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History of Bengali Language and Literature c6.s2: 2. Dharma-cult—a form of Buddhism

History of Bengali Language and Literature c6.s2

Language
English

2. Dharma-cult—a form of Buddhism

c6.s2.1

The Moslem conquerors often built Mosques with the materials of the Hindu temples they had destroyed. The sculptural representations of gods and goddesses and other carvings on bricks indicating the ancient decorative art of the Hindus have been lately discovered from dilapidated Mosques in various places in India,—as the plaster, which concealed them from view, crumbled down from the walls in course of time.

c6.s2.2

Such has also been the case with Buddhism in India. In the Buddhist temple, the image of Buddha is often worshipped as Çiva. Buddhistic religious books have been so recast and transformed by the Hindu priests, that they now pass for religious poems of the Hindus in the eyes of the people. Yet they were unmistakably Buddhistic works at first. Such for instance are the poems of Dharma-mangal. Dharma-thākur, in praise of whose might, the poems were originally composed, represents the popular idea of Buddha and occupies the second place in the Budhistic group comprised of Buddha, Dharma and Saṃgha. The third of the group সঙ্ঘ, changed into শঙ্ঘ, is also alluded to, in the Çuṇya Purāṇa, by Rāmāi Pandit.

c6.s2.3

He mystically discourses on সংখ,* which however, is as remote from সঙ্ঘ, as is the popular conception of Dharma-thakur, from that of the historical Buddha. There are passages which distinctly prove the Buddhistic origin of the poems. In the Çunya Purāṇa, which lays down rules for Dharma worship, there is a line,—“ধর্মরাজ যজ্ঞ নিন্দা করে”—(Dharma Rāj condemns sacrifices). This sounds like a translation of the well-known line in honour of Buddha by the poet Jaydeva—“নিন্দসি যজ্ঞ বিধিরহ শ্রুতি জাতং”

c6.s2.4

There are many other passages which clearly indicate the same truth; for instance “সিংহে শ্রীধর্মরাজ বহুত সম্মান”—(Dharma Rāj is held in high veneration in Ceylon). In another line we find “আগেতে ছিলেন প্রভু ললিত অবতার”—(In former times Dharma Rāj was the Lalita Avatāra). The most authoritative biography of Buddha is called the “Lalita Vistāra.”

c6.s2.5

Evidences of their Buddhistic origin.

c6.s2.6

* সংখ উপজিল সংখ সংখয় বিচার।
কহ কহ পণ্ডিত সংখর সার॥
কোন সংখ জলে স্নান করেন অনাদ্য করতার।
আদ্য সংখ জলর জুতি॥
হরি হরি সংখ পাপ মুকতি॥
কোন সংখে না ছোঁএ পানি।
দখিন সংখে না ছোঁএ পানি॥
দখিন সংখে আপ পতমানি।
কে সিরজিল গঙ্গা কে সিরজিল পদ্ম।
তাহে উপজিল দ্বাদশ অঙ্গুল সংখ।
হে জত সঙ্ঘ হে বিজত সঙ্ঘ তুমি সংখ হইএ চিরাই।
তুমার জলে স্নান করেন শ্রীধর্ম গোসাঞি॥

c6.s2.7

Çunya Purāṇa PP. 83-84.

c6.s2.8

In the poems of Dharma-mangal itself, there are frequent references to Buddhist saints, such as Mīnanāth, Gorakṣanāth, Hāḍipa and Kālupa. The words নিরঞ্জন and শূন্য মূর্ত্তি with which the readers of the poems are so familiar, are words taken from the Buddhistic Ṣāstras. The doctrine known as the Ṣunyabād, which explains the origin of the universe from nothing, became a popular theory with the later Buddhistic school; and this doctrine is detailed not only in the Ṣunya Purāṇa, but also in the poems of Dharma-mangal. The Hāḍis, Domas and other low caste people are the priests in many of the Dharma temples. The Doma Pandits at one time occupied a prominent position in the Buddhistic temples, and when Buddhism was driven away from this country, all religious functions in many of these Dharma temples, still continued to be discharged by the descendants of the Doma priests, as the Hindus dared not oust a priestly class, revered by the people, from their duties in temples. We noticed, that the poems in honour of Dharma-thākur have been thoroughly recast by the Hindu priests, and Hindu ideas have been largely introduced into them; but even as late as 1640 A.D. the Brahmin priests would not venture to mix too closely with the worshippers of Dharma-thākur for fear of losing caste. In the above year, when Mānik Rām Gānguli, a Brahmin, was inspired by Dharma-thākur, who appeared to him in a dream for encouraging him to write a Dharma-mangal, our poet fell prostrate before him in dismay, and said “জাতি যায় প্রভু যদি ইহা করি গান।”— I shall be an outcast, if I sing a song in your praise). This distinctly proves that Dharma-ṭhākur had originally no place in the Hindu Pantheon.

c6.s2.9

As the popularity of these songs amongst the masses continued unabated, the Brahmins gradually took them up, and later poems of Dharma-mangal have been so greatly transformed in their hands, that they look very much like works devoted to the Ṣākta-cult; but reading between the lines, the readers will be able to discover evident traces of Buddhism in them. It should however be noted here, that the Buddhism indicated in these works, has scarcely anything in common with the pure Buddhism of Aṣoka’s time; and both are even more unlike one another than the Pourāṇic Hindu religion of the present day and the pure religion of the Upaniṣadas.

c6.s2.10

The Ṣunya Purāṇa by Rāmāi Pandit, Chāryāchāryaviniçchay by Kānu Bhatta, the poems known as Dharma-mangal, and ballads and songs in honour of some of the Pāl Kings of Bengal bear distinct stamps of Buddhism on them. The ballads of the Pāl Kings, who were great patrons of Buddhism, indicate the marvellous power wielded by Gorakṣanāth and Hāḍisiddha, the great Buddhistic saints. The latter belonged to one of the meanest castes of the Hindu society, yet his power is said to have been so great, that the gods of Heaven, trembled in fear, when the saint approached. In the songs of Govinda Chandra Pāl, revised by the poet Durlabha Mallik, the King is said to have asked his religious preceptor—the far-famed Hāḍisiddha, as to what was the true religion. Hāḍisiddhā said:—

c6.s2.11

“হা়িাপা বলেন বাছা শুন গোবিন্দাই।
অহিংসা পরম ধৰ্ম্ম যার পর নাই॥”

c6.s2.12

The Brahmins gradually overcome their scruples.

c6.s2.13

Early Bengali works by the Buddhists.

c6.s2.14

(O Govinda, my son, the highest act of religion is to abstain from destruction of life).

c6.s2.15

The popular notion of Buddhism in India holds this doctrine of অহিংসা as the most essential point in the religion of Buddha, about whom the poet Joydeva has said :—

c6.s2.16

“সদয়-হৃদয়-দর্শিত পশুঘাতং।”

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