A book born out of Bhakti

It was a palace. Badshah is hearing a recital, done by Vasudeva Bhava. Vasudev who is Tukaram's grandson is narrating how his grandfather ascended to Sri Vaikunta alive with his body. It is too much to believe, first going somewhere after death and that too going with the body just alive, as if traveling to some place else. Badshah refused to believe and refused to hear any further recitals. Now it is a test for Vasudev, not only about his own grandpa but the whole path of devotion which he has got in his family. His own mother, the daughter of Tukaram is still alive. She also told the same story. If it is not true, why any body that too one's own mother is going to spin a story regarding the end of her own father? He requested permission from the Badshah. He requested all the people in the senate to stay put as they are for a while till he returns back with a proof. 

What proof can he show? was the question in everybody's mind. But curiosity winning the toss, all the people were sitting on expectation. Perhaps it will end a big joke. Badshah may be angered enough to author a tragedy. let's see. 

Vasudev Bhava was running literally to his home. Behind, one shape which was standing in hiding in the senate hall was also running along calling Vasudev again and again. Vasudev stopped and turned to see his own, that very own Tukaram calling and coming to him and saying, 'here. take this Tambur and go back to the hall. Make a divine promise and calling out God throw this tambur to the sky, right before Badshah. You will get all the proof you want after that.' 

Shocked by surprise and shaked by the instructions from his sudden grandpa, Vasudev returned back and did as he was told and threw the tambur to the sky. Tukaram caught the tambur in midsky and ascended again back to Sri Vaikunta when everybody was looking and Badshah was lost in gazing at the whole scenario. Perhaps all the exclamations were lost in the high resounding bajan of 'Vittala Vittala Hari Vittala Panduranga'. 

But we have all forgot that everything started from the recital which Vasudev was doing before Badshah. From what was he reciting? It was a book called Baktasaaram. Baktasaaram was written by Nabhajisiddha in Hindustani, containing the narrations about the lives of some 700 devotees, Tukaram forming a part of that. This was in some 1660 CE. Nabhajisiddha taught this to Uddhavasiddha and others. Uddhavasiddha summarised all these 700 narrations and did it in Gwalior and called it Baktamala. Then Maipathi Bhavaji did it in Marathi, choosing some 109 lives to tell and called it Bhaktavijayam. He also composed different sets of lives as Sanda vijayam, Sandavijaya Lilamrutam. Then Deepadeva collected all the Jnanopadesas, sayings of wisdom, into a book called Deeparatnakaram. But how all these things got transferred and exposed to people from Tamilnad? There is a story as told in Sri MahaBhakta Vijayam, published by A Irangasamy Mudaliyar and Sons in 1938. 

There was a Sabha called ChaturVeda Siddhanta Sabha. Its head was Saidapuram Umapati Mudaliyar. Along with him Jothisha Sittrambala Mudaliyar, Arai maanagar Thiruvengadam Pillai and many more were involved in bringing these narrations, which they got during their pilgrimages when they went for Ganga bath to the north. The first edition was in 1864 CE. They say the most important narrations revolve around five great personages, Jayadev, Kabirdas, Tulasidas, Namdev and Jnaneswar. 

The charm of the book, its style of prose, Tamil, little colloquial and chaste, so many eulogies preambling - all these add to the vibrations. Especially this poem 

"அடியாரெங்குண் டெங்குண் டெங்குண்டென் றலையுமறுமா முககுகனே |
அரனார்கணிலுற் பவித்தவனே அமரர்சிறையைத் தவிர்த்தவனே
அடியாதியிலா வறிவுருவே அகஸ்தியர்க்கன் றருட்குருவே
௮ருணகிரிநா தரையாண்ட வருளேஞானப் பரம்பொருளே
படிமீதடியார் சரித்திரமாம் பக்தவிஜய மெனு நூலைப்
பக்தியோடு வாசகமாப் பண்ணுநாயே னாவதனிற்
குடியாயிருந்தோர் குறைவின்றிக் குணமாமுழுது முடித்தெனையாட்
கொள்வாய்தோகை வாகனனே கூவுஞ்சேவற் கொடியோனே,” 

(O Thou six-faced Guha! You sprang up from the eye of Hara. You liberated the Devas from prisons. You are one homogeneous form of Wisdom having no beginning or limit. You gave your grace to Agastya in the past. You saved Arunagirinatha. You are the very form of Grace. O Thee Transcendent principle of Jnana. And still you are always waiting as if for the devotees. Me, a low creature, out of devotion, wants to make a book called Bhakta Vijayam telling the lives of Adiyars. Kindly reside in my tongue, avoiding all hurdles and blemishes, fulfilling the  task with all qualities. And kindly accept me in thy service, O Thee who flies on a peacock and the Cock who calls to spirituality in your Flag.) 

Bhakti springs from this book, a book born out of Bhakti. 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

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