CH 29 Bhakti Movements shaivism vaishnavism PDF

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CH 29 BHAKTI AND SUFI MOVEMENTSQue 1. “Sankaracharya brought about a synthesis of ideas and philosophies.” Discuss the statement and analyse the historical significance of his life and thought.Ans. Adi Shankaracharya was one of the most important philosphers and religious leaders in the Indian histo...

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CH 29 BHAKTI AND SUFI MOVEMENTS Que 1. “Sankaracharya brought about a synthesis of ideas and philosophies.” Discuss the statement and analyse the historical significance of his life and thought. Ans. Adi Shankaracharya was one of the most important philosphers and religious leaders in the Indian history and the hindu sanatan religion and is widely revered as a religious reformer in the early 8th century. His contributions in the development of hindu philosophy: 

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Advaita Vedanta- He proposed the theory of Advaita, saying that the Upanishad actually teach that the individual soul (called Atman) is not different from Ultimate Reality (called Brahman). He also taught that there is only one essential principle called Brahman and everything else is a kind of expression of that one Brahman. all the works of Shankaracharya are analysed through logical reasoning. He believed that in order to attain salvation, one should gain the knowledge of oneself. The philosophy of punarjanama stated that rebirth is based on actions and karma in this life. He believed that soul and god are indestructible and inseparable. He believed that brahma alone is real and everything else is maya.

Impact of his philosophies: 

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Shankara, and his contemporaries, made a significant contribution in understanding Buddhism and the ancient Vedic traditions, then transforming the extant ideas, particularly reforming the Vedanta tradition of Hinduism, making it India's most important tradition for more than a thousand years. He travelled all over India to help restore the study of the Vedas. His teachings and tradition form the basis of Smartism and have influenced Sant Mat lineages. He introduced the Panchyatana form of worship, the simultaneous worship of five deities – Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. Shankara explained that all deities were but different forms of the one Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being. Shankara's influence included reforming Hinduism, founding monasteries, disputing opponents and engaging in philosophic activity that, in the eyes of Indian tradition, help revive "the orthodox idea of the unity of all beings" and Vedanta thought. His ideas inspired some freedom fighters and swami Vivekananda was one of his followers which can be seen in his religious speech in chichago.

Que 2. How did bhakti movement help reduce social evils of their times? Justify using suitable examples. Ans. Bhakti movement was a social religious movement in the medieval history of india. First such movement was in south india where alvars and nayanars promoted gaspel of love, faith and criticized rituals and casteism. In north india (15th 17th century) prominent bhakti saints were kabir, guru nanak, mirabai etc. Bhakti movement: reducing social evils    

Criticized caste system and allowed all castes people to join Women were equal to men to the bhakti saints Universal brotherhood People started working hard through honest means because focus on good conduct

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People came out of the mind set of complicated rituals and superstitions, more stress given on devotion to god. Rise to new sect like Sikhism and Kabir panthis. Impetus to the development of regional languages. Religion toleration encouraged. Criticized idol worship and monopoly of vedas, sacred scripture. Reduction of child marriage

Bhakti movement provided much needed shake in the rigid thinking of that time which monopolized the access to god to only one community playing an important role in social reform. Que 3. Write a short note on beginning of bhakti movement in south india. ans. The bhakti movement in south india is described as below:           

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Bhakti means personal devotion to god. It stresses the union of the individual with god. Bhakti movement originated in south india during 7th- 12th centuries. A new kind of bhakti evolved comprising of the emergence of new religious movements which were led by nayanars (devotees of shiva) and alvars ( devotees of Vishnu). They were highly critical of the jainas and Buddhists. Drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the sangam literature and blended them with the values of bhakti. Originally began in south india in 7th century with shanakaracharya spread over all parts of india and by the 16th century was a great spiritual force. Used tamil language instead of Sanskrit for preaching and composing devotional songs. Renounced the notion of pollution and caste system as well as domination of brahmans. Hailed people from diverse sections from lower castes or women even irrespective of castes and creed. Promoted religious egalitarianism. Limitations- 1. No elimination of brahamanical rituals like worship of idols, recitation pf vedic mantras, pilgrimage to sacred places. 2. brahmans were not its main targets. 3. brahmans dominated temples played important role in the growth of south Indian bhakti movement. 4. later on in 10 th century assimilated into conventional brahamanical religion. Andal (alvar women) and karraikal ammayar (nayanar women) wrote compositions which criticized patriarchy and their existence even posed a threat to patriarchy. Between 10th 12th century, the chola and pandya kings built elaborate temples around many of the shrines visited by the saint poets, strengthening the links between bhakti tradition and temple worship. Brilliant Vaishnava brahman scholar- Ramanujan born in 11th century in tamil nadu believed that intense devotion to Vishnu was the best means to attain salvation and tried to eradicate untouchability.

