JORHAT, April 2 – The Auniati Satra Satradhikar, Dr Pitambar Deva Goswami, formally announced institution of a ‘Srimanta Sankardeva Research Fellowship Trust’ with a capital investment of Rs 1 lakh. He made the revealation as above while presiding over the open session of the ‘Sant Samaroh’ at the Sammannay Sadhan Kshetra of Teok Kaliapani, to the east of the city here on Sunday.
“Instituted in hallowed memory of 16th Century saint reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, an annual grant will henceforth be offered to a deserving research scholar pursuing a theological topic,”, he said. “The thesis will subsequently be translated and printed in different languages by the Satra,” he informed the three-day religious congregation to commemorate completion of 350 venerated years by the Auniati Satra. Besides being attended by a record number of 250 satradhikars, 17 valuable publications were also released at the ‘samaroh’.
Pertaining to the Brahma Samhati sect, the Vaishnavite monastery was established by Niranjan Pathak of Kuruabahi in 1635 under the tutelage of Ahom Swargadeo Jayadhwaja Singha. Compelled to shift base four times since inception in order to avoid persistent land erosion by the turbulent Brahmaputra, the presently-established new complex at Kaliapani has its roots at Jagunidhari in river island Majuli.
Attending the open session as chief guest, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi declared. “A replica satra with ingredients from all the Vaishnavite monasteries in the State will soon be set up in Guwahati, so that it can attract both domestic and foreign tourists.” Further, “conceptualised to achieve multi-pronged objectives, efforts are also under way to establish a ‘Sankardeva Cultural Centre’ in New Delhi too”, he added.
A discussion on, ‘Geographical and cultural protection of Majuli’ was inaugurated by former Cambridge University mathematician and an illustrious son of the world’s largest human-inhabited river island, Dr Khargeswar Bez. Adopting several resolutions on improvement of road communication, and preservation of the unparalled cultural repository, Dr Pitambar Deva Goswami was asked to apprise the Central Government about the decisions arrived at, while demanding that Majuli’s case be recognised as a national problem.
As Dibrugarh University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Kulendu Pathak cited the case of the erstwhile Roman empire, he reasoned, “Cultural integration alone is bound to be short-lived, minus a stable economic standing”. Moreover, “no world body nor outside agency can help us forever, other than extending a helping hand. Sustained and collective effort of the Assamese apart, nothing else can save the treasure island,” he emphasised. Dr Jogendra Nath Sarma of DU subsequently presented a well-documented account of the river island from 1917 to 2001, as Dr Durgeswar Doley, Ananta Baruah, Bharat Saikia, Dilip Kumar Phukan, Ananda Hazarika and lecturer Kumud Bora participated in the discussion.
Earlier, elaborating on the topic, ‘Role of sants in conservation and propagation of social and moral values’, the Asom Satra Mahasabha president, Narayan Chandra Goswami, introspected, “Sankardeva and Madhavdeva clearly achieved their objective despite operating among ill-informed people then. On the contrary, despite being better-placed today, we have not been able to make much headway”. He expressed concern at the triggered by persistent bickering over trivial matters by a myopic section within the satras. Moreover, “having failed to grasp the sublime tenets germane to the Bhakti cult, some followers have in recent times deserted the fold and adopted other religious faiths,” he said.
“No less a university, the satras not only impact knowledge about alphabets, numerology, theology, ethics, morality, music and literature, but also arouse the innate artistic traits lying dormant in a shishya”, the speaker reasoned. Calling for setting up a new social order, he stressed on imbibing the principles and philosophy espoused by the gurus, both in letter and spirit.
The Auniati Satra Satradhikar and celebration committee president Dr Pitambar Deva Goswami, subsequently inferred, “with morality often going down the drain in the face of crass consumerism, religion too was destined to take a back seat. Not surprisingly, social turmoil has been rampant”. Urging the satras to fine-tune themselves in accordance with the changing times, he appealed to society at large to keep alive the living treasure trove of Vaishnavite culture in their own interest. Among others, Priyabrata Brahmachari of Bangladesh aired his views on: ‘Role of satras and society in spiritual upliftment of the new generation’.