Ramprasad Sen
Ramprasad Sen | |
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British India | |
Other names | Sadhak Ramprasad |
Occupation(s) | Saint, poet |
Known for | Ramprasadi |
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Shaktism |
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Rāmprasād Sen (c. 1723 or c. 1718 – c. 1775) was a
It is said that, Ramprasad was born into a Bengali Baidya Brahmin family, and showed an inclination towards poetry from an early age. He was highly influenced by Krishnananda Agamavagisha, a Tantric scholar and yogi. Ramprasad became well known for his devotional songs. His life has been the subject of many stories depicting his devotion to, and relationship with, Kali. Ramprasad's literary works include Vidyasundar, Kali-kirtana, Krishna-kirtana and Shaktigiti.
Ramprasad is credited with creating a new compositional form that combined the Bengali folk style of Baul music with classical melodies and kirtan. The new style took root in Bengali culture with many poet-composers combining folk and raga-based melodies, mixing every common style of music from classical to semi-classical and folk.[7] His songs are sung today, with a popular collection—Ramprasadi Sangit ("Songs of Ramprasad")—sold at Shakta temples and pithas in Bengal.[5]
Biography
Biographies of Ramprasad are a mixture of biography, metaphor, and legend.[6]
Early life
Ramprasad was born in
Ramram hoped his son would follow in his profession, but Ramprasad showed no interest in practical pursuits. As he grew up, his spiritual inclinations caused a great deal of anxiety to his parents. Believing that marriage would make Ramprasad more responsible, his parents married him to a girl named Sarvani when he was twenty-two years old.
Employment
Instead of following his parents wishes and looking for a job, it is said that Ramprasad devoted most of his time to sadhana. Ramram died before he could make provisions to support the family. Forced finally by poverty, Ramprasad moved to Kolkata and worked as an accountant in the household of Durga Charan Mitra for a monthly salary of thirty rupees.[12] According to traditional accounts, during his employment Ramprasad would write devotional songs to Kali.[12] His fellow employees were appalled to see Ramprasad write poems in his account book, and reported him to their employer. Durga Charan Mitra, upon reading Ramprasad's work, was moved by his piety and literary skill. Instead of dismissing Ramprasad from work, he asked him to return to his village and compose songs to Kali, while continuing to pay his salary.[6]
Sadhana and poetry
After returning to his village, Ramprasad spent most of his time in sadhana, meditation, and prayer. Traditional accounts tell of several esoteric sadhanas that he performed, including standing neck-deep in the river
Sister Nivedita's book Kali the Mother accounts for an encounter of Ramprasad with Nawab Sirajuddaula, who was traveling in a barge and came across Ramprasad, singing on a shore. Fascinated by his music, the young Nawab welcomed him aboard and asked him to sing. Ramprasad was hesitant as he did not know any other song than the Shyama Sangeet, so the Nawab asked him to sing the songs dedicated to his Mother. [22]
Death
During Ramprasad's old age, he was looked after by his son Ramdulal and daughter-in-law Bhagavati.[23]
A folk story is told of Ramprasad's death.
However, recent documentary evidence, a Kabulatipatra dated April 1794 bearing the sign of Ramprasad Sen as a witness, clearly proves the fact that Ramprasad Sen was alive in 1794. The said Kabulatipatra has been preserved and displayed at
Stories and legends
In Bengal, popular stories and legends are told of Ramprasad.[28] One of the most well known stories is about a "radiant girl" who helped him one day. Ramprasad was repairing a fence with the assistance of his daughter, who left shortly thereafter. Soon a "radiant girl", whom he didn't recognize, came to help him. After finishing the task, she vanished. According to the story, Ramprasad then realized that she was a manifestation of Kali.[6]
Another popular story is told of Ramprasad's vision of goddess
Poetry and influence
Ramprasad Sen is regarded as one of the notable figures of the
Ramprasad created a new compositional form that combined the Bengali folk style of
Ramprasad's songs are known as Ramprasadi.
