Orality, Text and Identity in terms of Krishna Bhakti in Assam – Change and Continuity

By : Swaswati Borkataki

Page No: 101-106

Abstract
Orality would imply passing on ideas, thoughts, practices and tales from a generation to another for at least more than one generation, as Jan Vansina writes in his classic, Oral Tradition as History. Societies across the world and especially in the north-eastern part of the Indian subcontinent have had a ‘rich’ tradition of orality, represented both in the social fabric through traditions like Ojapali which can be said to be a derivative of the Kathakata tradition practiced in Karnataka and other areas, as well as through texts like Keli Gopal or others written by Srimanta Sankardeva in the Assamese context being enacted as plays or popularised among the people through various audio-visual means, becoming very much an intrinsic part of the life and identity of the community. Sankardeva was influenced to a great extent by the Ojapali tradition, and introduced a practice known as the Sattriya Ojapali that represents a beautiful synthesis between orality and the ‘text’, also replete in the tradition of Ankiya Bhaona. The text here represents a symbol, rather than solely a literary tool of expression – a symbol encompassing ideas and thoughts in a larger paradigmatic realm.
Krishna Bhakti in Assam has a tradition of its own which is different and distinct from the other forms of worship in the religious sphere of the Assamese community. Significant is the various social implications, Krishna Bhakti holds in terms of being an intrinsic part of the socio-religious life of the community, portrayed vividly in oral traditions, tales and lore also subtly and sometimes directly extending to the political arena, as was seen in the Moamaria uprising which was led by a section of the descendants of the Vaishnava or Krishna Bhakti, who were followers of Gopal Deva or Gopal Ata. This and other dynamics led to far reaching consequences, ultimately however elevating Krishna worship as one of the most significant aspects of the society in the area which is otherwise regarded as a ‘Tantric hotbed’. This paper would look into the various aspects and the changing dynamics of Krishna Bhakti in Assam preached by Srimanta Sankardeva through orality, text and identity, all of them, being inextricably woven into a matrix of the very life and soul of the society.

Author :
Swaswati Borkataki : PhD Research Scholar, Special Centre for the Study of North East India Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/SEAR.2023.48.7