods such as Vayu or Agni. Rich and poor, Brahmin and non-Brahmin, could easily and directly relate to Rama and Krishna as they could not to anyone else.

The cult of devotion spread from the Tamil country northward to the Kannada-speaking area and from there to Maharashtra. From Maharashtra the bhakti flame leapt northward until it encompassed all of India.

The poets who sang the praise of Vishnu as their lord in Tamil, as I mentioned earlier, were known as the Alvaars. The first three of them are Poihai of Kanchipuram, Bhutam of Mahabalipuram and Pey of Mylapore.

There is a charming story according to which all three were once taking shelter together in a small room that was totally dark. Unknown to them, Lord Vishnu also pressed into that limited space. Wanting to know who the newcomer was and who was pressing them, each of the three Alvaars lit a lamp. Each one of them described his individual experience, in verse:

Poihai: With earth as the lamp, with the swelling sea as the ghee and with hot-rayed Sun as the flame, I have seen the Lord and have laid at the feet of the Lord of the red flaming discus this garland of words so that my sea of troubles may vanish!

What form his devotees desire, that form itself the Lord takes, what name his devotees desire, that name the Lord takes…

Bhutam: With love as the lamp, ardent yearning as the ghee and mind melting in joy as the wick, I lit the light of knowledge, I who offered to Lord Narayana these Tamil psalms that bestow divine knowledge!

Pey: Lighting in my heart the bright lamp of knowledge, I sought and captured Him, softly, that Lord of Miracles too entered my heart and stayed there without leaving it, sat there (in comfort) and indeed laid Himself there (in happiness) in my heart!

What a beautiful way of saying how each discovered the Lord! Sometimes I wish I could read these beautiful verses in their original Tamil, to savour the words as they were written centuries ago.

The most important and prolific of the Alvaar poets was Nammaalvaar who has written many songs of devotion.

In my next letter, I shall tell you about the Dasa poets of Karnataka.

Your Loving,

Ajja