▪ The movement probably began in the Tamil region around the 6th and 7th century AD and achieved a great deal of popularity through the poems of the Alvars and Nayanars, the Vaishnavite and Shaivite poets. ▪ Hailing from both high and low castes, these poets created a formidable body of literature that firmly established itself in the popular canon.
➢ 5 Causes of the rise of the Bhakti movement:
▪ Influence of Vaishnavism ▪ Evil practices of the Hindus ▪ Fear of spread of Islam ▪ Influence of Sufi sects ▪ The emergence of great reformers BHAKTI MOVEMENT
▪ In the Kannada region, the movement begun by Basavanna (1105-68) in the 12th century. ▪ While the orthodoxy managed to resist, the Bhakti movement in this region produced a rich vein of literature that came to be known as Vachana sahitya composed by Basava himself as well as his disciples (Akkamahadevi, Allama Prabhu, Devara Dasimayya and others). ▪ These Vachanas conveyed in unambiguous terms certain astute observations on spiritual and social matters.
▪ In neighbouring Maharashtra, the Bhakti movement began in the late 13th century. Its proponents were known as the Varkaris. ▪ Among its most popular figures were Jnandeva (1275- 96), Namdev (1270-50) and Tukaram (1608-50), who have left behind many verses that embody the essence of Bhakti. BHAKTI MOVEMENT
Main Features of Bhakti Movement
▪ Unity of God or one God though known by different names.
▪ Bhakti, intense love and devotion, the only way to salvation. ▪ Repetition of the True Name. ▪ Self-Surrender. ▪ Condemnation of rituals, ceremonies and blind faith. ▪ Rejection of idol worship by many saints ▪ Open- mindedness about deciding religious matters. ▪ No distinction of different castes, higher or low ▪ Need of a guru for guidance advocated by some. ▪ Preaching’s through local or regional languages and travelling from place to place for spreading the religious message. BHAKTI MOVEMENT
▪ The Bhakti saints were divided into two schools depending on the way they imagined God.
➢ Nirguna School: They imagined God as formless with no attributes or quality. They are more focused on acquiring knowledge. ▪ They rejected the scriptures and condemned every form of idol worship. The prominent figures of this school of thought were Kabir, Guru Nanak and Dadu Dayal.
➢ Saguna School: They thought of God as having a definite form, quality and positive attributes and the god manifests himself in incarnations such as Rama and Krishna. His spirit is to be found in the idols and images worshipped at home and in temples. ▪ They accept the spiritual authority of the Vedas and the need of a human Guru as mediator between God and his devotee. Ramanuja, Ramananda and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu belonged to this school of thought. BHAKTI MOVEMENT
The Bhakti saints translated works of Sanskrit into the local languages so that they could be accessed by the masses. This made the work accessible to the wider audience. Notable examples of this trend: ▪ Hindi: Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas etc. ▪ Marathi: Jnandeva, Namdev etc. ▪ Bengali: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chandidas ▪ Rajasthani (Braj): Mirabai, Bihari etc. ▪ Punjabi: Guru Nanak ▪ Kashmiri: Lalla ▪ Assamese: Shankardeva BHAKTI MOVEMENT Important Bhakti Saints in India ▪ Ramanuja (1017 CE - 1137 CE): Exponent of Vaishnavism
▪ Madhvacharya (12th -13th century): Founder of ‘Dvaitvada’. He was the critic of Adi Shankaracharya’s philosophy of Advaitavada.
▪ Surdas (1478 -1573) : He was a famous poet and a worshiper of Lord Krishna. He wrote “Sursagar” and “Sur Saravali“ which describe Krishna’s childhood.
▪ Vallabhacharya (1479 -1571): Founder of Suddhadvaita (Pure non dualism) and his philosophy is known as ‘Pushti Marg’. He also founded a school called Rudra Sampradaya.
▪ Guru Nanak (1469 -1539: He was the proponent of Nirguna School. His teachings can be found in Guru Granth Sahib.
▪ Kabir Das (1440- 1518): He was a disciple of Ramananda. He was a Nirguna saint and openly criticised the orthodox ideas of major religions like Hinduism and Islam. He strongly criticised the discriminatory caste system, especially untouchability. His poems are called Banis (utterances). His works are compiled in the famous book Bijak. BHAKTI MOVEMENT ▪ Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486- 1534): He was an ardent Krishna devotee and popularized the chanting of “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna”. He made famous the practice of worshipping Radha and Krishna together. He gave the Achintaya Bheda-Abheda philosophy. He wrote “Siksastakam”, a text in Sanskrit, where he elaborated his philosophy.
