Varanasi/Bhubaneswar: A one-day intellectual meet on Bhakti Literature was convened on Sunday at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), jointly organised by the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, the Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Odia Chair at BHU, and the Baranaseya Utkal Samaj.
BHU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, attending as Chief Guest, reflected on the deep social and spiritual transformation inspired by Bhakti literature. He noted that its influence extends across religious, cultural, and literary domains. According to him, knowledge, affection, devotion and compassion form the foundational pillars of Bhakti writing, with spiritual awareness guiding its essence.
Odisha Sahitya Akademi Secretary Dr. Chandra Shekhar Hota observed that of the four classical routes to realising the divine in Hindu philosophy, the devotional path is the most accessible and widely followed. Unlike the routes of karma, jnana or yoga, the bhakti marga resonates strongly with common people, he said. Dr. Hota also shed light on the philosophical depth and literary value embedded in Bhakti works.
The gathering held detailed discussions on two key subjects: “Panchasakha and Sri Chaitanya” and “The Bhakti Movement and the Odia Bhagavata.”
Among those who contributed to the deliberations were Prof. Gopabandhu Mishra, Coordinator of the Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Odia Chair; Dr. Prafulla Kumar Mishra, researcher on Jagannath culture; Prof. Balaraj Pandey of BHU; eminent writer Prof. Rabindra Nath Mishra; Prof. Bauri Bandhu Sahu; Dr. Babaji Charan Pattanaik; Prof. Om Prakash Singh of Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Sri Sanjay Kumar Chhuansingh, Joint Secretary of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi.
