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History of Bengali Language and Literature c6.s3: 3. Rāmāi Pundit and his Çunya Purāṇa

History of Bengali Language and Literature c6.s3

Language
English

3. Rāmāi Pundit and his Çunya Purāṇa

c6.s3.1

The great exponent of the Dharma-cult in Bengal was, by general acceptance, Rāmāi Pandit—the reputed author of Çunya Purāṇa. The poems of Dharma-mangal also make mention of Rāmāi Pundit with great esteem. His hand-book of Darma Pujā, called the Çunya Purāṇa, has been edited by Babu Nagendranāth Vasu and lately published by the Sāhitya Pariṣada of Calcutta. Rāmāi Pandit was a contemporary of Dharmapāl II, who reigned in Gouḍa in the early part of the 11th century A.D. Rājendra Chol’s rock-inscription (1012 A.D.), recently discovered at Tirumalaya, makes mention of this monarch. Rāmāi Pandit was born at Champaighāt-on the river Dwārakeçwar in the District of Bānkura. The year of his birth is not known, but he was born on the 5th day of the waxing moon, in the month of Vaiçākha, towards the end of the 10th Century A.D.

c6.s3.2

Bābu Nagendranāth Vasu, who edits the Çunya Purāṇa, accepts the account of Rāmāi’s life furnished by his descendants, and takes him to be a Brahmin. The account is full of fables and is scarcely entitled to credence. The descendants of Rāmāi Pandit, who still discharge the priestly function in the Dharma temple at Mainā, are known as Dom Pandits and not Brahmins ; besides, there have been so many attempts in Bengal to raise a low-born saint to the rank and status of a Brahmin, evidently with a view to remove the stigma of humble origin laid on his descendants, that we can hardly accept this account of interested parties as true. Haridāsa, the great saint of the Vaiṣṇava community, was a Mahammadan ; but he is now declared by some Vaiṣṇavas to have been originally a Brahmin. Even in the accounts furnished from the temple of Mainā by the descendants of Rāmāi Pundit, there are points to throw a doubt on the pretensions to a high pedigree advanced by them. Dharma-thākur therein is said to have cursed Rāmāi, saying that the people of higher castes would not touch water given by the Saint. Rāmāi Pandit himself is said to have cursed his son Dharmadās for a fault, not clearly stated, by which he lost his caste and turned a Dom Pandit. These stories are evidently got up to establish the point that they were originally Brahmins, though so degraded now. The writer of the sketch very forcibly states that the Dom Pandits do not belong to the Doma caste. His very enthusiasm in establishing this point betrays the weakness of his position; for the people of Bengal know Domas and Dom Pandits to belong to the same caste. The word দ্বিজ (twice-born) which occasionally occurs in the Bhanitā of Rāmāi Pandit, is a later interpolation and the Çunya Purāṇa, in its present shape, bears traces of many subsequent hands, as Nagendra Babu has himself admitted.

c6.s3.3

His descen= dants.

c6.s3.4

Rāmāi Pandit was eighty years old when he married. His son Dharmadās had four sons,—Mādhava, Sanātana, Çridhara and Trilocana. The members of Rāmāi Pandit's family are authorised priests of Yātrāsiddhi Roy—as Dharma-thākur of the temple at Maina is called—and they are privileged to perform the copper-ceremony of the 36 castes.

c6.s3.5

The contents of the Çunya Purāṇa.

c6.s3.6

The Çunya Purāṇa begins with a description of the origin of the universe on the lines of the Mahāyana School of the Buddhists. It runs thus*:—

c6.s3.7

"There was no line, no form, no colour, and no sign.

c6.s3.8

"The sun and the moon were not, nor day, nor night.

c6.s3.9

"The earth was not, nor water, nor sky.

c6.s3.10

"The mounts Meru, Mandāra and Kailāsa were not.

c6.s3.11

"The creation was not, nor were there gods, nor men.

c6.s3.12

"Brahmā was not, nor was Viṣnu, nor the ethereal regions.

