Mahima Dharma and Bhima Bhoi

Origins and Leadership

• Founder: Mahima Gosain, the founder of Mahima Dharma, established the Mahima Sampradaya as a well-organized institution and fixed the religion’s principles during his lifetime.
• Oral Tradition: Mahima Gosain did not leave any written records; however, his teachings were accepted as the foundational principles and ideals of Mahima Dharma.
• Succession: After Mahima Gosain’s journey to Joranda in Dhenkanal, the responsibility of managing the sect was entrusted to Siddhababa.
• Key Spokesperson: The poet Bhima Bhoi is the prominent spokesperson of Mahima Dharma. He was the second disciple initiated by Mahima Gosain, following Govindababa.

Bhima Bhoi: Early Life and Talent

• Background: Bhima Bhoi came from a poor family and worked as a laborer in the forest grazing calves to earn a living. He was a village ascetic who endured many hardships since childhood, which he later detailed in his work Stutichintamani.
• Poetic Talent: He possessed natural poetic talent, composing songs in popular folk styles (such as Rasarkeli and Jaiphula) and the Chautisha style. This talent was evident even before his conversion, rooted in his early youth and surroundings.

Initiation and Authorship

• Meeting the Guru: Upon learning of Bhima Bhoi, Mahima Gosain traveled with Govindababa to Bhima Bhoi’s cottage in Kankanpada village (Redakhol).
• The Mandate: Mahima Gosain initiated him into the faith and ordered him to compose hymns, bhajans, and poems to propagate Mahima Dharma. This meeting completely changed Bhima Bhoi’s life path.
• Literary Creation: Following his Guru’s orders, Bhima Bhoi devoted his later life exclusively to creating religious literature. Mahima Gosain even initiated four scribes to assist him in recording these compositions.
• Self-Reference: In the eighth chapter of his Adhyanta Gita, Bhima Bhoi states that he began composing devotional literature under his Guru’s guidance at the age of sixteen.

Philosophy and Impact

• Accessibility: Bhima Bhoi expressed the philosophy, rules, and regulations of Mahima Dharma in simple, accessible language that the common man could understand.
• Key Works: His works—including Stutichintamani, Brahmanirupana Gita, Nirvedasad, and Shrutinisedha Gita—are respected as religious scriptures within the Mahima society.
• Devotion: His hymns (Bhajans) generally praise the Almighty, and devotees derive spiritual joy from singing them. He viewed Mahima Gosain as the only Guru and showed deep devotion to him through his writings.

Missionary Life

• Spreading the Faith: After initiation, Bhima Bhoi traveled as a monk, spreading the religion by singing hymns in a sweet voice while playing the khanjani (a percussion instrument), which attracted many people.
• Later Years: He eventually settled in an ashram at Khaliyapali near Sonepur, living an ascetic life devoted entirely to literature and religious discourse until the end of his life.
• Legacy: While Mahima Gosain founded the religion, his disciple Bhima Bhoi played a crucial role in establishing Mahima Dharma as a popular mass religion.