Chakradhar Swami

Chakradhara (also known as Sarvadnya Shri Chakradhar Swami or Kunwar Haripaladeva) is a 13th-century Indian religious leader and the central theological figure of the Mahanubhava tradition. He is regarded as the principal propagator of its doctrines. In Mahanubhava belief, he is revered as Lord (Parameshwar) and as one of the Panchavatar(Panchakrushna), the five supreme manifestations of God in the tradition. [1]

His life and teachings are recorded in the Leela Charitra , a 13th-century Marathi prose text composed by his disciple Mahim Bhatt.

Life

Chakradhara was born into a Gujarati[2] Samavedi Brahmin family[3][4] in Bharuch, Gujarat. According to his biography Lilacharitra, he was the son of a royal minister of Gujarat.[5] He took Sannyasa at a young age and left his home for pilgrimage to Ramtek. During his journey, he received initiation from his guru Govinda Prabhu at Ridhapur in modern-day Amravati district. For twelve years, he stayed in forests of Vindhya mountain as an ascetic. After attaining the awakening, he started preaching a new philosophy, Mahanubhava tattvajnana to the common people.[6] Although his native language was Gujarati, he had excellent command over Marathi. Chakradhara moved among all sections of society. He discoursed his philosophy effectively among the people in their own language. The Lilacharitra confirms that he also spoke fluent Sanskrit along with Gujarati and Marathi. He used formulaic language full of meaning in a compact style. He insisted that his disciples should write only in Marathi. Thus the teachings of Chakradhara and Mahanubhava Sampradaya are found in Marathi literature.[7]

Philosophy

Chakradhara's philosophy focused on asceticism and renunciation. His fourfold teachings were: non-violence (ahimsa), celibacy (brahmacharya), asceticism (sannyasa) and devotion (bhakti). He prescribed different aspects of God to be worshipped: name, form, activity, deeds, place, vachanas (Shruti), memories (Smriti) and the blessing of God's incarnation. He considered five forms of God as Supreme called "Pancha Krishna": Dattatreya, Krishna, Chakrapani, Govinda Prabhu and Chakradhara himself.[5]

As per Chakradhara, one can practice bhakti by memorizing deeds of God. The aspirant for salvation must sacrifice his country, village and his relations and offer his life to God. He also taught his disciple when, where, how, how much alms they should be beg for. The central theme of his teaching was, "Feel the soul and not the body". Living the life of mendicant and practicing asceticism severely, the devotee should live according to principle, "God is mine and I am God's". The core of his code of behaviour is summed up in the following line for the benefit of his followers: "Even if the head is cut off, the body should worship God".

Besides teaching strict vegetarianism, the Mahanubhava sect forbids the use of alcohol and teaches non-violence. It teaches that Krishna is the Supreme God; other deities are his powers. As per scriptures of Mahanubhava that Nirvana (Moksha) can only be achieved by knowing and worshiping Krishna as the lone ultimate and thus one must give up on worshiping and getting involved unconsciously in the other powers of ultimate, It can be relatively explained as one should not be satisfied in loving the creation but love the creator.

References

  1. ^ Mahim Bhatt. Lilacharitra (in Marathi).
  2. ^ Maharashtra : Land and Its People, Gazetteers Department, Government of Maharashtra, 2009, p. 147
  3. ^ Christian Lee Novetzke (October 2016). The quotidian revolution : vernacularization, religion, and the premodern public sphere in India. p. 109. ISBN 9780231175807. Similarly, there are many points in the lilacaritra that appear to reinforce a claim that Chakradhar is a Lad Brahmin of the Samavedi branch from Gujarat.
  4. ^ Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections By K. Ayyappa Paniker, Volume 2, Sahitya Akademi, 1997, ISBN 81-260-0365-0, p. 346
  5. ^ a b Arunchandra S. Pathak (July 4, 2014), Sthanapothi : Ek Puratattviya Abhyas (स्थानपोथी : एक पुरातत्त्वीय अभ्यास), pp. 76–84
  6. ^ V. B. Kolte, Shrichakradhara Charitra (श्रीचक्रधर चरित्र), Arun Prakashan, Malkapur, 1952, pp. 1-11.
  7. ^ Lokrajya, Volume 41. Directorate-General of Information and Public Relations. 1985. p. 15.
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