Post by Jagannāth Miśra Dās on Feb 20, 2022 2:05:13 GMT -6
These accounts, taken primarily from the writings and publications of Professor Sri Fakir Mohan1, may help with entering into an appreciation of the Panca-Sakhas; and perhaps serve as a ray of historic light to break on the darkness of their antiquities. In his dasa-patala, Acyutananda tells all the names of the Panca-Sakhas in their previous incarnations, when they all appeared together with the Lord in the satya, treta and dwarpa yugas; and states that they incarnate in every yuga, and in this kali-yuga, they have appeared again, and are known as Acyutananda, Balarama, Jagannath. Yasovanta and Ananata; and collectively as the Panca-Sakhas2. They all wrote many books in Oriya, and passed their time in the company of Sri Gauranga Deva in Nilacala in the early 1500’s. They find mention too in the madala panji3 and are known as the Panca-Sakhas in the vaisnava-lilamrita4; which suggests that this was not an epithet bestowed on them posthumously.
Matta Balarama Das.
Balarama Das, or Matta5 Balarama Das, as he is also referred to, was the eldest of the Panca-Sakhas. Acyutananda, in his udaya-kahani, gives the actual date for his birth in 1480. He was a sudra. His father’s name was Somanath, who was a puruna-panda, (proficient in the study and teaching of the puranas, and this was his main occupation), and his Mother was Manomaya Devi. In his catusa-gupta, Balarama Das writes that his father was a mantri-patra (minister) of Gajapati Prataprudra Deva; and according to some Panca-Sakha scholars, this suggests he may have frequented the court of the Gajapati with his father as a child. He was born in a village just outside of Konark, yet Acyutananda writes that he was born in Jajpur, in Orissa, and moved to a village outside of Puri later. He apparently left home at the age of thirteen. Here is a sample of three, from the thirty six books, that Balarama Das wrote.
(a) The jagamohan-ramayana, or the dandi-ramayana, is Balarama Das’s most renowned work. It is known as the jagamohana-ramayana as it was written inside the jagamohana of the Puri temple in the early 1500’s, many years before Tulasi Das completed his ramacaritamanisa in 1564. It is also known as the dandi-ramayana; dandi means the public road, suggesting that this ramayana is for everyone; and dandi also refers to the adaptability of the poetic meter of the composition, which lends itself to be sung to practically any popular tune, and hence easily adapted to the rustic devotional melodies of the common people; and now the ramayana can be easily sung in the streets and rural lanes by one and all, no longer confined to the jealous guard of the brahmans.
In his ramayana Balarama Das writes of his participation in rama-lila in the tretya-yuga, in the following verse;
mu-balarama-das-ramayana-avatara-thili
dihudi-dharina-mu-samasta-dekhili
mote-ajna-dele-martyaloka-jibu
kaliyuge-sudramuni-hiona-janamibu
Translation; “I, who am known as Balarama Das, made an appearance with Lord Rama. I was his torch bearer, and I saw everything; and Rama ordered me, “Go to marytaloka in the kali-yuga and take birth as a sudra-muni.”
In his bata-avakash, Balarama Das says how he travels from Puri to Lanka on the back of Garuda with Lord Jagannath, and describes how he secures himself to Lord Jagannath during the flight with a silken rope; and this is generally acknowledged as a true account in the Panca-Sakha sampradayas, and is perhaps as plausible as the caitanya-caritamrita’s testimony of tigers dancing and singing in the forests of Jharikanda. Some say he was thirty six years old (around 1516) when he started to write the ramayana. As a sudra, Balarama Das faced opposition from the smaratas; and as he sat in the jagamohana writing his ramayana, in an attempt to mollify the smartas, he places his hand on the head of a sudra, who begins to recite the veda with flawless intonation, astonishing the smartas, who then left him in peace to write. The sudra, who was dumb before this happened, becomes one of Balarama’s renowned twelve disciples, (he only had twelve disciples) known as Haridas6.
In the invocation he praises Lord Jagannath, further stating he was inspired to write by Lord Jagannath, who is the worshipful Lord of the utkaliya-vaisnavas, and therefore he offers his homage to niladri-nath, in the beginning of his ramayana. He also writes that upon witnessing the reunion of Laxmi and Jagannath after the ratha-yatra, he felt inspired to translate the ramayana; and to write of the love and separation between Sita and Rama. Hence Balarama Das most benevolently undertook the translation of Valmiki’s immortal work for the posterity of Utakal. The common people in Orissa could not read Sanskrit, or understand the Sanskrit of Valmiki’s ramayana; and thus Balarama Das translated Valamiki’s Sanskrit ramayana into the vernacular (oriya).