c6.s3.13

* নহি রেক, নহি রূপ নহি ছিল বন্ন চিন।
রবি সসী নহি ছিল নহি ছিল রাতি দিন ॥
নহি ছিল জল থল নহি ছিল আকাস।
মেরু মন্দার না ছিল না কৈলাস ॥ ২.
নহি ছিষ্ট ছিল আর নহি সুর নর।
বম্বা বিষ্ণু ন ছিল ন ছিল আঁবর ॥ ৭.
সরণ মরত নহি ছিল সভি ধুন্দকার।
দসদিক পাল নহি মেঘ তারাগণ ॥ ১০.
আউ মিতু না ছিল জমর তাড়ন ॥ ১৩.
সুনুত ভরমন পরভুর সুনে করি ভর ॥

c6.s3.14

“Heaven and earth were not, all was emptiness.
“The presiding gods of the ten directions were not, nor were there the clouds, nor the stars.
“Life was not, nor death, nor pangs of death.
“The Lord moved in the void, supporting Himself on the void.”

c6.s3.15

From the Lord, says the Çunya Purāṇa, sprang air; and as He drew breath, Ulluk (owl), a bird sacred with the worshippers of Dharma-Thākur, was created. The owl is also sometimes called a Muni (sage). The next creation was tortoise, which is also sacred with the Dharma-worshippers. In the temple, dedicated to Dharma Thākur by Lāu Sen—King of Mainā, in the 11th century, Dharma is still worshipped as a tortoise. The other objects of creation were the serpent Ananta, and the earth; and then from the Lord came Çakti, known as Durgā.

c6.s3.16

We need not proceed further with this catalogue of theological reveries. The Çunya Purāṇa gives details about the method of worshipping Dharma. We find Çiva, Viṣṇu, Brahmā and a host of Paurāṇik gods mentioned in this book in a strange way. They discharge functions which have little in common with those attributed to them by the Hindus. Occasionally we come across the word বস্তুনিৰ্ব্বাণ, which reminds us of the Nirvana of Buddha.

c6.s3.17

Çunya Purāṇa, published by the Sāhitya Pariṣad, contains altogether 56 chapters, of which 5 are devoted to an account of the creation of the universe. The rest detail the method of Dharma-worship with occasional references to the sacrifices made by Rājā Hari Chandra and other devout followers of Dharma, for the sake of religion. There are several passages in prose in the book which furnish curious specimens of very old Bengali mixed with later interpolations. Our readers will admit from the antique forms of words in the following lines that they formed a part of the original writings of Rāmāi Pandit.

c6.s3.18

“হে ভগবান বার ভাই বার আদিত হাত পাতি নেহ সেবকর অর্ঘ পুষ্প পানি সেবক হব সুখি ধামাং করি গুরু পণ্ডিত দেউলা দান পতি সাংসুর ভোক্তা আমনি সন্ন্যাসী গতি জাইতি।” p. 70.
“সুনার কেতকী আনেন করন্তি আসিয়া।
চারিদিকে নিরঞ্জন সারিয়া ধম্ম কিয়া॥” p. 24.
“রাতিত পাথর চারি পাতি কর।
কতে হল সুদ সুনার আড়া।”

c6.s3.19

“কাঞ্চন বাঁধিয়া মেজে করিল কাট ডাল মণ্ডপে ফটিকর থাম লাগে চন্দন নাদন আর সাত ডকে লাগিল গজান। ইলা মণ্ডপে দপন সভাকরে।” p. 59.

c6.s3.20

The book contains many passages of this nature, and the learned editor has, in an apologetic tone, avowed his inability to explain many of them.

c6.s3.21

The last chapter, which is headed “নিরঞ্জনের রুষা” (the anger of Niranjan) and was evidently annexed, at least three centuries after the composition of the original work, refers to the revival of Hinduism, —the downfall of the followers of Sat-Dharma or pure religion (Buddhism), and to a free fight between the Mahammadans and the Brāhmins at Jājpur,— the Mahammadans being described as the incarnations of gods and goddesses who are said to have come down for wreaking vengeance on the Brāhmins for oppressing the Sat-Dharmīs. We give a free and abridged translation of the curious passage below.* In all probability the passage was written by Sahadeva Chakravarti, one of the authors of Dharma-mangal, of whom we shall have to write at some length, hereafter.