Ramprasad's literary works include Vidyasundar (or Kalikaman-gala) (ca. sixth or seventh decade of the 18th century), Kali-kirtana, the fragmentary Krishna-kirtana, and Shaktigiti.[33][37] Kali-kirtana is a collection of lyric and narrative poetry describing the early life of Uma. Krishna-kirtana is an incomplete book of poems and songs to Krishna—the complete collection is yet to be discovered. Vidyasundara Kavya is written in a narrative style that was already popular in Bengali literature, telling the traditional love story of Vidya and Sundara—children of kings who are aided by Kali in meeting, falling in love, and marrying. Shaktigiti is Ramprasad's well known and respected work, in which he expresses his deepest feelings and love for Kali. In Shaktigiti, he shares the most intimate relationship with Kali—a child who can both love and quarrel with his mother over the inequities of human birth.[37]
One of Ramprasad's hymns to the Goddess is as follows:[44]
Another of his popular poems describes the human attempt to understand the Goddess:[45]
You think you understand the Goddess?
Even philosophers can not explain her.
The scriptures say that she, herself,
is the essence of us all. It is she, herself,
who brings life through her sweet will.
You think you understand her?
I can only smile, you think that you can
truly know her? I can only laugh!
But what our minds accept, our hearts do not.
Ants try to grasp the moon, we the goddess.
Ramprasad's songs are still popular in Bengal[39][46][47][48] and recited regularly in the worship of Kali.[41] Scholar Shuma Chakrovarty notes that his songs are "broadcast over the radio and sung on the streets and in the homes and temples of Calcutta by a cross-section of people—children, the elderly, housewives, businessmen, scholars, the illiterate, monks, householders, and the youth of all classes".[49] Many of his songs were sung by popular Shyama Sangeet singers like Dhananjay Bhattacharya, Pannalal Bhattacharya, and Anup Ghoshal. Still his master literature combination of simple words in the songs melts one's hearts and floods the eye with tears. An [anekanta]vadin reading of Ramprasad's texts is also found.
Notes
- ^ a b c Harding 1998, p. 215
- ^ a b c d Heehs 2002, p. 346
- ^ Martin 2003, p. 191
- ^ Ayyappapanicker 1997, p. 64
- ^ a b c d McDaniel 2004, p. 162
- ^ a b c d e Hixon & Jadunath Sinha 1994, pp. 205–207
- ^ a b Arnold 2000, p. 846.
- ^ McDaniel 2004, p. 162.
- ^ "Ekhon Samay". ekhonsamay.com. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ Bhaṭṭācārya, Āśutosha (1951). Early Bengali Saiva Poetry. Calcutta Book House. p. 59.
Kaviranjan Rāmprasād Sen is known to be the first and the foremost poet of these Agamaní and Vijayā songs. Rāmprasād, the devotee poet of Bengal, was born, in the first part of the Eighteenth Century, of a respectable Vaidya family of Dhanvantari gotra.
- ^ a b c d Harding 1998, p. 216
- ^ a b c Harding 1998, p. 217
- ^ Harding 1998, p. 219
- ^ Harding 1998, p. 221
- ^ Budhanananda 1994, p. 21
- ^ Harding 1998, p. 228
- ^ a b Harding 1998, p.220
- ^ Hixon & Jadunath Sinha 1994, p. 204
- ^ a b c Islam & Sajahan Miah 2003, p. 158
- ^ Thompson 2006, p. 17
- ^ Hixon & Jadunath Sinha 1994, p. 206
- ^ Kali The Mother, by Sister Nivedita, Chapter: Two Saints of Kali, Link: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.215935
- ^ a b Harding 1998, p. 231
- ^ Harding 1998, p .233
- ^ Heehs 2002, p. 346
- ISBN 81-87648-36-8
- ^ Ramprasad Prayan Rahasya by Sibsoumya Biswas, Bartaman Patrika, 05.10.2015
- ^ Hixon & Jadunath Sinha 1994, p. 205
- ^ a b Harding 1998, pp. 225–226
- ^ Zaehner 1983, p. 145
- ^ Zaehner 1983, p. 139
- ^ Rodrigues 2006, p. 183
- ^ a b Sen 1960, pp. 155–156
- ^ Islam & Harun-or-Rashid, Aklam Hussain 1992, p. 286
- ^ McDaniel 2004, p. 21
- ^ Ayyappapanicker 1997, p. 64.
