Sankaradeva-Brief Life Sketch
Sankaradeva
Sankaradeva-Brief Life Sketch
Sankaradeva (1449-1568) was the founder of Neo Vaishnavism, writer and social reformer. He was born in Alipukhuri, Bardowa in the district of Nagaon, Assam. His father’s name was Kusumbar Shiromani Bhuyan and his mother’s name was Satyasandhya. He lost his parents in his childhood and was brought up by his grandmother Khershuti.
At the age of twelve, Sankardeva was admitted to the ‘tol’ (home school) of a scholar named Mahendra Kandali. Within a very short time, he became proficient in Sanskrit.
In 1481, he went on a pilgrimage with 18 companions. During this pilgrimage, he visited most of the holy places of North India and returned to Assam after twelve years gaining spiritual knowledge by exchanging views with many Hindu gurus (religious teachers) of the time. After returning home, he started a new religion called Neo Vaishnavism based on the Bhagwat Gita with the intention of reforming Hinduism and the social and religious life of Assam. ‘One God, one service, there is none to be worshipped except God’- is the motto of his religion. He went on to write literature as a medium of propaganda for his religion.
His works can be divided into the following types:
Kavya (Poetry): Harichandra Upakhyan, Rukminiharan Kavya, Balisalan, Amrit Manthan, Gajendra Upakhyan, Ajamil Upakhyan, Kurukshetra etc.
Devotional Books: Bhakti Pradeep, Nimi-Navsiddha Sangbad, Bhakti Ratnakar, Anadi Patan etc.
Nam Prashangas (psalms/hymns): Kirtan Ghosha, Gunamala etc.
Translated Books: ‘The Bhagwat’ and ‘The Uttarakanda Ramayana’ (from Sanskrit).
Ankia Nat (One Act Plays): Patni Prasad, Kaliya Daman, Kelly Gopal, Rukmini Haran, Parijat Haran and Ram Vijay.
Songs: Bargit, Bhatima.
The Kirtan Gosha is said to be his masterpiece.
Sankardeva had not only given a new religion to the Assamese national life but also made unique contributions to the Assamese literature, society and culture and thus gave a unique identity to the Assamese people.
This great man died, in 1568 A D, at the age of one hundred and nineteen, at Vela Madhupur in Koch Bihar. 0 0 0
N.B. The article ‘Sankaradeva-Brief Life Sketch’ originally belongs to the book ‘Introduction to World Writers‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
Books of Composition by M. Menonimus:
- Advertisement Writing
- Amplification Writing
- Note Making
- Paragraph Writing
- Notice Writing
- Passage Comprehension
- The Art of Poster Writing
- The Art of Letter Writing
- Report Writing
- Story Writing
- Substance Writing
- School Essays Part-I
- School Essays Part-II
- School English Grammar Part-I
- School English Grammar Part-II..
Books of S. Story by M. Menonimus:
Books of Biography by M. Menonimus:
- The World Writers-Brief Biographies
- Introduction to World Writers
- Introduction to World Personalities
- Love of Reputed Persons ..
Related Search:
- Lives of Poets
- Writers’ Lives
- Top Hundred Writers
- Best Writers of All Time
- Most Eminent English Poets
