Lamkona Govindagiri was a resident of Banduka, in the district of Rangpur, now included in Bangladesh which was a part of the territory of Assam in the past. Govindagiri’s wife died and he left Banduka, came to Alipukhuri near Bardowa. In course of time Govindagiri married Manorama, a cousin sister of Sankardeva.

The sequence of events compelled Govindagiri to live for sometime in the residence of Harisinga Bora of Narayanpur village where his wife Manorama gave birth to a son, Madhavdeva, in the year 1489 AD. Govindagiri then lived with his friend Ghaghari Majhi where his daughter Urvashi was married to Gayapani. Govindagiri with his son Madhavdeva left for Banduka and Madhavdeva was admitted to a Sanskrit Tol, for prosecuting studies, managed by one Rajendra Adhyapaka. In course of time, Madhavdeva became well-versed in Tantras, Tarka-sashtras, Puranas and other Hindu Sastras belonging to Saktism and became a staunch follower of Saktism. Govindagiri, father of Madhavdeva left this mortal world and Madhavdeva came back to Temoni where his mother was lying precariously ill. In course of time Madhavdeva came to know about the great Vaisnavite saint Sankardeva, the learned preacher of neo-Vaisnavite cult, from his brother-in-law, Gayapani, Urvashi’s husband. Madhavdeva, who was very proud of his learning, became ready to face Sankardeva in a religious debate. Madhavdeva believed in inculcating the worship of various gods and goddesses offering animal blood. In a boastful attitude he had been to Dhuwahata, where Sankardeva, the preacher of Bhakti-cult was resting. The debate began in a congenial atmosphere. Madhavdeva with all his talents and knowledge placed the tenets of the Agam Sastras base on the Prabrithi marga quoting references from the Kalika Purana, Chandi Purana, Hara-Gouri Sambada etc. Sankardeva interacted by placing the arguments citing and ascribing from the Vedas, the Vedantas, the Gita and the Bhagavata which disclosed the temporal desires, showing path to salvation. Sankardeva discarded the views of Saktism. Madhavdeva got nervous and with all humiliation beame dumb. He felt, as if he was a manikin standing against the lofty colossal stalwart. Madhavdeva could fathom the greatness of Sankardeva, fell-flat on his feet and accepted him as Guru. Sankardeva welcomed him as his disciple. In course of time, Madhavdeva became indispensable for the neo-Vaisnavite cult for preaching and fighting against Tantrism.

The neo-Vaisnavite religious movement of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva also contributed to the richness of Assamese literature. The Bhakti movement introduced by the two saints swept over the length and breadth of the region through the two institutions, the Sattras and the Namghars in a exaggerated wave of spiritualism. Every Namghar with a stage and auditorium, was a congregational prayer hall. It was the place for initiation of the new devotees. It was the centre for enrichment of literature and learning. This magnificient prayer hall served for spreading the Bhakti cult through songs, dance, drama, music and other cultural activities. Sankardeva and Madhavdeva utilised the Sattras and Namghars for the propagation of the neo-Vaisnavite cult, for reformation, initiation, discussing religious scriptures and for religions congregation. These two sacred institutions became the centres for integrity, solidarity, unity and fraternity of the people of diversified sections where everybody had the right to equality without having any caste distinction.

As per wish of the great saint Sankardeva, his chief disciple Madhavdeva became the head of the cult Eka-sarana-nama-dharma propagated by the preceptor.

Madhavdeva was a genius poet, an erudite scholar, a musician of excellence, a litterateur of highly creative faculty and one of the initiators of Bhakti movement.

The Namghosa is the magnanimous achievement of Mahapurush Madhavdeva’s life where he dealt with the most prudential philosophy of Vedas and Vedantas. The Assamese literature came into great prominence, while both the saints initiated the Bhakti movement in this region during the medieval age, with the adaptation of the Sanskrit Kavyas and scripts to Assamese language. Both the scholar were prolific writers and wrote in different forms in Asomiya literature.

Madhavdeva discarded untouchability and caste distinction in human society as a social evil, which devided the people with disintegration. Madhavdeva believed equality in man and elevated the downtrodden people who were virtuous to the position of ‘Dharmacharyya’.

Sankardeva and Madhavdeva, the preachers of the Bhakti Marga were influenced by the impelling sources from the Gita and the Bhagavata. Bhaona enactment, devotional songs, Bargeets and Bhatimas and dances went a long way in propagating the neo-Vaisnavite cult. Through his multifarious contributions Madhavdeva could create a new horizon in Assamese literature with impressive spiritual ethics.

Courtesy: The Assam Tribune (June 2006)