- ^ a b c Majumdar 1992, pp. 3912–3913
- ^ White 2001, p. 168.
- ^ a b c Thompson 2006, p. 19
- ^ Hixon 1998, pp. 16–17
- ^ a b Harding 1998, p. 214
- ^ The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, by Swami Nikhilananda, Introduction, p. 13.
- ^ Satyananda 2006, p. 157
- ^ Nathan & Clinton B. Seely 1982, p. 60
- ^ Monaghan 1999, p. 334.
- ^ Tagore, Krishna Dutta & Andrew Robinson 1997, p.175
- Barrackpur. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
A poet, sensitive about his time and his songs are to be heard in practically every rural Bengali home even today.
- ^ Lipner 1998, p. 261, "Ramprasad Sen, and eighteenth-century Bengali Sakta devotee of Kali who is still popular among his compatriots."
- ^ Hixon & Jadunath Sinha 1994, p. 207
References
- Arnold, Alison, ed. (2000). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Taylor & Francis. p. 846. ISBN 978-0-8240-4946-1.
- Ayyappapanicker, K. (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 64. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
- Budhanananda, Swami (1994). Ramprasad: The Melodious Mystic. ISBN 978-81-7505-240-6.
- Harding, Elizabeth U. (1998). Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1450-9.
- ISBN 978-81-7824-079-4.
- Hixon, Lex; Jadunath Sinha (1994). Mother of the Universe. Quest Books. ISBN 978-0-8356-0702-5.
- ISBN 978-0-943914-80-0.
- Islam, Sirajul; Sajahan Miah (2003). Banglapedia: national encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 978-984-32-0584-1.
- Islam, Sirajul; Harun-or-Rashid, Aklam Hussain (1992). History of Bangladesh, 1704-1971. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 978-984-512-337-2.
- Majumdar, Manas (1992). Mohan Lal (ed.). Encyclopedia of Indian Literature. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
- ISBN 978-0-415-05182-8.
- Martin, Nancy M. (2003). "North Indian Hindi Devotional Literature". In Gavin D. Flood (ed.). The Blackwell companion to Hinduism. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-21535-6.
- McDaniel, June (2004). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-516790-0.
- Mondol, Promothonath (1999). Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair : Selected Poems to the Mother Goddess, Ramprasad Sen. Hohm Press, Prescott, Arizona. ISBN 978-0-934252-94-2.
- Monaghan, Patricia (1999). The Goddess Companion. Llewellyn Worldwide. ISBN 978-1-56718-463-1.
- Nathan, Leonard; Clinton B. Seely (1982). Grace and mercy in her wild hair: selected poems to the Mother Goddess. Great Eastern. pp. 73. ISBN 978-0-87773-761-2.
- Rodrigues, Hillary (2006). Introducing Hinduism. Routledge. p. 416. ISBN 978-0-415-39269-3.
- Satyananda, Swami (2006). A Collection of Biographies of 4 Kriya Yoga Gurus. iUniverse. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-595-38675-8.
- Sen, Sukumar (1960). History of Bengali Literature (3 ed.). Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-7201-107-9.
- Tagore, Rabindranath; Krishna Dutta; Andrew Robinson (1997). Selected letters of Rabindranath Tagore. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-59018-1.
- Thompson, Edward J. (2006). Bengali Religious Lyrics, Sakta. The Heritage of India. Read Books.
- White, David Gordon (2001). Tantra in Practice. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 168. ISBN 978-81-208-1778-4.
- Zaehner, R. C. (1983). Hinduism. Oxford University Press. pp. 218. ISBN 978-0-19-888012-7.
Further reading
- Banerjee, Shyamal (January 2004). Divine Songs of Sage Poet Ramprasad. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 275. ISBN 978-81-215-1085-1.
- Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal, Ramprasad Sen, Translated by Rachel Fell McDermott (ISBN 0-195134-34-6)
External links
- Sadhak Ramprasad (2h17m22s), Bengali film (English subtitles) on life of Ramprasad (1956)
- Works by or about Ramprasad Sen at Internet Archive
- Ramprasad Sen at Encyclopædia Britannica
- Poems of Ramprasad: poetseers.org
- History of Ramprasad Sen Challenged