c6.s3.22

* জাজপুর পুয়বাদি সোলসয় ঘর বেদি
কর লয় দুন।
দখিন্যা মাগিতে জায়, জার ঘরে নাহি পায়
সাঁপ দিয়া পুরায় ভুবন। ১
মালদহে লাগে কর দিলঅ কর দুন।
দখিন্যা মাগিতে যায়, যার ঘরে নাকি পায়
সাঁপ দিয়া পুড়াএ ভুবন। ২
মালদহে লাগে কর না চিনে আপন পর
জালের নাহিক দিস পাস।
বলিষ্ঠ হইল বড় দশবিন হয়্যা জড়
সদ্ধর্ম্মরে করএ বিনাস। ৩
বেদকরে উচ্চারণ বেরযাত অগ্নি ঘনে ঘন
দেখিয়া সভাই কম্পমান।
মনেতে পাইয়া মৰ্ম্ম সভে বলে রাখ ধৰ্ম্ম
তোমা বিনা কে করে পরিত্রান। ৪
এইরূপে দ্বিজগণ করে সৃষ্টি সংহারণ
ই বড় হইল অবিচার।
বৈকণ্ঠে থাকিয়া ধৰ্ম্ম মনেতে পাইয়া মৰ্ম্ম
মায়াতে হইল অন্ধকার।। ৫
ধৰ্ম্ম হৈল্যা জবন রূপী মাথাএ ত কাল টুপি
হাতে সোভে বিরুচ কামান।
চাপিয়া উত্তম হয় ত্রিভুবনে লাগে ভয়
খোদায় বলিয়া এক নাম।। ৬
নিরঞ্জন নিরাকার হৈলা ভেস্ত অবতার
মুখেতে বলেত দম্বদার।
জতক দেবতাগণ সভে হয়্যা একমন
আনন্দেতে পরিল ইজার।।
ব্রহ্মা হৈল মহামদ বিষ্ণু হৈল পেকাম্বর
আদম হৈল সুলপানি।

c6.s3.23

The Brahmins and the Sat-Dharmis. "In Jājpur and Maldah sixteen hundred families of Védic Brāhmins mustered strong. Being assembled in groups of ten or twelve, they killed the Sat-Dharmis (Buddhists) who would not pay them religious fees, by uttering incantations and curses. They recited Mantras from the Vedas and fire came out from their mouths, as they did so. The followers of Sat-Dharma trembled with fear at the sight thereof, and prayed to Dharma; for who else could give them succour in that crisis? The Brāhmins began to destroy the creation in the above manner, and acts of great violence were perpetrated on the earth. Dharma who resided in Baikuntha was grieved to see all this. He came to the world as a Muhammadan. On his head he wore a black cap, and in his hand he held a cross-bow.

c6.s3.24

Dharma comes as a Muhammadan to punish the Brahmins.

c6.s3.25

গণেশ হইল গাজি কার্তিক হৈল কাজি ফকির হইলা যত মুনি। তেজিয়া আপন ভেক, নারদ হইলা সেক পুরন্দর হইল মলনা। চন্দ্র সূর্য্য আদি দেবে পদাতিক হয়্যা সেবে সভে মিলে বাজায় বাজনা।। ৯ আপুনি চণ্ডিকা দেবী, তিঁহ হৈলা হায়া বিবি পদ্মাবতী হল্য বিবি নূর। জতক দেবতাগণ হয়্যা সভে একমন প্রবেশ করিল জাজপুর।। দেউল দেহারা ভাঙ্গে ক্যাড়া ফিড়্যা খায় রঙ্গে পাথড় পাথড় বোলে বোল। ধরিয়া ধর্ম্মের পায় রামাঞি পণ্ডিত গায় ই বড় বিসম গণ্ডগোল।।

c6.s3.26

( have changed the word ঘুন to দুন in the second line, as I consider the latter to be the correct reading)

c6.s3.27

Çunya Purāṇ, p. 140.

c6.s3.28

He mounted a horse and was called Khodā, Niranjana incarnated himself in Bhest (heaven). All the gods being of one mind, wore trousers. Brahmā incarnated himself as Muhammad, Viṣṇu as Paigamvar and Çiva became Ādamfa (Ādam). Ganeça came as a Gāzi, Kārtika as a Kāzi, Nārada became a Sekha and Indra a Moulana. The Riṣis of heaven became Fakirs. The sun, the moon and the other gods came in the capacity of foot-soldiers, and began to beat drums. The goddess Chandi incarnated herself as Hayā Bibi and Padmāvati became Bibi Nur. The gods being all of one mind entered Jājpur. They broke the temples and Maṭhas and cried “seize,” “seize.” Falling at the feet of Dharma, Rāmāi Pandit sings, “O what a great confusion!”

c6.s3.29

What historical incident is referred to, in the description given above, is not clearly known. But it unmistakably points to a general feeling of gratification, with which the Buddhists watched the oppression of the Brāhmins by the Muhammadans at Jājpur, which they attributed to divine wrath, for atrocities committed upon themselves.

Cites (2)