By Nandkumar M Kamat
The state government is officially celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of the great Goan spiritual visionary and saint Sohirobanath Ambiye (A.D.1714- 1792). Full credit goes to directorate of art and culture led by its dynamic director Prasad Lolienkar for remembering and recognising this historic event and adding a feather in the cap
following the success of centenary celebrations of historian D D Kosambi and the iconic lecture series launched in his name.
The state-level committee constituted to draw the detailed programme would meet on July 25 under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister. Combined with grand preparations to celebrate the decennial exposition of sacred relics of the patron saint of Goa Saint Francis Xavier the tercentenary of birth of Yogi Sohirobanath is an excellent opportunity to spread some wisdom and sanity among spiritually starved masses jolted by wave of crimes and stung by selfishness and greed.
Saints of all religions belong to the whole mankind because their sainthood helps us all to be good human beings. We need to welcome the unequivocal commitment and seriousness of the Goa government in putting on the right pedestal the great spiritual legacy of Sohirobanath Ambiye who stood for relentless pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and building a good character.
Secular saint
Although Sohirobanath was known as an authority on ‘Shaktipat yoga’ and ‘Brahmdarshan’, his spiritual works, poems, invocations distill the essence of ancient Indian Vedantic and Upanishadic wisdom. He was a secular saint like the Maharashtrian saint Namdev with a broad pan Indian appeal. Sohirobanath makes understanding of the profound philosophy of Kath-Upanishad simple for common man. His one verse says – ‘Antaricha dnyandiva malvu nako re’ (do not ever extinguish the lamp of knowledge in your heart) reminding one of the Buddha’s messages ‘Atta Deep Bhav’ (Be thy own light). The young and smart generation of Goans should feel proud that here was born 300 years ago a saint who championed pursuit of knowledge with humility and spirituality for service of mankind in contrast with blind and photostatic imitations of western models of self centric, selfish and dehumanising education incompatible with India’s multicultural ethos.
Saint Ambiye’s story tells us how ordinary mortal leading a simple family life could attain extraordinary heights. Born in the scenic Paliyem village in Pernem taluka, young Atchyut Anant Ambiye did not know till he resolved to resign from his post of the revenue inspector at the age of 35 years, what life defining spiritual experience was waiting for him in the forests of Insuli, Sawantwadi.
He did not know that he would spend next 25 years as a Yogi before permanently leaving his family at the age of 60 years for a pilgrimage to north India and he would be known everywhere he traveled as Sant Sohirobanath.
In his budget speech in March this year, the Chief Minister had declared that the directorate of art and culture will publish a compilation of his entire available work and would establish a chair at Goa University for research in Marathi language and Goan Marathi literature in his name. It was around A.D. 1910, that a Goan follower of Saint Sohirobanath, Bhagwant Balkrishna Pai Raikar worked tirelessly to collect his scattered works and published Akshaya Bodha, Mahadanubhaveshwari, Purnakshari, Advayananda, Siddhanta Samhita and Padasangraha with his own money. These sixteen thousand spiritual verses, written over period of three to four years was an explosive creative outburst of young Sohirobanath whose routine family life was transformed by a legendary spiritual encounter with the great Yogi Gahininath in the forest of Insuli.
Bhagwant Pai Raikar’s efforts made the Goans in republican Portuguese Goa realise the greatness of the saint. The second effort to introduce the great saint to the nation was made in 1973 by Panaji’s Swami Vivekananda Society by publishing a monograph in Marathi on Saint Sohirobanath aptly compiled by Goa’s poet laureate Bakibab Borkar. It includes the only available biography of the Saint.
Sohirobanath’s pilgrimages
A lot of mystery surrounds Sohirobanath’s pilgrimages in central and north India between A.D. 1774 -1792. He had impressed the royal family of Scindias of Gwalior. The legend has it that Maratha warrior Mahadaji Shinde after an interesting encounter in his court accepted him as his spiritual Guru and built a monastery for him in Ujjain. The
Scindia connection of Saint Sohirobanath has not been deeply explored.
Those who spare time to read his persuasive devotional verses in Marathi would find that he was truly a saint who stressed on self realisation, self enlightenment and pursuit of knowledge.
Goa’s famous classical singer Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki immortalised one of his popular composition ‘Haribhajanavin Kal Ghalavu nako re’ (Do not waste thy time without prayers to the divine). A simple translation of this beautiful poem with profound spiritual connotations would appeal followers of any religious denominations.
In his pilgrimages (A.D.1774-1792) in western and central India, Sohirobanath had come into contact with Sufi saints. His Hindi poems indicate their influence.
Sohirobanath’s guru was the revered Yogi Gahininath whom the Muslims recognise as ‘Gaibi pir’. Saint Sohirobanath’s disciples established monasteries in his name at Akkalkot, Ujjain and Surat. He is the only saint credited with composition of spiritual verses in Marathi, Konkani, Hindi and Gujarati which makes him the first pan Indian saint born in Goa.
Goa’s poet laureate Bakibab Borkar had remarked that in terms of his Hindi devotional compositions Sohirobanath’s work is comparable to Saint Namdev who is a household name in Maharashtra and Punjab. What relevance Sant Sohirobanath has for the modern world? The globalised world is benumbed by acts of terrorism, barbarism and cruelty. Innocent civilians are getting killed in the name of religion or geopolitics. The highly urbanised and affluent Goan society also has several ethical, moral and behavioral issues at hand and needs a good dose of spirituality and common sense wisdom.
Therefore if society pays deep attention to the life, work and teachings of Sant Sohirobanath and vows to spread a culture of knowledge, peace and wisdom, then this beautiful state would leave behind a legacy which generations to come would appreciate. Wisdom of saints is our balm for curing the aches created by globalisation.