Gunamala () is a scripture written by

Sankardev Srimanta Sankardev (, ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of ...

within one night at the request of Koch king

Nara Narayan Naranarayan ( 1554–1587) was the last ruler of the undivided Koch dynasty of the Kamata Kingdom. He succeeded his father, Biswa Singha. Under him the Koch kingdom reached its cultural and political zenith. Under his rule, and under the mi ...

in 1552. It is an abridged version (handbook) of

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

capturing in racy, rhyming and sonorous verses. The poet recounts many incidents from Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

's life making them easy to remember in this book. Gunamala

Background

One day, King Naranarayan held some debates in his court between the Pandits and Sankardev. King Naranarayan once asked the court poets to give him, in one day, a condensed version of the entire ten cantos of the Bhagawat Purana. When all Pundits said it was not possible to do so in such a short time, Sankardev took up the challenge and accomplished the feat in one night. After he had condensed the substance of the ten chapters of the Bhagawat Purana into a small booklet, he put it into a small wooden box. Then he painted the box with hengul-haital (yellow and red) an elephant squeezed inside a circle. He called it ''Bhurukaat Haathi''- meaning an elephant squeezed in the Lime-pot (in Assamese: হাতী মাৰি ভুৰুকাত ভৰোৱা)! The pleased King Naranarayana honoured Sankardev.

Translation

In 1923, Benudhar Rajkhowa translated this book for the first time into English subtitled as Garland of Praises in verse. Again the English translation of this book in prose subtitled as Garland of Virtues was released on 7 April 2013. The translation has been done by Dr. Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, who has translated Sankardev's

Borgeet Borgeets () are a collection of lyrical songs that are set to specific ragas but not necessarily to any tala. These songs, composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in the 15th-16th centuries, are used to begin prayer services in monas ...

s and

Madhavdev (1489–1596) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a shakta worshipper, he was converted to Ekasarana Dharma by Sankardev and b ...

's Namghosha a few years back. In 2010, '' Devi Prasad Bagrodia'' translated this book into Hindi and published keeping the same name ''Gunamala'' in both book as well as audio CD form.

Usage

This book is greatly revered by the followers of Eka Sharana Nama Dharma, who keep it at the ''Guru asana'' (altar) in the congregational prayer-house called

Namghar ''Namghar'' ( ) is a place for congregational worship associated with the entire Assamese community and the ''Ekasarana'' sect of Hinduism, in particular, that is native to Assam. Besides forming the primary structure used for worship, they a ...

as the symbol of God.

References

External links

{{wikisourcelang, as, গুণমালা
English translation of Sankardev's Gunamala

Ebook version in Assamese
at issuu.com. Books from Assam Ekasarana Dharma 1552 books Assamese literature

Background

Translation

Usage

See also

References

External links