Vyas-Saṃgīt
(An Endangered Intangible Cultural Heritage)
In the complex history of India’s
intangible cultural heritage, many traditions have been misinterpreted,
misclassified, or diminished in status—often unintentionally—through the
cumulative effect of inherited misunderstandings. Such errors, though inadvertent,
have inflicted a grievous and often irreversible blow to our cultural legacy,
leaving us powerless to open the “door of salvation” for certain endangered
forms. Among these imperiled traditions is Vyas-Saṃgīt,
a genre now on the verge of extinction.
In the absence of rigorous historical scrutiny, superficial similarities between Vyas-Saṃgīt and the Ojā-pālī tradition led to its classification under the folk sub-type “Vyas Ojā-pālī.” Further distortions emerged when the name of its creator, the legendary Veda-Vyāsa (Vyāsadeva), was corrupted into “Biyāh,” resulting in the popularized misnomer “Biyāh Ojā-pālī.” This misclassification relegated the genre to a lower cultural category, obscuring its sophisticated historical and musical lineage. However, six years of sustained and advanced scientific research have now brought the tradition to the threshold of reclaiming its rightful dignity and scholarly recognition.
A textual reference of critical importance appears in the Saṃgīta-Ratnākara (13th century CE) of Śāraṅgadeva, which documents the evolution of Sām-gāna into Gāthā, and from Gāthā into Prabandha-gāna. In this framework, Gāthā songs were devoted to the heroic figures of the epics—predominantly those of the Mahābhārata, and to a lesser degree the Rāmāyaṇa. The scope of Gāthā was not confined to epic literature; it extended to the portrayal of kings, sages, and heroes from the Vedas and the Purāṇas. As the author of these monumental narratives was Veda-Vyāsa, the musical form acquired the name Vyas-Saṃgīt.
Unlike Sām-gāna, which is defined by the tonal framework of udātta, anudātta, and svarita, Gāthā Saṃgīt employed rāgas as its melodic foundation, along with mātra-vṛtta (metrical structures). Śāraṅgadeva describes these features in great detail, and remarkably, many of them are still identifiable in the endangered Vyas-Saṃgīt as practiced in Vyaspārā, a village near Sipājar in Assam.
Historically, Gāthā-Saṃgīt was integral to religious gatherings, temple ceremonies, and other public acts of worship. In these settings, the performance often took the form of Jāgaraṇ-gīt or Jāgar-gīt, devotional songs intended to “awaken” the deities. The Sāmaveda itself refers to the practice of summoning deities during Sām-gāna—performed by Sāmaga Brāhmaṇas—through ritual fire and a copper object shaped like Indra’s thunderbolt (vajra), in order to receive the soma-rasa. Epigraphic, archaeological, and copperplate evidence confirms the presence of Sām-gāna in ancient Kāmrūpa, and it is within this fertile cultural milieu that a distinctive Kāmrūpī style of Gāthā likely emerged.
The present study, therefore, seeks to re-establish the scholarly standing of Vyas-Saṃgīt by examining its historical evolution, musical characteristics, and ritual functions through the lens of authentic textual, archaeological, and ethno-musicological evidence. By doing so, it aims not merely to document a fading tradition, but to restore its rightful place in the cultural hierarchy of India’s intangible heritage.
Rāṅgelīkhāṭi and Vajra:
Philological Origins and Ritual Symbolism
The term Rāṅgelīkhāṭi may be etymologically parsed as an adjective formed from the quality root raṅga (“colour, festivity, aesthetic delight”), the feminine charm suffix -lī (indicating grace or vivacity), and the purity/true-ness suffix -khāṭi (denoting genuineness or authenticity). Its resultant sense, “truly colourful” or “genuinely festive,” conveys not mere ornamentation but an inherent vivacity of form and spirit. By contrast, Vajra derives from the strength root vaj (“to be strong, hard”) combined with the instrumental/quality suffix -ra, yielding the meaning “the hard, powerful one.” In Indic thought, this encompasses both the indestructibility of diamond and the irresistible force of the thunderbolt.
Within the ritual sphere, both Rāṅgelīkhāṭi and Vajra serve as sacred instruments, together embodying a force at once colourful, indestructible, and cosmically irresistible. They are regarded as agents that “release the waters” and restore ṛta—cosmic order—thus functioning as potent emblems of divine intervention. The Vajra, long celebrated as “one of the most powerful weapons in the universe,” is also mythologically linked to Vajrayānī (Vajrayoginī), the “Lady of the Vajra,” born from its essence to vanquish demonic forces and re-establish dharma.
In tantric and esoteric iconography, each structural component of the Vajra holds layered symbolism: the central hub signifies primordial emptiness and the un-manifest center, resonating with the Om or Hum seed syllable; the lotus base represents purity, the Eightfold Path, and the balance between nirvāṇa and saṃsāra; makara heads indicate mastery over chaotic waters and the overcoming of obstacles; the central axis reflects the axis mundi, Mount Meru, and the awakened spine of kuṇḍalinī energy; the prongs (three, five, or nine) encode doctrinal triads, pentads, and cosmic totalities; and the pyramid tips express the incisive wisdom that severs illusion, akin to Indra’s thunderbolt.
Thus, these instruments, through their etymology, form, and ritual application, unite aesthetic vibrancy with metaphysical potency, serving as enduring symbols of spiritual authority and cosmic restoration.
The Kalai Priesthood and the Ritual Instruments of the Kāmākhyā Tradition:
Historical records from the reign of Koch King Nara-Nārāyaṇa (1540–1584 CE) in Assam mention the service of a distinguished Sun priest named Kendu Kalāi at the sacred Kāmākhyā Temple. The Sun priests, a specialized order of ritual functionaries, were renowned for their dual expertise in astronomical calculations and esoteric worship. Their lineage is deeply rooted in the ancient city of Prāgjyotiṣapura—the legendary precursor of present-day Guwahati—celebrated in both the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata as a center of solar and tantric traditions.
According to oral tradition, Kendu Kalāi was the younger brother of Vyāsa Kalāi, an accomplished exponent of Vyāsa-saṃgīt—a highly specialized form of ritual music. The village of his residence, subsequently known as Vyāsparā, lies near modern-day Sipajhar. The Kalai lineage remained staunch devotees of Goddess Kāmākhyā, blending Sūrya worship as their kula-devatā (ancestral deity) with Kāmākhyā as their iṣṭa-devī (chosen tutelary goddess).
Their liturgical practice, preserved in the verses of their Jāgar-gīt, reflects a sophisticated tantric framework of sapta-rūpa-pūjā—the worship of the goddess in seven distinct manifestations across the days of the week: Durgā (Sunday), Kātyāyanī (Monday), Bhairavī (Tuesday), Jayā (Wednesday), Vajrayinī (Thursday), Triṇayanī (Friday), and Rākṣasenī (Saturday).
Central to their esoteric rites was the use of the ritual implement known as the Rāṃgelīkhāṭi. In accordance with ancient tantric injunctions, the officiant would hold this sacred object in the right hand, a bell in the left, and recite Sanskrit mantras, treating the Rāṃgelīkhāṭi itself as a symbolic embodiment of the goddess. The instrument’s custodianship was hereditary, restricted to particular dynasties wherein Kāmākhyā had been venerated as the iṣṭa-devī since antiquity. Within these households, the Rāṃgelīkhāṭi remains preserved in the devagṛha (ritual shrine), functioning as both relic and active instrument of worship.
In a later development, King Dharma-Nārāyaṇa conferred upon certain members of this priestly order another ritual implement known as the Mudurā. While structurally related to the Rāṃgelīkhāṭi, the Mudurā differed in design and function. It became primarily associated with the public performance of Jāgar-gīt, a ceremonial song-cycle integral to communal religious gatherings. By royal prerogative, only Sun-worshipping Brahmins who had received the Mudurā were permitted to perform these songs. Crucially, possession of the Mudurā did not imply hereditary connection to the Rāṃgelīkhāṭi tradition, nor did it necessitate Kāmākhyā as one’s iṣṭa-devī. Thus, while the Mudurā could be an instrument of public ritual prestige, the Rāṃgelīkhāṭi remained a symbol of ancient, lineage-bound sacerdotal authority.
Mudurā: the performance instrument
The Maestro of Vyas-Saṃgīt carries forward a rare ritual tradition through two sacred instruments—Raṃgilīkhāti and Mudurā. The Raṃgilīkhāti is reserved for worship within his private ritual house, while the Mudurā is played during public ceremonial gatherings. Like the Sāmaga Brahmins who preserve the ancient Sām-gān tradition, this community too belongs to the Sun-worshipping Brahmin order.
In public gatherings, the chief priest conducts the worship of the sacred idol, whiles the Maestro, or Ojā, renders the Jāgar-gīt, a devotional chant intended to awaken the deity to accept the āhuti (offering) of the yajña. Alongside this sacred duty, they also present gāthā-gīt—narrative songs—bringing joy and cultural enrichment to the assembled community. During the performance of the Jāgar-gīt, the Maestro sings while playing the Mudurā, transforming the ritual into a vibrant confluence of devotion, music, and collective spiritual awakening.
........ to be continued
0 Comments