A Brief History of Māḻikās

Māḻikā literally means that which is threaded together like a Māḻā (Garland). Māḻikās are Books of Divine Revelations (Prophecies) that are created from the threading together of Śabda Brahma (Reality in Sound) or Akṣara Brahma (Reality in Letter).

Pañcasakhā’s Māḻikās

In the 16th Century AD, in Oḍiśā (India), five great prophets and contemporary friends (Pañcasakhā) ~ Yasovanta Dāsa, Ananta Dāsa, Acyutānanda Dāsa, Baḻarāma Dāsa and Jagannātha Dāsa, were initiated into the path of the divine by the great saint Caitanya Mahāprabhu. At the instruction of Lord Jagannātha Himself, these five friends composed several Māḻikās (Books of Divine Revelations) for the benefit of mankind.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu, during His stay in Purī initiated the Pañcasakhā (Five Friends) as disciples and guided them in their spiritual journey.

The expertise of the five friends is enumerated as:

(As collected from Pañcasakhā’s Māḻikās)

The Pañcasakhā (five friends) saw no difference in the essence of various scriptures and teachings of numerous sects. They unified various doctrines of popular sects like Vaiṣṇava (the Masculine Preserver Divinity), Śaiva (the Masculine Destroyer Divinity) and Śākta (the Feminine Divinity) while incorporating practices of Yoga (Union), Bhakti (Devotion), Mantra (Esoteric Chants), Yantra (Mystic Devices) and Tantra (Expansion) into their practices.

They also heavily propounded the Piṇḍa – Brahmāṇḍa Tattva (Body – Universe Principle) that the Microcosm Body is a replica of the Macrocosm Universe ~ a concept which was also popularised by the Nātha Yogīs, among others. Pañcasakhā’s strong understanding of the Śarira Tattva (Principle of Human Body) can be seen hidden in cryptic references in their various works.

The Piṇḍa-Brahmāṇḍa Tattva is explained as:

(As collected from Pañcasakhā’s Māḻikās)

Pañcasakhā considered Puruṣottama ~ the Supreme Lord as the Śūnya Puruṣa (Personification of Voidness), whose miniature visual form has manifested as the Jagannātha Dāru Kaḻevara (Wooden Bodied Form) in present day Purī (Oḍiśā, India). Their conceptualization of Śūnyatā (Voidness) is also similar to what was advocated by Śākyamuni Gautama Buddha and Ādi Guru Śankarācārya.

Puruṣottama (Greatest Among all Forms) is also known as Śrī Guru (Subtle Body) and Nīḻadri Nātha (Lord of the Blue Mountain), and has manifested as the Jagannātha Idol in Purī as the Śūnya Puruṣa (Personification of Voidness).

The description of Śūnya (Void) as God is understood as:

(As collected from Pañcasakhā’s Māḻikās)

Extending Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Nāma Brahma Tattva (The Principle of Reality in Name), Pañcasakhā made extensive use of concepts of Śabda Brahma (Reality in Sound) and Akṣara Brahma (Reality in Letter) to correlate and explain various aspects of Existence viz. Creation, Preservation, Destruction and Eternity, as well as that which is Non-Existent.

In Kaḻi Yuga (Ongoing Era of Ignorance), the Pañcasakhā themselves were born from the Śunya Brahma (Absolute Void) as:

(As collected from Pañcasakhā’s Māḻikās)

The youngest among the five, Mahāpuruṣa Acyutānanda is said to have composed hundreds of Māḻikās that form an unimaginable volume of divine revelations. While very few of the writings of Pañcasakhā found their way into folklore and remembrance and are today publicly accessible, majority of them stayed hidden for centuries.

Pañcasakhā have composed the Māḻikās (Books of Divine Revelations) by engraving letters on Palm Leaves (Tāḻapatra) or Plates of Copper (Tāmra), Silver (Raupya), Gold (Suvarṇa) or Aṣṭadhātu (Amalgamation of Eight Metals), bound together. These bound books are known as Pothīs or Pustakas (literally, books).

