Nāṭya as an instrument of bhakti in the Vaishnava tradition of Assam

Bhakti movement plays a pivotal role in awakening the common people’s spiritual side and in socio-cultural reformation. The great polymaths who pioneered the movement chose music, poetry, dance and craft as medium of their preaching. These are instruments that can easily deliver the great teachings of Vaishnava tradition in the most expressive way which can directly connect the heart of the common masses. Mahapurusha Shrimanta Shankardeva, a 15th century great Bhakti poet of Assam who established the eka-śaraṇa-nāma dharma and started a tradition which is an amalgamation of gīta-nāṭaka-vādya-nṛtya. In simple words it was the path of art and aesthetics, the way of serving the divine (Lord Krishna) and conveying the teaching of Shrimadbhāgavatam. This paper will shed light to the Sattriya tradition of Assam attributed to Shrimanta Shankardev.