He adds many pleasing details that are not including by Valmiki. For example, at the mention of a certain rishi, he will tell us of the antecedents of this particular rishi, drawing information and related lilas from the puranas; and thus it is not that he is embellishing the tale with capricious interpolation, but rather deftly weaves the provincial legends of Lord Jagannath, and endless additional ancient mythology from the puranas and mahabharata, into the narrative for the edification and posterity of Utkala.
Balarama Das, seated within the jagamohana, sees in his meditative trance, Sita and Rama in land of Orissa during their exile; and in writing the tale of their wandering pilgrimage between different local and tribal temples, found ample scope to entwine, and thus preserve, the Oriya traditions and beliefs, into the narrative of Valmiki’s saga7; as when he writes that a local mountain in Orissa called Kapilash, was actually mount Kailash. His provincial allusions, should not be confused with interpolation; as in the wedding of Sita and Rama, he describes, in several passages, certain rituals of their wedding that were only traditional in Oriya weddings, and would not have been customary in the tretya-yuga in rama-lila. Yet some topics, not mentioned by Valmiki, are; Ravan and Banasura both present at Sita’s syamavara, Rishisringa’s biography, Agastya’s biography and Parasurama failing 21 times before he could vanquish Sahasra-Arjuna.
(b) The laxsmi-purana. This is the inventive genius and spirit of Balarama Das. Written in paya8. The lila is set in Puri. One day Laxsmi leaves the Sri Jagannath temple, gently pacing around Puri, and its neighbouring villages in the guise of an elderly looking brahman widow; she strays, her lotus feet now devoid of anklets, into the house of a brahman lady, but only accepts an invitation to dine at the house of a candalini. On her return to the Sri Mandira, Lord Jagannath asks Lord Balarama to banish her from the temple for her transgression of dining at the home of a candalini. Laxsmi deserts the temple, and as a result the cooking stops. Eventually hunger compels Lord Jagannath and Lord Balarama to leave the temple in search of Laxsmi; and near starvation forces them to eat at the house of a candalini, who is none other than Laxsmi herself in disguise; and this brings about the reconciliation of Laxsmi, who is received back into the temple with decent reverence.
Some say the laxsmi-purana is unique by fashioning the goddess into the main protagonist of the narrative, rather than the accustomed heroic male protagonists who dominate most Puranic accounts; and perhaps engendered and augmented more respect for women in the social climate of his age. As Laxsmi initially went for her “walk around lila” on a Thursday, this day is reserved exclusively for Laxsmi puja; and it is still believed that Laxsmi wanders around in disguise on Thursdays, and the Thursdays that fall in the month of mrigusura are considered particularly sacred for laxsmi-puja in Orissa. The laxsmi-purana also advocates many rules and observances strongly recommended for propitiating and securing the favour of Laxmi; and likewise habits to be given up if her grace is to successfully gained. If one loses her grace, one will be forced to wander without food, just like Lord Jagannath and Lord Balarama had to; and everyone is familiar with, and has no doubt read, the laxsmi-purana in Orissa, which remains one of Balarama’s unique contributions.
(c) In his bhava-samudra, he describes how he was fond of a courtesan. This was perhaps his only vice, although it is written that she was actually a gopi from the dwarpa-yuga named Jamuna Devi. As he lay in her arms his slumber is broken by the sound of the ringing bells and kirtan of the ratha-yatra, and he immediately runs to the ratha in a devout transport with a desire to place a garland on the Lord Jagannath. This is described by Madhava Pattanayaka at the end of chapter five of vaisnava-lilamrita; how he is driven away from the ratha, retires to the sea shore, makes a cart in the sand, and the Deities personally come and sit in his carts; all the finer details are described in here. The madal panji also records how the carts were held up on the bada-danda that year.
The following 36 works were written by Balarama Das;
(1) jagamohana-dandi-ramayana (2) brahma-purana (3) mahabharata (4) candi-purana (5) laxsmi-purana (6) kurala-purana (7) namaratna-gita (8) mrugini-stuti (9) durga-stuti (10) kanta-koili (11) kamala-locana-cautisa (12) bara-masi (13) bhava-samudra (14) bata-avakasha (15) bhakti-rasamrita-sindu (16) sabha-vinode (17) rama-bibha (18) krusna-lila (19) rasa-keli (20) brahmanda-bhugola (21) sarira-bhugola (22) beda-parikrama (23) arjuna-gita (24) gana-nistarana-gita (25) bhagavad-gita (26) amarakosha-gita (27) gupta-gita (28) chatisa-gupta-gita (29) garuda-gita (30) birata-gita (31) ganesh-vibhuti-gita (32) gita-sara (33) nila-sundara-gita (34) kali-bharata (35) baula-adhyaya (36) panasa-chori-grantha-samudra-pradhana.