Representative Image of a Tāḻapatra Pothī (Palm Leaf Manuscript) with inscriptions in Oḍiā script

For centuries, these Pothīs (Books) passed from generation to generation through traditions in Families, Temples and Hermitages (Āśramas), primarily scattered across Oḍiśā and nearby states. A few number of these original manuscripts that have been rescued by scholars and researchers are today accessible in libraries and museums. Some of these Māḻikās have also been published in the form of books in the native Oḍiā language.

Śūnya Pustakas (Mystic Oracle Books)

There is another extremely rare class of these Māḻikā Pothīs (Books of Divine Revelations) known as Śūnya Pustakas (Void Books) which have blank leaves or plates embellished with oracular capabilities. When a specific Mantra (Esoteric Chant) is put on a leaf or plate of the Śūnya Pustaka (Mystic Oracle Books of the Void) which acts as the Divine Yantra (Mystic Instrument), it becomes Tantra (Expanded in Capabilities) and acquires the ability to manifest Akṣara Brahma (Letters) on the blank leaves or plates. Arrangement of these manifested Akṣara Brahma (Letters) on the blank leaves or plates form Divine Revelations, which, after a while disappear again rendering the leaves completely blank. It is indeed a mystic phenomenon in today’s modern world, possible by the grace of Lord Jagannātha.

Blank Plate of the Tāmra Pothī (Copper Oracle) – a Śūnya Pustaka

Manifested Letters in Oḍiā script on the previously Blank Plate of the Tāmra Pothī (Copper Oracle)

Towards the end of last century, some of these hidden and extremely secret Śūnya Pustakas (Void Books) were revealed by Lord Jagannātha to His devotees for use in the successful continuation and completion of the Yuga Karma (Ordained Work of the Era), in preparation for the upcoming arrival of Lord Kaḻki Nārāyaṇa ~ the Avatāra Puruṣa (Incarnation of the Era). These Śūnya Pustakas are today accessible only in limited and privileged circles, upon whom the mercy of Lord Jagannātha bestows.

These Śūnya Pustakas (Void Books) are equivalent to the tongue of Lord Jagannātha through which He gives His direct Ādeśa (Order), Upadeśa (Advise) and Nirdeśa (Instruction) about various topics relating to the Yuga Karma (Ordained Work of the Era) to His Dāsas (Servants). With Lord Jagannātha’s sole permission, interactions of various members of Hari Parivār with Him are recorded and transcripted. Extractions from these Divine Revelations are later translated, summarised and presented in the Sūktimāḻā category of this website.

These Divine Revelations usually manifest in poetic format and are conversational in theme, since they usually are interactions of the Supreme Lord with a Bhakta (Devotee) or Dāsa (Servant). Although these Divine Revelations mostly manifest in the understandable local Oḍiā dialect or sometimes in Sanskrit, there is no limitation or barrier on what Akṣara Brahma (Letters) can manifest. Rarely, some extracted revelations have been in mixed English, Hindī and Bengali as well.

The Māḻikās delve into depths of topics about Sādhanā (Spiritual Practise), Yoga (Union), Tantra (Expansion), Mantra (Esoteric Chants), Yantra (Mystic Devices), Āyurveda (Life Knowledge) and even Bhaviṣya (Future Prophecies). Woven with symbolic references and expressed in Chanda (Poetic Metre and Crypt), the Māḻikās are indeed difficult to understand and interpret.

We present the revelations extracted from various Māḻikās (primarily those from the Śūnya Pustaka), as they are, in their original, unaltered and uncorrupted form under the Sūktimāḻā category in this website. While translations into English may lead to some loss of content, care is administered to ensure minimal loss.

The contents of Māḻikā are indeed unfathomable and unending. Trying to collect them is akin to collecting droplets of water from the ocean. Upon the instruction of Lord Jagannātha, it is but our humble attempt to bring the Divine Revelations to the public at large and spread the Lord’s prescribed path of Bhāva (Emotion), Bhakti (Devotion) and Prema (Love).

Apart from Pañcasakhā, many Mahāpuruṣas across the world have taught the same thing, given the same prophecies. While one’s interpretation of the Divine Revelations might vary depending upon their philosophy and understanding, the actual teachings of various Mahāpuruṣas and Sadgurus from all around the world are no different from one another.