A Critical Analysis of Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult (Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical)

A Critical Analysis of Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult is a rare compendium of insightful essays by eminent Indian scholars on the Mahima Cult, its genesis, and its growth. The volume focuses on Bhima Bhoi, the poet-philosopher and the prime interlocutor of the Renegade Faith, who started a revolt from below to champion human rights. To critically appreciate the Saint-poet Bhima Bhoi and the Mahima Cult (Dharma of Glory), the history of the 19th-century Indian sociocultural system, especially that of Odisha and its adjoining states, needs to be reconstructed. Since there is no surviving oral and written text authored by the founder of the cult, Mahima Swami, it is only the unlettered genius Bhima Bhoi, who produced innumerable prayers, hymns, and poetic recitals of profound philosophical import, which made him the legend, the poet-archivist, and historiographer of the Mahima Cult. Bhima was simultaneously the poet of the soul and the soil, who used theology and social experience to provide a supportive sub-structure to a transcendent, ecstatic vision. This volume asserts that Mahima Dharma is an autochthonous reform movement and a regional variation of the Indian Bhakti tradition and mystical poetry. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Introduction Part I: Mahimā Cult Chapter 1: Mahimā Dharma: A Revolutionary Religious Movement with Empathetic Concern for the Suffering Chapter 2: Mahimādvaita: A Critical and Comparative Study Part II: Bhima Bhoi Chapter 3: Mahimā Dharma and Bhima Bhoi Chapter 4: Spiritual Humanism of Bhima Bhoi Part III: Bhima Bhoi's Poetry (In Translation) Chapter 5: Translation of Stuti Chintāmaṇi (Select Cantos) Chapter 6: Decoding Bhima Bhoi’s Concept of the Brahman: Transcreation of Select Bhajans Part IV: Bhima Bhoi’s Poetry Chapter 7: Reflections on Stuti Chintāmaṇi Chapter 8: Bhima Bhoi’s Concept of Reality in Brahma Nirūpaṇa Gita Chapter 9: Sri Sri Nirbeda Sādhana: A Critical Study Part V: Bhima Bhoi’s Poetry Chapter 10: Bhima Bhoi Discourse and the Politics of Representation Chapter 11: Formation of Literary Canon: The Case of Bhima Bhoi Chapter 12: Bhima Bhoi’s Poetry: A Sickle to Repeal and a Potion to Heal Part VI: Bhima Bhoi from a Comparative Viewpoint Chapter 13: Against Secularization: A Note on Bhakti Poetry of Tukaram and Bhima Bhoi Chapter 14: The Occult and the Religion of Humanism in Bhima Bhoi and Achyutananda Das Chapter 15: Religious Traditions in Odisha: Reflection on Panchasakhā’s “Bhakti” and Bhima Bhoi’s “Mahima Bhakti Marga” Conclusion Index About the Contributors