Sarna Adivasi/Tribal Philosphy Part - 2

Click here to read first part of it

During any sacraments of life like birth, marriage and death, you're not ought to show or prove your religiousness in way of performing rituals.  In any matter, the way they've been living their life following their own philosophy is like any rules applied in a modern country in accordance with the modern constitutional provisions that ensures and respects the freedom of individuality and community . A boy has his own right to choose partner and marrying her where will of society is vested in .And the same thing goes for girls , they're also socially independent where religion doesn't come across it .

You don't have to be born in any tribal community to become Sarna. No matter whether you're Santal, Munda, Ho, Oraon, Khariya even if you don't belong but believe living this life according to the old age habit of running life which doesn't rely on any scriptures that teaches or forces you for something, having such faith and belief in you make you follower of 'Sarna' .  No such organization and community is there that try to gain control on you by mentally or psychologically making you to follow them for sake of any scriptures or God which were written in very skilled way.

In Sarna religion, the one himself is able to perform all the rituals and worshiping but when it comes to worshiping the spirits(Bongas in Santali)  for sake of wellness in village, for the crops, for the waters then a person happens to perform this who's called 'Nayake' a kind of village priest who is appointed by the villagers, interesting thing is that Nayake is not a post or any position but it is kind of responsibility that he takes . The person as Nayake lives normal life like others in village when he doesn't perform any worshiping meanwhile, he is simple as other villagers, he doesn't preach anything to gain control on villagers. While being Nayake he doesn't get any type of special treat by villagers, even he doesn't get paid for worshiping and make his livelihood by his own .

In other religion, it is punishable for not following obeying the priest or preacher but in Sarna there's nothing such thing.

Some people unknowingly or knowingly make mischief relating Sarna to other religion, and call them. To some extent they might seem same but there is quite differences in between them . It is true they've been co-existed to centuries, that causes many things to look same . But the perceptions of spirituality and life is totally opposite and different . The tribal philosophy, value, belief and spirituality doesn't follow any scriptures but other religon does and is based on scripture which makes no sense that a Sarna can be termed to other religion. 

There is no any such thing in Sarna which supports superiority inferiority on the , caste rigidity, feudalism . Sarna believes in all colour of life where is there no one rich and poor . It considers himself as a part of this nature not as a Owner . In other religion, people has named God so many, formed them into a shape 'Ideal' to whom they worship and believes them a creator and owner of this world. Instead Sarna philosophy believes nature as to be their God , everything river,Sun ,Stars,Moon,animals and plants,trees and forest as  God who feed them, give them light,air,water,food to live .The Nature who has every colour of life en lighting their life without which one can never survive. With so much importance and influence of nature in their life they have the simplest method for living which remain alive in their songs and dance .
                                                                         But cause of no scriptures their rituals and Gods are often made to relate with other religion's God. These days some people highly influenced of other religion are now attempting to define themself as Sarna. They're also trying to make a separate symbols,images,ideal and scriptures in order to define the Sarna and relates this efforts to 'Identity Crisis' . However all these ongoing attempts are to decline the great values of Sarna itself and eventually will end up the uniqueness of Sarna .


In terms of Sarna philosophy, these attempts by the individuals for establishing and creating identity are for self recognition and soon will formed into a weapon which has been used as less Social but more political, cultural, ideological empire to coin the dominance . And all these things has its own market where it deals for profit .


Having concluded , the same can be said that the Sarna assumes the great abstract power which is worshiped with limit and has no such motive to change it in social, political and economic . He keeps his worshiping but doesn't show in some way .If does, then how he is Sarna . Any values can be followed up but the men have their own consciousness and discretion to differentiate between right or wrong, everyone is free to find path of welfare and the good . Such freedom of human is praised everywhere at every age. And this is what Sarna or Adivasi/Triabal philosophy is all about .
eDisom Team

Santhaledisom.com is an Online Publisher of contents related to Santhals. This website was started in 2014 with the soul aim of upbringing contents related to Tradition, Culture, Customs and Literature of Santhal Community by collecting and documenting them in form of our researches and writings, and publishing them on Internet . At present, the website is the largest knowledgebase of Santhal Community available on Internet having more than 100+ Articles, 1000+ Santhali Songs.

2 Comments

  1. Great knowledge.... Being a सरना I never thought to this extend. Thank you for writing this post.

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