Matta Balarama Das: (1480-1534). Oriya Poet.
Matta Balarama Das.
Balarama Das, or Matta5 Balarama Das, as he is also referred to, was the eldest of the Panca-Sakhas. Acyutananda, in his udaya-kahani, gives the actual date for his birth in 1480. He was a sudra. His father’s name was Somanath, who was a puruna-panda, (proficient in the study and teaching of the puranas, and this was his main occupation), and his Mother was Manomaya Devi. In his catusa-gupta, Balarama Das writes that his father was a mantri-patra (minister) of Gajapati Prataprudra Deva; and according to some Panca-Sakha scholars, this suggests he may have frequented the court of the Gajapati with his father as a child. He was born in a village just outside of Konark, yet Acyutananda writes that he was born in Jajpur, in Orissa, and moved to a village outside of Puri later. He apparently left home at the age of thirteen. Here is a sample of three, from the thirty six books, that Balarama Das wrote.
(a) The jagamohan-ramayana, or the dandi-ramayana, is Balarama Das’s most renowned work. It is known as the jagamohana-ramayana as it was written inside the jagamohana of the Puri temple in the early 1500’s, many years before Tulasi Das completed his ramacaritamanisa in 1564. It is also known as the dandi-ramayana; dandi means the public road, suggesting that this ramayana is for everyone; and dandi also refers to the adaptability of the poetic meter of the composition, which lends itself to be sung to practically any popular tune, and hence easily adapted to the rustic devotional melodies of the common people; and now the ramayana can be easily sung in the streets and rural lanes by one and all, no longer confined to the jealous guard of the brahmans.
In his ramayana Balarama Das writes of his participation in rama-lila in the tretya-yuga, in the following verse;
mu-balarama-das-ramayana-avatara-thili
dihudi-dharina-mu-samasta-dekhili
mote-ajna-dele-martyaloka-jibu
kaliyuge-sudramuni-hiona-janamibu
Translation; “I, who am known as Balarama Das, made an appearance with Lord Rama. I was his torch bearer, and I saw everything; and Rama ordered me, “Go to marytaloka in the kali-yuga and take birth as a sudra-muni.”
In his bata-avakash, Balarama Das says how he travels from Puri to Lanka on the back of Garuda with Lord Jagannath, and describes how he secures himself to Lord Jagannath during the flight with a silken rope; and this is generally acknowledged as a true account in the Panca-Sakha sampradayas, and is perhaps as plausible as the caitanya-caritamrita’s testimony of tigers dancing and singing in the forests of Jharikanda. Some say he was thirty six years old (around 1516) when he started to write the ramayana. As a sudra, Balarama Das faced opposition from the smaratas; and as he sat in the jagamohana writing his ramayana, in an attempt to mollify the smartas, he places his hand on the head of a sudra, who begins to recite the veda with flawless intonation, astonishing the smartas, who then left him in peace to write. The sudra, who was dumb before this happened, becomes one of Balarama’s renowned twelve disciples, (he only had twelve disciples) known as Haridas6.
In the invocation he praises Lord Jagannath, further stating he was inspired to write by Lord Jagannath, who is the worshipful Lord of the utkaliya-vaisnavas, and therefore he offers his homage to niladri-nath, in the beginning of his ramayana. He also writes that upon witnessing the reunion of Laxmi and Jagannath after the ratha-yatra, he felt inspired to translate the ramayana; and to write of the love and separation between Sita and Rama. Hence Balarama Das most benevolently undertook the translation of Valmiki’s immortal work for the posterity of Utakal. The common people in Orissa could not read Sanskrit, or understand the Sanskrit of Valmiki’s ramayana; and thus Balarama Das translated Valamiki’s Sanskrit ramayana into the vernacular (oriya).
He adds many pleasing details that are not including by Valmiki. For example, at the mention of a certain rishi, he will tell us of the antecedents of this particular rishi, drawing information and related lilas from the puranas; and thus it is not that he is embellishing the tale with capricious interpolation, but rather deftly weaves the provincial legends of Lord Jagannath, and endless additional ancient mythology from the puranas and mahabharata, into the narrative for the edification and posterity of Utkala.
