Salabega: An Embodiment of Love and Devotion

I was listening to a famous song written by Salabega, the 17^th century Oriya poet. The songs of Salabega are known almost to everybody in Odisha and in some other parts of India. He is a household name in Odisha. I had an idea that he was a 18^th or 19^th century poet, but a search in internet brought that he was born in the 17^th century. Internet hence proves to be a great utility. I disagree with those who argue that internet diverts our mind, and kills our time. I am a fan of information technology. It has made our life tremendously easy. If a person seeks distraction, it can be a good source. But a person who wants to excel in his field or needs useful information, internet can be a great aid.

Salabega’s story is unique. His mother was an Oriya Hindu Brahmin, while his father was a Bengali Musilm. The story goes that his father Lalbeg, a commander in the Nawab of Bengal’s force had taken part in the campaign against Odisha. While on return he saw this beautiful woman on a pond taking bath. He seized this woman and took away along with him as his prize. He married her (I do not know how far we can characterize it as a marriage. History does not provide much information on it: whether he married her and lived with her as a husband. General belief is that he married her and they lived together as husband and wife).

Salabega, after grown up, took part in campaigns as his father. Once he got severely wounded but could not recover from the wounds, to which his Hindu religious mother suggested to pray Hindu God Krishna. The prayer worked miracle and he was cured. This motivated Salabega to be a devotee of Krishna. Krishna is held an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and also of Lord Jagannath. Salabega turned to be a devotee of Lord Jagannath.

A few words about Lord Jagannath. Jagannath is considered patron God of Odisha. He is also called living God of Odisha. I have seen people when going out for some work chant Jagannath as they step out of home. I have seen people touching national highways in Odisha and chanting Jay Jagannath (hail to Jagannath), believing that the God will save them from accidents on road and the other problems. There is a long story behind Jagannath, which I will narrate some other time. Suffice to say, Jagannath is a part of parcel of Odisha culture, particularly among the Hindus. The Hindus all over India visit the temple of Jagannath situated on the east coast of Odisha, India. The Jagannath temple is considered to be among the four holiest places for Hindu pilgrimage.

Salabega became a devotee of Jagannath, and started writing poems filled with intense devotion and love for the God. The song I was listening today on YouTube meant that ‘O’ God you are for your devotee, everything you have is of your devotees; you do everything for your devotee.’ It is said that many of his songs were lost as they were not preserved. There is a common trend one can find in Salabega’s poems and devotional songs. He seems to chastise himself, his birth in a family, which is neither Hindu nor Muslim. To paraphrase, he says, ‘My father is son of a Mughal, my mother is a Brahmin, O’ my Lord, you gave me a low-birth.’

The angst is clearly visible in his songs. Though a devotee of Jagannath, Salabega was never allowed to enter the temple because his father was a Muslim. That did not deter this great poet and lover of humanity to continue his work, writing devotional songs. There is a story that once when Salabega was coming from a distant place (perhaps Bengal) to watch Car Festival (this takes place every year, in which the wooden statues of Lord Jagannath along with his brother Valbhadra and sister Subhadra are taken out from the temple by the devotees and placed on wooden cars to visit their aunt’s house This ritual has a strong mythical origin). Salabega thought of watching his God from a close, because for him it was not possible to see the God in the temple. But he was getting late, and he had to walk so much. He wrote in one song, ‘I have to walk 750 kosh (Oriya word, perhaps implying mile).’ The legend has it that the car of Lord Jagannath did not move and stopped at one place despite all efforts by the priests to move the car. Salabega reached the place and had communication with his Lord, and only after that the car moved. To mark and cherish this event, every year even now the car stops for few moments on the road.

I would call Salabega a gift of God. He did not have any formal training in literature or rhetoric or music. His writings were profound, so powerful, it would be impossible to write such inspiring poems without God-given creativity. When I think about this, another powerful Oriya poet comes to my mind, whose name is Bhima Bhoi, whose poems are so powerful, so self-effacing, and so meditating, I doubt whether persons having university degrees could match such poems. I think Salabega belonged to the genre of Bhakti movement. Some other great stalwarts of this movement are Sri Chaitanya and Pancha Sakha (five friends – Balaram, Jagannath, Ananta, Yashowant, and Achyuta). Among many strains of Hindu yogic movements, Bhakti is a prime one which emphasizes on devotion to God. It also demands surrender to God. It is characterized by intense passion and love for God. In that sense it has similarities with another strain called Prema Yoga (meditation of love, in which the Yogi completely surrenders himself to God, and considers the God as if his lover. Mirabai of Mewar was perhaps the highest embodiment of this Yoga, another one was Andal of South India).

When I think deeply about these great devotees who touched the apogee of spiritual realization, I wonder whether the education in the formal institutions can train in these qualities. Most of these people, I mentioned earlier, did not go to any school. Bhim Bhoi was blind, and was a shepherd. Salabega was not educated in the sense we call ourselves educated. But, they left highest imprints in our minds and heart. Their lives were messages.

The life of Salabega raises larger questions before me. Does the education in formal institutions make us really educated? I am not a detractor of modern education system, but I think how far they impart moral and spiritual education to individuals. As I listen regularly the song written by 14^th century Gujarati philosopher, Narsinh Mehta, Vaishanva Jana Jo Tene Kahiye, Jo Pid Parai Janere (the person is divine, who feels and cures the pain of others. One of the favorite songs of Mahatma Gandhi), I realize that true wisdom transcends the limits of formal education as it is not in the pages of book we find it, but rather in a sincere cultivation of our heart and mind. Salabega taught me this.