Que 4. Causes for the origin of bhakti movement Ans. Following are the causes: o

Evils in the Hindu Society: Hindu society was full of many social anomalies like rigidity of caste system, irrelevant rituals and religious practices, blind faiths and social

dogmas. Common men in general had developed an averse attitude towards these social evils and were in need of a liberal form of religion where they could identify themselves with simple religious practices. o

Complexity of religion: The high philosophy of the Vedas and Upanishads were very complicated for the common people. They wanted a simple way of worship, simple religious practices and simple social customs. Alternative was Bhakti marga—a simple way of devotion to get salvation from worldly life.

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Role of Religious Reformers: The chief exponents of the movement were Shankara, Ramanuja, Kabir, Nanak, Shri Chaitanya, Mirabai, Ramananda, Namdev, Nimbarka, Madhava, Eknath, Surdas, Tulsidas, Tukaram, Vallabhacharya and Chandidas. They were the propounders of Bhakti movement and gave a call to the people to worship in the simplest possible way of devotion and love.

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Challenge from Rival Religion: the impact of the Muslim rule and Islam put dread in the heart of Hindu masses. The Hindus had suffered a lot under some of the fanatic rulers. They wanted some solace to heal their despairing hearts.

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Influence of Sufism: The Sufi saints of the Muslim community also inspired the movement. Some similar chords in the two evoked resonance.

Que.5 significance of bhakti movement. Ans. Bhakti movement that originally began in South India in the 9th century with Shankaracharya spread over all parts of India and by the 16th century was a great spiritual force to reckon with, especially after the great wave made by Kabir, Nanak and Shri Chaitanya. Social impact:      

The followers of the Bhakti movement rejected the caste distinction. They began to mix together on the basis of equality. They took their meals together from the common kitchen. A spirit of harmony among different sections of society and religion received impetus. The evil practice of ‘Sati’ received some set back. The status of women received more importance. The Bhakti exponents raised their powerful voice against different types of immoral acts like infanticide and encouraged prohibition of wine, tobacco and toddy. Adultery and sodomy were also discouraged. They aimed to set up a good social order upholding high moral values.

Religious impact: 

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Guru Granth Saheb the holiest book of the Sikhs which was complied later on included the messages of saints belonging to different sects. This was on account of the spirit of toleration preached by the Bhakti saints. The movement encouraged religious toleration. The method of worship and belief in God took a new turn during the movement. Henceforth, importance was given to devotion and love for God, one god of hindu and muslim. Bhakti was the central theme of this movement. The spirit of tolerance, harmony and mutual respect which was inaugurated by the Bhakti saints had another everlasting impact – the emergence of a new cult of worship by both Hindus and Muslims. It is known as the cult of Satyapir.

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Bhakti Movement led to emergence of new forms of spiritual leadership such as community singing, chanting together of deity names, festivals, pilgrimages, rituals etc. It also led to new forms of voluntary social giving such as Seva {service}, Dana (Charity) and Community Kitchens {Bhandra / Langar etc.}. Some of the temples and Gurudwaras adopted social functions such as helping poor, providing education by establishing charity schools, charity hospitals, relief in the aftermath of natural disasters etc.

Promotion of regional languages:  

In place of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian, the Bhakti saints preached through the medium of local languages which could be understood very easily. The language of Kabir was a mixture of several languages of everyday use. Surdas used ‘Brij’ dialect. Goswami Tulsi Das composed his works in ‘Awadhi’.

Political influence: 

Some of the rulers adopted liberal religious policies under the impact of the Bhakti movement.

