7th Class Social Science Devotional Paths to the Divine Notes - Devotional Paths to the Divine

 

Devotional Paths to the Divine

 

 

The medieval period witnessed major changes in the area of faith and religion. Due to the Turkish invasion, religions in India came into contact with Islam. It influenced them immensely. Two new religious movements-Bhakti and Sufi Movements-emerged in India during the period from the 7th to the 9th centuries.

 

During the medieval period, many religions existed in India. Different Gods wereworshipped. People believed in the cycle of birth and rebirth. A person's deeds determined his next birth. The society was caste based with the brahmanas at the top of the social hierarchy. The lower castes were badly treated and looked down upon. A person's caste was determined by birth. As the caste system was not acceptable to all, the lower castes turned towards Jainism and Buddhism. These religions welcomed people of all castes and believed in equality and brotherhood.

 

According to the Bhagavad Gita, there is a supreme God who should be loved and worshipped with devotion. This appealed to the common people. People from all castes began worshipping Durga, Vishnu and Shiva by performing numerous ceremonies and rituals. Gradually, many people joined the Bhakti Movement and it spread far and wide.

 

THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT

 

The Bhakti Movement emphasised on devotion to God. It taught the path of love and devotion as opposed to the path of rituals. The Bhakti saints were simple people from all walks of life. Some of them were from the lower castes. Some of their common teachings are:

 

·   According to them there is one God who has to be worshipped with love and devotion.

·   There is no idol, tree or animal worship and elaborate rituals and sacrifices.

·   They were against social evils like child marriage and sati.

·   They were against the caste system. They believed that all were equal in the eyes of God.

·   They stressed on Hindu-Muslim unity.

·   Emphasis was laid on virtues like honesty, truth, kindness and charity. A combination of factors led to the growth of the Bhakti Movement.

·   The social and political conditions at that time led the Hindus to choose the path of Bhakti.

·   The ill-treatment imparted to the lower castes drive them to join the Bhakti Movement which stressed o equality.

·   Women could also join the movement.

·   The saints preached in the language of the common people.

 

BHAKTI SAINTS

 

SAINTS IN SOUTH INDIA

The Bhakti movement first began in South India and later spread to North India. The earliest Bhakti saints were the Alvars and Nayanars. They preached love and devotion to God as the way to salvation. They opposed the Jain and Buddhist faiths and led to the establishment of the supremacy of brahmanical worship. These saints travelled widely to spread their message of love and devotion. Many rulers of the south built temples where the Bhakti saints preached. The Alvar saints were the worshippers of Vishnu and were called Vaishnavas. They were 12 in numbers who came from present day Tamil Nadu. They were mystics1 and sang simple poems called Pashnras. Andal holds a special place among the Alvar saints. Songs by the Alvars are compiled in the Divya Prabandham. The Nayanars were devotees of Lord Shiva. They composed and sang songs in the praise of Lord Shiva. The most famous Nayanars are Sundarar, Sambandar, Appar and Mankikavasagar.

 

History Reveals

The greatest Alvar saint was Satakopan. He composed four Tamil Vedas.

 

The Alvar and Nayanar saints:

 

·   Came from different sections of the society

·   Spread the doctrine of bhakti among people belonging to different sections in the society

·   Welcomed people from all castes

·   Did away with rituals

·   Composed devotional songs in Tamil

·   Believed that spiritual fulfillment could come through love and devotion to God

 

History Reveals

Hagiographies of the Alvars and Nayanars were also composed. These are important sources of information.

Shankaracharya?Born in a poor Brahmana family in Kerala in the 8th century, Adi Shankaracharya had a religious bend of mind. One of India's greatest saints, he played a major role in the revival of Hinduism. He interpreted the sacred Hindu texts and was successful in the revival and reformation of Hindu thinking and way of life. He was the founder of Advaita Vedanta or monism. According to him, 'God only is true, this world is an illusion'. He established four maths or religious centres in different corners of India to guide the Hindus. He composed numerous hymns and commentaries on spiritual texts like the Vedas.

 

According to him, renunciation of worldly goods and gaining knowledge was very important to reach salvation.

 

Shankaracharya

 

Q. Find out where the four maths established by Shankaracharya are located.

 

Acharya Ramanuja2?He belonged to the Alvar Bhakti sect. According to him, the realisation of God was possible only through devotion or bhakti3. He preached Visishtadvaita. According to him, God, soul, matter is real and not illusionary. His teachings appealed to many people.

 

Basava?He was the founder of the Lingayat Movement. Lingayats were the worshippers of Shiva. They were against the powerful Brahmanical system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAINTS IN MAHARASHTRA

 

Many saint poets preached in Maharashtra among whom Tukaram, Namdev, Jnaneshwar and Eknath are well-known. They were against all forms of rituals. They were also against renunciation and advocated that people should live with their families and lead a pure and simple life doing good deeds. They preferred to use Marathi in their religious discourses and composed songs in the language of the common people.

 

Saint Jnaneshwar is considered as the founder of Bhakti movement in Maharashtra. Namdev was a tailor by caste. He believed in the equality of all men. He advised people to follow the Bhakti Marga or the path of deep devotion to God and condemned idol worship. Some of his devotional songs are found in the Granth Sahib and other religious books of the Sikhs.

 

Saint Tukaram was deeply religious and spent his time singing devotional songs in praise of his favorite deity, Lord Vithoba of Pandharpur. He sang his own devotional songs called Abhangas. Eknath advocated social equality and preached the abolition of distinctions based on class, caste and creed. He preached that one could devote oneself to God by leading a normal family life.

