A Critical Analysis of Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult

Nishamani Kar, Basant Kumar Dash, Bijoy Kumar Nanda , Fanindam Deo

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English

Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
15 May 2024

Philosophy of religion; Spirituality & religious experience

Series: Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical

A Critical Analysis of Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult is a rare compendium of insightful essays by eminent Indian scholars on the Mahima Cult, its genesis, and its growth. The volume focuses on Bhima Bhoi, the poet-philosopher and the prime interlocutor of the Renegade Faith, who started a revolt from below to champion human rights. To critically appreciate the Saint-poet Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult (Dharma of Glory), the history of the 19th-century Indian sociocultural system, especially that of Odisha and its adjoining states, needs to be reconstructed. Since there is no surviving oral and written text authored by the founder of the cult, Mahima Swami, it is only the unlettered genius Bhima Bhoi, who produced innumerable prayers, hymns, and poetic recitals of profound philosophical import, which made him the legend, the poet-archivist, and historiographer of the Mahima Cult. Bhima was simultaneously the poet of the soul and the soil, who used theology and social experience to provide a supportive sub-structure to a transcendent, ecstatic vision. This volume asserts that Mahima Dharma is an autochthonous reform movement and a regional variation of the Indian Bhakti tradition and mystical poetry.

Contributions by: Basant Kumar Dash, Bijoy Kumar Nanda, Fanindam Deo, Gagan Behari Das
Edited by: Nishamani Kar
Imprint: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781666955576
ISBN 10: 1666955574
Series: Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical
Pages: 212
Publication Date: 15 May 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Nishamani Kar is a retired Group ‘A’ Officer of Govt. of India (Ministry of Defence), superannuated from the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune, as Head of English faculty, and is presently working as the Senior Consultant, ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti’ (Ministry of Education, Govt. of India).

Reviews for A Critical Analysis of Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult

The Mahima cult, the latest blossoming of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism), endorses a novel Shunya (the void) paradigm where the enjoyer and the enjoyed, the seer and the seen are merged in the non-dual, the Supreme Brahma. Inevitably, the meditation on 'shunyata' can lead one to - the Anām (the nameless), Anādi (one without beginning), Alekha (the indescribable), Avyakta (the ineffable), and Niranjana (one who is everlasting). This Shunya is considered the Mahima- the prime urge of all creation. This volume explains the above-said esoteric wisdom in clear, concise, and concrete terms, taking the key from Bhima Bhoi's lyrical mellifluousness and eventually proving to be a reader's proud possession. -- Shreya Bhattacharji, Central University of Jharkhand With fifteen critical essays on Bhima Bhoi and Mahima cult, this volume explores Bhima Bhoi’s thoughts and writings replete with folk idioms and colloquial dialect that have a direct bearing on the growth of Mahimā Dharma in the late 19th century Odisha, India. Marked as a revolutionary religious movement that advocates one God and casteless society, Mahimā Dharma denounced the traditional brahminical rituals and practices which allegedly induced social injustice, religious bigotry, and caste discrimination. This volume upholds the nuances of Bhima Bhoi’s oeuvre and advocates that Mahima signifies devotion and surrender to the Supreme Reality, which is beyond all attributes. Typical in injunctions and affirmations, the renegade faith is more of an exclamation of ecstatic wonder than a rational enunciation. -- Dwijen Sharma, North-Eastern Hill University