Bhiksham
Dehi- Unchavritti Tradition
Bhiksham Dehi! Bhiksham Dehi! The first act of
an initiated Brahmin after the Upanayanam ceremony is to go to his own mother with
a bowl and say, Bhiksham Dehi.
Saints of our country Bharatavarsh followed
this Unchavritti tradition as part of their worship. By observing Unchavritti,
those who did answer his call at the doorstep were also blessed. Those who give
bhiksha do not do so out of pity, but consider it an honour. To give bhiksha is
an act of good karma, a noble act. Bhiksha has a whole philosophy behind it and
cannot be translated as begging. Begging is a tamasaic while Bhiksha is a
satvik guna. It has a long been a spiritual and religious tradition in our
country.
Buddha and his monks, Sadguru Tyagaraja, Shirdi
Saibaba, Sridhara Ayyaval, and many more than I can name here followed this
noble tradition.
Every morning after a bath and offering service
to the gods, the seeker sets out on the streets. He sings the name of the
deities and the village wakes up to melodious music. The women or men of the
house come to the street and offer a bowl of rice or pulses into the earthen
bowl held out by the saint. The offering could be grain or fruit or whatever
is possible for the householder. When he feels it is enough for his
family for the day, he stops and returns home. His wife and children, if any, willingly
follow the tradition.
Unchavritti tradition is followed by saints who
have renounced the world to dedicate themselves to the chanting of the deity’s
name, be it Rama or Siva. This frugal lifestyle demands that one does not hoard
food grains but live on what others offer him. It means he does not ever work
for a living because work as employee or employer will tie him down to the
bonds of material life. It relieves him of the tensions of having to hoard
money, protect that wealth and then accumulate worldly material comforts. This
in turn prevents him from involving in criminal acts like cheating others in
the business. The saint’s mind is filled only with good thoughts, blessings and
prayers for all, and total dedication to the supreme. Unchavritti disciplines
the mind and destroys ego.
Sadguru Tyagaraja (4th May 1767 -6th January 1847) was initiated into Rama Mantra by
his Guru Ramakrishnananda. Even as a child he was drawn into singing and
composing kritis in praise of Sri Rama. His compositions became very popular
and many disciples sat at his feet to learn and propagate these compositions.
The news reached the Thanjavur Maratha king’s court who commanded him to attend
his court. Tyagaraja not so humbly refused, asking,” What gives happiness?
Wealth -Nidhi or Sri Rama’s shrine- sannidhi?” His own brother could not
understand this madness of spurning wealth that came to their doorstep and
threw the idol of Rama into the Kaveri.
Sadguru Tyagaraja faced great sorrows, trials
and tribulation caused by jealous contemporaries and even his own family. His
fame and honour grew irrespective of abuses hurled at him. Tyagaraja’s
contribution to our music, religion and philosophy is immense and cannot be
stained by lesser mortals. They do so because of arrogance and ignorance. May Sri Rama bless their souls.