▪ Shankardeva (1449- 1568): He was the one who popularized Vaishnavism in Assam. He started the Ekasarana movement (Neo- Vaishnavites movement). His most famous work is “Kirtana Ghosha”.
▪ Meerabai (1498- 1546): She was a princess born into a royal family of Pali, Rajasthan. Meerabai was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and regarded Krishna as her lover.
▪ Dadu Dayal (1544- 1603): He was a follower of Kabir and he believed that God does not belong to any particular religion or sect. He was a contemporary of the Mughal emperor, Akbar and it is said that Akbar respected him. His followers later founded the Dadu Panth.
▪ Ramananda (1400- 1476) : Worshipper of Rama. He composed his teachings in Hindi. First Bhakti saint to propagate his message in Hindi. He is considered as the ‘the bridge between the bhakti movement of South & North’. ▪ His disciples included: Kabir (weaver); Ravidas (cobbler); Sena (barber); Dhanna (peasant); Sadhana (butcher) ; Narahari (goldsmith); and Pipa (Rajput prince). BHAKTI MOVEMENT ▪ Guru Ghasidas (1756-1850) : He was a famous saint from Chhattisgarh and he established the “Satnami Community” there. He was a monotheist and was against idol worship.
▪ Other Famous Saints of Bhakti Cult:
Dnyaneshwar (Jnandeva) , Namdev , Eknath, Tukaram, Ramdas. Impact of the Bhakti Movement
Background
▪ With a view to understand the impact of the Bhakti movement, we have to consider the background under which the movement gained momentum. ▪ Under the impact of the Muslim rule, the Hindus had suffered a lot materially, morally and spiritually. ▪ The Muslim rulers in general wanted to enforce the Islamic laws on the Hindus. ▪ The Muslim rule had put dread in the hearts of the Hindu masses.
➢ Ray of Hope for Hindus: Hindus wanted some solace to heal their despairing hearts.
The Bhakti movement brought them hope and support and inner strength to save themselves. During the course of time, several evil practices had crept into the Hindu society. There was a lot of caste and class distinction. Several divisions had occurred. Impact of the Bhakti Movement
➢ Brought Hindus & Muslims together: There was a good deal of bitter men between the two communities i.e. the Hindus and Muslims. Fortunately with the foreign invaders, some Sufi Muslim saints had also come to India and settled here. They were very liberal minded. They emphasized the virtues of love and devotion, brotherhood and equality etc. ▪ This helped to bring the two communities nearer. It also helped to harmonise the conflicting interests. ▪ The saints of the Bhakti movement rejected the difference of caste which again reconciled the difference between Hindus & Muslims.
➢ Social impact: 1. Improvement in the social relation between the Hindus and Muslims 2. The better social status of lower casts 3. Promotion of social service 4. Development of composite art in the society 5. Enrichment of literature. Impact of the Bhakti Movement
➢ Religious impact: 1. Shaked Hinduism 2. Lowered the prestige of the Brahmins 3. Checked the propagation of Islam 4. Emergence of Sikhism 5. Setback to Buddhism
➢ Promotion of regional languages of the common people:
▪ In place of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian, the Bhakti saints preached through the medium of local languages which could be understood very easily.
▪ For instance the language of Kabir was a mixture of several languages of every day use. Surdas used ‘Brij’ dialect. Goswami Tulsi Das composed his works in ‘Awadhi’. Impact of the Bhakti Movement
➢ Political influence: ▪ Some of the rulers adopted liberal religious policies under the impact of the Bhakti movement.
➢ 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 pointed out the virtues of contentment and self control. ▪ It drew attention to the evils of anger, greed and vanity. QUESTION 1 Q. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? (a) Kabir: Rajput prince (b) Ravidas: Cobbler (c) Sena: weaver (d) Narahari: peasant ANSWER: B QUESTION 2 Q. Consider the following statements: 1. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Bengali poet 2. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the chief proponent of the Achintaya Bheda-Abheda philosophy Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 ANSWER: C QUESTION 3 Q. Which of the following bhakti saints propagated their message in Hindi language? 1. Shankardeva 2. Kabir 3. Surdas Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 ANSWER: B QUESTION 4 Q. Which of the following is the feature of Bhakti Movement? 1. Intolerance towards other religions 2. Love and devotion to achieve salvation 3. Unity of god Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 ANSWER: C QUESTION 5 Q. Consider the following statements: 1. Nirguna philosophy means god with no form while Saguna philosophy believes that god has a definite form 2. Ramanuja believes in Nirguna Philosophy while Guru Nanak believes in Saguna philosophy Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 ANSWER: A Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
