A Study of Śrīmanata Śaṅkaradeva’s Neo-Vaiṣṇavism from Sociological Perspective

Abstract

One of the most significant socio-cultural and religious revivals in Northeast India's history was the Neo-Vaiṣṇavite movement in Assam in the fifteenth century, led by the polymath Śrīmanta Śaṅkaradeva. Although the movement has historically been seen through a hagiographic or theological lens, this paper uses a sociological framework to examine it as a conscious attempt at social engineering. This study examines how Śaṅkaradeva questioned strict caste hierarchies, incorporated various ethnic and tribal groups, and promoted a democratic identity by examining the structural and functional elements of indigenous institutions such as the Nāmghar, Thans, and Kirtanghars. The study makes the case, using an analytical and historical approach, that Neo-Vaiṣṇavism served as a catalyst for social change by substituting an egalitarian framework known as Eka-Śaraṇa-Nāma-Dharma for esoteric ritualism and animal sacrifice. The study comes to the conclusion that the movement's focus on moral behaviour, group involvement, and cultural synthesis served as the cornerstone of contemporary Assamese society and provided a strong example of social cohesiveness that endures even now, five centuries later.