Balarama Das, seated within the jagamohana, sees in his meditative trance, Sita and Rama in land of Orissa during their exile; and in writing the tale of their wandering pilgrimage between different local and tribal temples, found ample scope to entwine, and thus preserve, the Oriya traditions and beliefs, into the narrative of Valmiki’s saga7; as when he writes that a local mountain in Orissa called Kapilash, was actually mount Kailash. His provincial allusions, should not be confused with interpolation; as in the wedding of Sita and Rama, he describes, in several passages, certain rituals of their wedding that were only traditional in Oriya weddings, and would not have been customary in the tretya-yuga in rama-lila. Yet some topics, not mentioned by Valmiki, are; Ravan and Banasura both present at Sita’s syamavara, Rishisringa’s biography, Agastya’s biography and Parasurama failing 21 times before he could vanquish Sahasra-Arjuna.
(b) The laxsmi-purana. This is the inventive genius and spirit of Balarama Das. Written in paya8. The lila is set in Puri. One day Laxsmi leaves the Sri Jagannath temple, gently pacing around Puri, and its neighbouring villages in the guise of an elderly looking brahman widow; she strays, her lotus feet now devoid of anklets, into the house of a brahman lady, but only accepts an invitation to dine at the house of a candalini. On her return to the Sri Mandira, Lord Jagannath asks Lord Balarama to banish her from the temple for her transgression of dining at the home of a candalini. Laxsmi deserts the temple, and as a result the cooking stops. Eventually hunger compels Lord Jagannath and Lord Balarama to leave the temple in search of Laxsmi; and near starvation forces them to eat at the house of a candalini, who is none other than Laxsmi herself in disguise; and this brings about the reconciliation of Laxsmi, who is received back into the temple with decent reverence.
Some say the laxsmi-purana is unique by fashioning the goddess into the main protagonist of the narrative, rather than the accustomed heroic male protagonists who dominate most Puranic accounts; and perhaps engendered and augmented more respect for women in the social climate of his age. As Laxsmi initially went for her “walk around lila” on a Thursday, this day is reserved exclusively for Laxsmi puja; and it is still believed that Laxsmi wanders around in disguise on Thursdays, and the Thursdays that fall in the month of mrigusura are considered particularly sacred for laxsmi-puja in Orissa. The laxsmi-purana also advocates many rules and observances strongly recommended for propitiating and securing the favour of Laxmi; and likewise habits to be given up if her grace is to successfully gained. If one loses her grace, one will be forced to wander without food, just like Lord Jagannath and Lord Balarama had to; and everyone is familiar with, and has no doubt read, the laxsmi-purana in Orissa, which remains one of Balarama’s unique contributions.
(c) In his bhava-samudra, he describes how he was fond of a courtesan. This was perhaps his only vice, although it is written that she was actually a gopi from the dwarpa-yuga named Jamuna Devi. As he lay in her arms his slumber is broken by the sound of the ringing bells and kirtan of the ratha-yatra, and he immediately runs to the ratha in a devout transport with a desire to place a garland on the Lord Jagannath. This is described by Madhava Pattanayaka at the end of chapter five of vaisnava-lilamrita; how he is driven away from the ratha, retires to the sea shore, makes a cart in the sand, and the Deities personally come and sit in his carts; all the finer details are described in here. The madal panji also records how the carts were held up on the bada-danda that year.
The following 36 works were written by Balarama Das;
(1) jagamohana-dandi-ramayana (2) brahma-purana (3) mahabharata (4) candi-purana (5) laxsmi-purana (6) kurala-purana (7) namaratna-gita (8) mrugini-stuti (9) durga-stuti (10) kanta-koili (11) kamala-locana-cautisa (12) bara-masi (13) bhava-samudra (14) bata-avakasha (15) bhakti-rasamrita-sindu (16) sabha-vinode (17) rama-bibha (18) krusna-lila (19) rasa-keli (20) brahmanda-bhugola (21) sarira-bhugola (22) beda-parikrama (23) arjuna-gita (24) gana-nistarana-gita (25) bhagavad-gita (26) amarakosha-gita (27) gupta-gita (28) chatisa-gupta-gita (29) garuda-gita (30) birata-gita (31) ganesh-vibhuti-gita (32) gita-sara (33) nila-sundara-gita (34) kali-bharata (35) baula-adhyaya (36) panasa-chori-grantha-samudra-pradhana.
Matta Balarama Das: (1480-1534). Oriya Poet.