Development of philosophies: 

The Bhakti Movement led to development of different philosophies within the Vedanta school, ranging from dvaita to advaita.

Moral influence:  

The movement attempted to infuse a spirit of piety in the daily life of the people. It emphasized earning of wealth through hard work and honest means. It encouraged the value of social service to the poor and the needy. It developed a humanitarian attitude. It drew attention to the evils of anger, greed and vanity.

The Bhakti movement succeeded to a very small extent in realizing its two-fold objective i.e. bringing about reforms in Hinduism and developing harmonious relations between the Hindus and the Muslims. It gave birth to a new sect i.e. Sikhism. Que 6. The conflict between bhakti and Jainism and buddhism can be traced back to period of pallavas. Ans. The transformation of a tribal society into a well structured social order and emergence of powerful monarchs necessitated patronizing one religion or other to legitimize authority. Budddhism and Jainism were predominantly patronized by merchant class and supported by states as well. The bhakti movement originated among landholding castes and was critical of Buddhists and jains. Conflict with buddhism and Jainism:    

The earliest instance of conflict between Jainism and buddhism on one hand and bhakti proponents occurred during pallava reign. It is said that mahendraverma pallava I, a jain by faith presented those belonging to other religions. According to tradition, sambandar (poet of 7th century) defeated jain in theological debate and consequently his opponents were tortured or killed. Maravarman arikesari, pandyan king was converted from Saivism into Jainism but was later reconverted into a Shaivite. After his reconversion he ordered a massacre of jains in a village of Madurai district.

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Various texts like saiva sidhanta contain elaborate disputations of buddhist and jaina philosophies and refute their theological arguments. Inscriptions indicate that such conflict was accompanied by violence with the impaling of many monks.

Thus, we can say that it was nature of bhakti movement and the loyal patronage that it received that ultimately led to downfall of buddhism and Jainism ( buddhism completely wiped off and Jainism managed to survive in pockets of tamil nadu. Que 7. Impact of bhakti and sufi movement on each other. Ans. Influence of sufism on bhakti movement:      

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Scholars believe that doctrine of bhakti came as a result of sufism before and after 12 century. Islam influenced monotheistic movements in particular. Monotheistic bhakti movement and islam seems to have one of mutual influence and sufism provided common meeting ground. Non conformist saints picked ideas of islam such as rejection of incarnation, nirguna bhakti, rejection of caste system and attack on idolatry. Guru nanak’s encounters with Sufis are described in janam-sakhis. Sufism and monotheistic movement were historically independent of each other, there was remarkable similarity in many of their basic ideas, including rejection of hindu and muslim orthodoxies. Interaction between them however indirect, must have given impetus to both of them.

Influence of bhakti movement on sufism:    

Rishi order of Sufis in Kashmir had influence of 14th century bhakti preacher lal ded who was mystic of Kashmir Shaivism school of philosophy. The nathpanti movement of north india in 13th 14 century led the nathpanthi yogis to visit khanqahs of Chishti sheikhs to dicuss mysticism. Chishtis approved ethical values of nathpanthi yogis and their collective way of life Like the chishtis, the nathpantis had opened their doors to all sections of society irrespective of caste distinctions.

The chishtis adaptability in the non muslim environment of india led to cultural synthesis. Many chisthis spoke hindavi and composed verses in it and their was mutual understanding between muslims and non muslims. Que 8. Write a short essay on: “The Sufi Movement and its role in promoting communal harmony” Ans. Sufis played an important role in society and sometimes in polity as well. The sufi movement connates to mystic tendencies in order to have tasawwuf with god. Like the bhakti movement, sufism also contributed to a great extent in molding the character of the medieval Indian society. 

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The Sufis stressed on essential unity between different relgions and showed an attitude of toleration towards other religions and tried to bring about reconciliation between hindus and muslims. Ideas of brotherhood of islam+ equality among all castes of hindus. It led to large scale conversions.

