Siddhartha Tripathy
The past is a treasure trove of invaluable information that can enrich the present no end. But, unfortunately, a significant part of history gets lost in time and translation and fails to serve the purpose that it ought to for posterity. Much of it also remains confined to a few experts and their esoteric debates that the common people seldom have an ear for.
It takes the marriage of a special kind of talent, a unique set of skills and a rare degree of passion to dig out these hidden gems and present them to the world at large in a way that is relatable and intriguing as much as it is educational and enlightening.
“Mahima Dharma and Saint Bhima Bhoi,” an article by Bishnupada Sethi, recently published in The Odisha Historical Research Journal, is a refreshing case in point.
Sethi – an acclaimed poet and litterateur by passion and an ace bureaucrat by profession (Principal Secretary of three Odisha government departments: Revenue and Disaster Management; Odia Language, Literature and Culture; and Information & Public Relations) – succinctly elucidates the essence of Mahima Dharma as he introduces readers to the religious cult that was born with a mission to weed out evil and irrational practices in the society of 19th century Odisha.
With the finesse of a seasoned storyteller, he elaborates on the spiritual life journey of Mahima Swami (the founder of the cult), as well as on the substance and style of his preaching, while perfectly capturing the historical milieu in which the movement took shape.
Sethi rightfully highlights Bhima Bhoi, an illiterate tribal boy when initiated into the Mahima fold with the “spiritual touch” of Mahima Swami, who later went on to become the most prominent proponent of the movement.
Revealing his immense appreciation for Santha Kabi (saint-poet) Bhoi’s great ethics, groundbreaking messages, not to mention the monotheistic bhajans that played no small part in making Mahima Dharma a popular movement nationwide, the author quotes from one of the devotional songs:
The glory of Brahman alone Brahma knows
No rival in all the three worlds
None there to estimate him in this endless universe
He is invisible in all the celestial worlds
By the time Sethi concludes with a note about the simple rituals and prayers that followers of the movement still observe, he has successfully managed to not only enlighten modern-day readers about the spiritual legacy of the Mahima movement in the most engaging way, but also make a significant contribution to Odisha’s literary traditions along the way.
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