Biographical Essays are very hard to write. Because writing this type of essay needs proper knowledge of the person. Students should be aware of the achievement, contribution, birthplaces, and a lot of things about that person. Srimanta Sankardeva is a great religious leader for Assamese culture. Writing an essay on the Topic “Srimanta Sankardeva” is common in SEBA examinations and any school in Assam. So, here is a brief essay on Srimanta Sankardeva for all level of students.
Table of Contents
Writing a 500+ words Essay on Srimanta Sankardeva
Introduction:
If there was one person who exercised the most profound influence on Assamese life and culture, it was undoubtedly Srimanta Sankardeva. In fact, without Sankardeva, the Assamese nationality would not have been what it is today. Whether it is the religious and cultural life of the Assamese people or the rich heritage of medieval Assamese literature, we find the deepest impression left by Srimanta Sankardeva.
Life of Srimanta Shankardeva
Sankardeva was born at Bordowa in the district of Nowgaon, Assam, on Aswina 5,1449 A.D. He lost his mother Satyasandhya, a few days after his birth and his father Kusumbar Bhuyan when he was still a boy. Orphan Sankardeva was brought up by his grandmother, Khersuti Aai. He was a child prodigy. He showed his intellectual brilliance in his ability to learn the Sanskrit scriptures quickly and correctly. His physical power was proved on many occasions, such as holding an angry bull by the horns and taming it, swimming across the turbulent Brahmaputra during the rainy season, chasing and catching a wild deer, etc. His biographers also speak of a cobra shading his face exposed, to the sun when he was deep asleep. A miraculous child indeed!
Contribution of Srimanta Sankardeva:
It is almost impossible to assess the contribution of Srimanta Sankardeva to the religious and cultural life of Assam. Contribution within the compass of such an essay. His learning enabled him to see clearly how the ignorance of the people was being exploited by the adherents of the Sakti and Tantric cults. He began preaching his Ekasharana Dharma i. e. adherence to the one God, singing whose glory alone, one could expect to get rid of sin and suffering. But his task was not easy. He had to encounter stiff opposition from people who saw their own fall in the rise of Sankardeva. They even conspired against his life, lodging complaints with royal personages against what they called his ‘misdeeds’. But slowly and surely, the Vaishnava religion preached by Sankardeva gained firm ground with the help of devoted disciples like Damodardev, Haridev, Gopal Ata, and above all the great ascetic poet Madhavdev. It is noteworthy that two of his earliest and greatest disciples, viz Damodardev and Haridev, were Brahmins, whereas the Brahmins, in general, were hostile to him. He vanquished many such hostile elements in various religious debates where he was required to participate.
Apart from direct sermons, Sankardeva used poetry, music, drama as well as painting as media for preaching his new Bhakti Cult. His works Kirtana, Dasam, etc. were based on Sanskrit scriptures like the Srimadbhagavadgita, but they represent the handiwork of an incomparable literary genius. These books, particularly, the Kirtana, have become invaluable possessions of every Assamese household. His Bargits (lofty songs) touched the souls. of the people who joined in thousands to sing the glory of Hari. Though the theatrical performance of his Ankiya Natas (plays divided into Acts), Sankardeva succeeded in popularising his new cult.
Conclusion:
Assam is yet to produce a second man as great as Sankardeva, or someone who has approached his greatness. He is such a towering personality in the history of Assam that one might speak of him as word-worth spoke of Milton “Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart.”