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Emphasized the unity of god and superiority of the path of devotion over rituals, ceremonies, pilgrimages. The liberal and tolerant attitude adopted by akbar and his successors made the sufi literature and though popular among the hindu intellectuals. (akbar adopted sufi doctrine of universal brotherhood- to form a national state in india) Promote a feeling of religious toleration between hindus and muslims and became instrumental in maintaining the social equilibrium. Bhakti reforms and the sufi saints directly as well as indirectly created an atmosphere of brotherhood and fellow feelings between hindus and muslims. Mughal emperors also followed this policy of religious toleration. The bhakti movement inspired Shivaji to establish the swarajya foundation of Sikhism- result of bhakti movement. Akbar’s glorious rule was also inspired by these movements. Focus on yogic tendencies and meditation. Eg- nizamuddin auliya- an expert in yoga art and meditation. Promote languages like urdu by amir khusrau and gesudaraz.

Que 9. Assess the contribution of acharyas in the development of the ideological basis of bhakti. Ans. The bhakti movement was the outcome of rigidity in religion and the objects of worship. The bhakti movement saints belonged to various backgrounds but mainly from lower castes. The movement became popular mainly because it challenged the caste system and the superiority of the brahmans. The contribution of the acharyas is as follows: 

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Ramanuja He was a bridge between the popular movements based on bhakti movement and total surrender to god and the upper caste movement based on vedas.  Exponent of the sri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.  Propagator of vishishtadvas to Vedanta.  Composed Sanskrit texts including sri bhashyan, gita bhashyam etc. Basava 12th century Founder of the lingayats who emphasized on love towards god and bhakti as means of attaining the golas of human life.  Attached important to guru, rejected fasts, feasts or pilgrimages. Madhavacharya Principle philosopher of Vedanta system.  He had views that final aim of man is direct perception of hariwhich leads to moksha. Ramanada Founder of sant parampara (tradition of bhakti saints) in north india.  He emphasized on bhakti and avoided both iman and karm marga.  He held that supreme reward of devotion was to be obtained by continuously uttering god’s name. Nimbarkara- advocated principle of self- surrender and worship of Krishna and radha. Kabir and guru nanak dev Believed in one god.  Critical of religious works, caste system, made plea and hindu -muslim unity and carried message of bhakti to people. Vallabhacharya-

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 Exponent of Krishna cult (Vaishnavism), worshipped him under the temple of srinathji.  View- soul could get rid of the bondage means of bhakti. Chaitanya Founder of modern Vaishnavism in Bengal.  Popularized krishan.  Opposed caste system Mirabai Composed number of songs and poems in honour of Krishna.  She believed that god could not be reached through yoga exercised and learning. The only way is bhakti. Tulsidas Depicted rama as the incarnation  Wrote ramcharitmanas (bible of hindus)

Que 10. Hinduism had to face various challenges initially from buddhism and Jainism and then islam. Discuss. Ans. Brahminism based on caste system was prominent during the medieval period. But there was opposition to the same as well. The brahmans had always made people believe that images and idols in the temples were very powerful and divine who could be influence by them. Many people were uneasy with such ideas and turned to teachings of the buddha or jaina according to which it was possible to overcome social difference and break the cycle of rebirth through personal effort. Others felt attracted to the idea of supreme god who could deliver humans from such bondage if approached with devotion. People were thus, no longer satisfied with religion which emphasised only on ceremonies. So, bhakti was accepted as means to attain moksha along with jnana and karma. This cult also emerged as a strong platform against casteism. The idea of bhakti movement became so popular that even Buddhists and jainas adopted their beliefs. The challenges to Hinduism enhanced with Turkish conquest because before that the Rajput brahman alliance was hostile to any heterodox movement. The turks deprived the brahmans of their temple wealth and state patronage. Thus, brahmans suffered materially and ideologicall. Many temple were even destroyed by many rulers and conversion to islam began at high pace especially in areas like Kashmir and north west of india. Even when islam came to india, Hinduism was in vogue. Islam was opposite of what was in practice among the hindus, it talked of equality, brotherhood and oneness of god. There were no dogmas in islam. On the other hand, it had a simple doctrine and a democratic organisation. Thus, arrival of islam and its simple ideologies made a profound impact on traditional pattern of indian society. Also, the rise of both bhakti and sufi movements contributed immensely in this regard. Que 11. Bhakti movement started as a single unit but took ...