Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s6.t3.2

c6.s6.t3.2

By this time Sufism had started making inroads in Indian milieu. It was the beginning of a great dialogue between diverse Asian traditions, which had been prefaced in the writings of poets like Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi. The commentaries, poems, songs and sayings of saints like Caitanya (1486–1533), Jñāneśvara, Ekanātha (1533-99), Nāmadeva, Tukārāma, Kabīr, Mīrābāī, Dādū (1544–1608) and Nānak (1469–1539) paved the way for this dialogue. The idea of *sahaja* as elaborated upon by saints even ridiculed the discarding of *viṣayabhoga* (enjoyment of worldly things). The Sahajīyās regarded love and natural life as the core of the religion. Sarahapā is said to have been the founder of this school. He was born in eastern India at a place called Sarolī in the city of Rājī. He used to listen to the discourses by Amita and developed interest in Buddhist philosophy. Afterwards he deviated from Buddhism. Bringing in empiricism in his philosophy of pure bliss, he said: