Subramania Bharathi: Icons of Bharatavarsha

Most of us know Subramania Bharathi as a freedom fighter and one of the greatest Tamil literary figures of all time. In addition, his contribution to our Dharma has been immense. His life, though cruelly short-lived, had been an epitome of Sanatana Dharma through and through. His devotion, clarity of thought, adherence to Dharmic practices – all reflect in his timeless literary works.

Subramania Bharathi

His Many Personalities

Bharathiyar was born as Subramanian in Ettayapuram, Tamil Nadu in 1882. He had his early education in Tirunelveli and went to Varanasi to further his learning. His proficiency in several languages enabled him to be a journalist in several publications (The Hindu, , Swadesamitran, India). Known widely as ‘Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi’ (Great Poet), he donned several hats including writer, poet, journalist, freedom fighter and social reformer. He was also an excellent musician, well-versed in Carnatic and Hindustani styles of music. 

As a Spiritual Leader

The object of this post however, is his extraordinary contribution to our religion. During his stay in Varanasi, he learned Sanskrit, Hindi and English. Around the same period, he also got an insight into spirituality and nationalism. His religious works were inspired by his study of the Vedas, Upanishads and the philosophies of Adishankara, Ramanuja and Buddha. Being fluent in Sanskrit, he could read the scriptures in their original language and create appropriate translations and commentaries in Tamil. His commentaries on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra and other such works are highly original and distinct from other interpretations. His commentary on the Bhagavad Gita is a good example of his expertise in prose style which won the acclaim of Sri Aurobindo of Pondicherry.

His Works

Subramania Bharathi lived in Pondichery for a decade owing to his firebrand style of criticism of the British Government. During this time, his visited many temples there which helped him get a spiritual experience and self awareness. Especially, the Manakkula Vinayagar temple stimulated Bharathi’s religious emotions and the work, ‘Vinayagar Nanmanimalai’ is the outcome of this experience. Equally great was the inspiration of Muthumari and other temples at Pondicherry, which were the subjects of many of his poems. Though a great linguist, he used simple words and rhythms in his poems. He also employed novel ideas and techniques in his poems that combined classical and contemporary elements. His poetry includes works on deities like Shakthi, Kaali, Vinayagar, Muruga, Shiva and Krishna.

Kannan Paattu

Kannan Paattu (Songs on Lord Krishna) is an epic collection of songs on Lord Krishna. Being the most refined work among his religious works, it resulted from his experiences with his friends and relatives. Bharathi felt Lord Krishna’s presence in every relationship. He believed that God lives with man in various forms, guiding  and leading him to the ultimate truth. Thus he considered the people around him as different forms of Lord Krishna who preached Dharma. In Sanga literature and in works by Azwars and Nayanmars, the poets imagined themselves as the friend, lover, father, mother of the Lord and sang praises on Him. On the same lines, Bharathi imagined Lord Krishna as his friend, mother, father, servant, king, disciple, preceptor, son, lover, husband and savior and wrote these poems. The imagination and the devotion of the poet can bring tears to anyone who reads this collection. 

A sample from this collection: 

கண்ணன் திருவடி,எண்ணுக மனமே
திண்ணம் அழியா, வண்ணந் தருமே,1
தருமே நிதியும். பெருமை புகழும்
கருமா மேனிப், பெருமா னிங்கே,2

(On mind, please think of Lord Krishna’s divine feet always. It will give you eternal joy. It will also bestow you with wealth, fame and fortune for they belong to the dark-hued Lord Krishna)

Panchali Sabatham and the Freedom movement

Panchali Sabatham is yet another great gift by him to Tamil Literature. This is another epic with simple language and captivating rhythm. Even a layman can easily read, understand and appreciate it.  Though based on the epic Mahabharata, Bharathi was able to project in his work, his love for India, its glorious heritage and how the country was struggling under the British rule. He drew parallels with the elders in the kingdom of Hastinapura with those who did nothing but sympathizing with the oppressed. He brought forth the importance of values, the duty of the rulers, the dangers of power, lust and jealousy in a simplistic but fiery and thought-provoking manner.

பேயரசு செய்தால், பிணந்தின்னும் சாத்திரங்கள் (P.S 65)

(When the devil is the king, the rules do nothing but eat bodies) 

No poet contemporary or otherwise, has been able to match the ability of Bharathi in narrating an epic to awaken the nationalistic spirit of the masses.

Bharathi was able to shock the nation into a sense of duty by his spirituality. For him, the country is a manifestation of Goddess Shakthi. His Nationalistic poems earned the title, ‘Desopanishad’, comparing them with the Upanishads of ancient India. In December 1905, he met sister Nivedita. She inspired him to recognize the equality of women. He said of her, “As Lord Krishna revealed his mighty form to Arjuna and explained the state of Atman, the Guru showed me the form of Bharata Devi in its completeness and taught me to love my country.”

Bharathi and Chellammal

His other Sanatanic practices
  • Bharathi was completely against the caste system in society. Though from an orthodox family, he considered all living beings as equal. He was critical of those who mixed their divisive thoughts with Vedic learning. He strongly advocated bringing Dalits to the mainstream. To illustrate this, he performed the upanayanam for a Dalit man. He wrote thus, “We shall not look at caste or religion; all human beings in this land whether they be learned scholars or from any other caste, they all are one..”
  • He was fiercely against the British and had philosophical differences with many, but he never hated anyone. There was an incident when he was in Pondicherry. He was lured into visiting Tamil Nadu by someone who wished him to be arrested by the British. A lawyer friend was able to save him from arrest in the last minute. Even after this he bore no ill-will to that person. Instead he composed a song , “Pagaivanukku arulvai…”.

பகைவனுக் கருள்வாய்! புகை நடுவினில் தீயிருப்பதைப் பூமியிற் கண்டோமே-நன்னெஞ்சே! பூமியிற் கண்டோமே. பகைநடுவினில் அன்புரு வானநம் பரமன் வாழ்கின்றான்

(O Mind, please bless my enemy as well. Just like there is fire in the midst of smoke, there is God residing in my enemy also, so please bless my enemy as well!) 

Such was his magnanimity.

  • Despite his abject poverty, he was kind to all beings. Once, his wife Chellammal had kept some borrowed rice to feed her family. Bharathi saw some sparrows around his yard and immediately started throwing rice grains to feed them. His own family’s hunger was no deterrent to his Jeevakarunya (compassion towards animals).

Bharatiyar Memorial – Pondichery

His Legacy

Like Swami Vivekananda he didn’t live to see 40, however the impact of his penmanship on all the people of Tamil Nadu is profound. Subramania Bharathi is to be considered as one of the contemporary saints of Hinduism alongside his other roles as a freedom fighter and a social reformist.

References

http://www.mahakavibharathiyar.info/vijayabharathi_1.htm
https://dheivegam.com/pagaivanukku-arulvai-bharathiyar-kavithai/

Author Details

Rangarajan has been blogging for over 12 years now on various topics. With Thedal, he becomes one with the universe and he is hoping that his search will help him discover the eternal truth.  Please join him as he traverses through the universe across temples, philosophies and science!

9 thoughts on “Subramania Bharathi: Icons of Bharatavarsha”

  1. You have explored a seldom studied facetvacet of this great man. Thanks a lot for bringing out the various hues of this legend.

  2. Good post.
    Need details on Bharathiyar’s commentary on Patanjali yoga sutra.
    Where can i find hard or soft copy of the commentary. Kindly provide details.
    Thank you🙏

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