Saranganatha

Buddhism blended with Shaevism and Vaesravism which resulted in new religious customs.

The use of the rosary or japamala was incorporated into this new blended Buddhism.

For the first time, the sacred thread of copper came into use.

However, no sacred thread is used in Tantra.

It is incorrect to say “Jain Tantra”, “Hindu Tantra” or “Buddhist Tantra” because Tantra is a spiritual science and practice which is beyond the influence of different religions.

Some religions have incorporated a few Tantric practices into their beliefs. But Tantra is essentially a complete spiritual science.

Scriptures write:

Pravrtte bhaeravii cakre sarvavarna’ dvijo bhavet Nivrtte bhaeravii cakre sarvavarna prithak prithak.

Buddhist tantrik brahmins and their Chakravartis are original titles are Banerji, Sannyal and Bhaduri.

In North India, the Mishra brahmins were internally Tantrikas but externally they posed as Vaedikas.

Natha-yoga is a blending of Shaesvism and Buddhism. Due to Shaevite influence, the gurus of the Natha cult were proclaimed as incarnaions of Shiva In this blending, wherever the influence of Buddhism was dominant an image of Buddha was placed over the Shiva linga as found in Kashi Rajya, where the blendings of Shaevism and Buddhism, and Buddhism and Vaesnavism are clearly evident.

Lord Buddha started his propagation of Dharma from Saranatha which was previously known as Saranganatha (Saranga means Visnu).

Its ancient name was Risipattana-mragadava meaning a zoological garden established by Risis or sages.

During Buddha’s time it was called Ishipattana Migada’ba.

The first initiation by Buddha was given at Magadh and the initiates were Sariputta and Modgala’yan.

In the blending of Buddhism and Vaesnavism, wherever the influence of the latter was dominant Visnu was carved above the image of Buddha.

However if Buddhism was dominant, Buddha was carved over Visnu’s statue.

• This is seen in Vindhyavasini Park in Gorakhpur, where Visnu was named Lokeshvar Visnu.

Where Shaevism or Vaesnavism dominated Buddhism, Buddha’s position in the statue would be below Shiva or Visnu.

Shaevism and Vaesnavism have an extensive impact on Buddhism.

Wherever Buddhism remained popular and influential with the people, it got transmuted into a new form Under such influences Buddha’s statue was decorated with a sacred thread.

In the historical tradition of Buddhism, the blendings of Buddhism and Shaevism, and Buddhism and Vaesnavism, are clearly evident.

Natha Dharma manifests both those influences. Brahmanya Dharma became dominant during the Gupta period, especially during the later Paoranic period, when mainly the rulers embraced Paoranic Dharma.

In the Allahabad convention of Brahmans, a decision was taken to establish Brahmanya Dharma.

As a result, several followers of Nathism had to embrace the Puranic Dharma.

Such converted Hindu weavers had a low social status, although water touched by them could be taken by higher castes.

Those who embraced Islam were known as Momins and Ansars or scheduled caste Muslims.

Many Muslim Julahas or weavers can be found near the centres of Nathism, viz. around Gorakhnath temple, which used to be their sacred place.

In the village of Nathnagar near Bhagalpur in Bihar, they became Momins.

There is little cultural difference between Muslim julahas and Hindu weavers. Both of them, for example, speak the same language.

Only the Shias speak Urdu or Urdu mixed with Bhojpuri. There are also two branches of Sunnis-Hanifi and Vahavi, and Bengali Muslims belong to the latter section, while the local Muslims belong to the Hanifi section. All Hanifi Sunnis speak Bhojpuri, since they are non-Shias.

Ancient Bhojpuri was written in Sri Harsa or Kutila script.

Western demi-Magadhi is the mother of Bhojpuri.

Magadhi had 2 daughter-languages:

1. Eastern demi-Magadhi

Eastern demi-Maghadhi has become a dead language but 6 languages emerged form it:

1. Assamia

2. Bamla

3. Angika

4. Oriya

5. Maethili

6. Koshalii

7. Western demi-Magadhi

This had 4 daughters:

1. Bhojpuri
2. Magahi
3. Nagpuria
4. Chattisgarhi

To the west of Magadh, Shaorseni Prakrta was spoken 4,000 years ago.

The mother tongue of Lord Krsna was Shaoraseni Prakrta.

It got transmuted into demi-Shaoraseni, which got transmuted into 5 daughter languages:

1. Bagheli
2. Bundeli
3. Avadhii
4. Braja
5. Hariyanavii

These 5 languages are the commonly spoken languages of the time.

Hariyanvii was blended with Turkish and Persian, which resulted in the birth of Urdu.

Kharostii was the original script of Persia.

In India it got transmuted into Arabic script.

There is a marked difference between Arabic and Persian scripts.

Urdu in Persian script became the official language during the reign of Aurangazeb and after that time Bhojpuri started to decline.

Vaesnavism had a greater influence over Ramananda than Nathism despite the fact that Ramananda’s writings reveal that he was influenced by the Natha cult.

Puranic dharma had its heyday after the Brahman convention at Allahabad when it spread all over India.