 

Sakubai was a great devotee of Vitthala (another name for Krishna). Her devotion to God Vitthala gave her strength to bear the suffering in her life. She dedicated herself to the welfare of the people.

 

Saint Jnaneshwar

 

SAINTS IN NORTH INDIA

 

Kabir preached bhakti or 'devotion' through the medium of his 'Dohas'. He advised all to give up hatred and perpetuate love for one and all. He is unique in that he is revered by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs.

 

Tulsidas is considered to be one of the most famous representatives of the Bhakti school of Hinduism. Tulsidas wrote 12 books, the most famous being the Ramcharitmanasa. Surdas is known for his devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. He propagated Vaishnavism. He is known for his poetical works, "Sur Sagar" (Ocean of Melody), Sur-Sarava, and SaJiitia-Lahiri.

 

Mirabai is well-known as one of the foremost mystics. Worldly pleasures never attracted her and she led a life of renunciation. She was a Rajput princess and since childhood she was attached to Lord Krishna. Her songs were called padas and became extremely popular. More than 400 padas have been collected. 'Rag Govind' and 'Rag Mira Malhar' are some of the famous ones. She spent all her life singing praises of Lord Krishna.

 

Ravidas was a cobbler by birth. He composed and sang songs in praise of the supreme God. He did not worship any one deity. He believed in one and omnipresent God. It is believed that he was the guru of Mirabai.

 

Surdas

 

Mirabaui

 

NATHPANTHIS. SIDDHAS AND YOGIS

 

These were the groups who challenged conventional religion and rituals. According to them, in order to reach salvation, renunciation was necessary. They considered it vital to train the mind and body through meditation, yoga and breathing exercises. Their way of thinking and criticism of conventional religion gained ground especially with the lower castes.

 

SUFISM

 

Sufism is an Islamic school of thought. Mystics or Suris had arisen in Islam at a very early stage. The advent of Sufism in India is said to be in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Their emphasis upon a pure life, devotional love and service to humanity made them popular. Most of them were persons of deep devotion who were not satisfied with the observances of rituals and religion. They wanted to renounce the luxuries of the world and devote themselves solely to the obedience of God. Sufi is an Arabic word for 'wool', in the sense of 'cloak', referring to the coarse cloaks that the original Sufis wore.

 

History Reveals

The origin of Islam can be traced back to the 7th century CE, so it is the youngest of the great world religions.

 

These people wanted a more direct relationship with God. Instead of just doing things like praying or good deeds, Sufis wanted to experience the greatness of God within themselves, through meditation or through ecstatic dancing or in other ways. The central concept of Sufism love. Sufis wrote a great deal of poetry. This was another way of helping people make the connection with God. They did not believe in rituals and ceremonies.

 

The central teachings of Sufism are:

 

·   There is only one God. All are the children of God.

·   God is in the heart and is always very close to us. Since God is in all of us, to love God, we must love every human being.

·   Different religions are different ways to reach God, which is the ultimate aim.

·   People should follow the teachings of a pir for he will show the right path to reach God.

·   Nothing happens without God's will. All things, good or bad, are from God.

 

The Sufi saints were known as pirs. They held their assemblies in hospices known as khanqahs. Discussions, music and dance sessions or zikr (chanting of God's name) used to take place here. People believed that pirs had miraculous powers to help the needy. Each pir had a different method or taricqa of instruction. Devotees, common people and even kings visited these khanqahs to take the blessings of the saints. A tomb or a dargah of a Sufi saint was considered a pilgrimage which was visited by people from all faiths.

 

Sufism crystallised itself into various 'Silsilahs' or orders. There were 12 silsilas. 4 most popular among these were Chistis, Suhrawardis, Qadiriyahs and Naqshbandis. The Chisti silsila was very known and had saints like Syed Moinuddin Chisti, 'Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya and Baba Farid.

 

Syed Moinuddin Chisti was a famous Sufi saint who settled at Ajmer. He led a simple asceticlife based on piety and devotion to God. He believed that serving mankind was the best form of devotion and therefore he worked amongst the downtrodden. During Mughal times, Ajmer became a leading pilgrim centre because the emperors regularly visited his tomb. The extent of his popularity can be seen by the fact that even today, millions of Muslims and Hindus visit his dargah for fufilment of their wishes.

 

Baba Farid was another important saint. He laid emphasis on poverty, renunciation of worldly goods and attachments, adopting an attitude of humbleness and service to others. Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya was another important Sufi saint. His tomb is in Delhi.

 

BABA GURU NANAK                             

Guru Nanak was born in Talwandi (Mankana Sahib) in Pakistan in 1469. He founded the Sikh religion and is regarded as the first Sikh guru. Nanak renounced his family and became a wandering ascetic saint. He befriended a wandering mistrel named Mardana. Along with Mardana, he travelled widely and visited holy places and saints. They preached and taught people that there was only one God. According to him. God was formless and eternal. There are no Hindus and Muslims. There is only one brotherhood of humanity. Both Hindus and Muslims became his followers. Nanak wrote many hymns of which Japji is most famous and recited by Sikhs every morning. He was against the caste system and helped the poor and the needy. He also preached the message of equality between men and women. All his followers were ordinary people, living a householder's life. The morning and evening prayers were held at sacred places called dharamshalas (Gunidwams).

 

Guru Nanak began the institution of common kitchen or langar. Here people sat and ate together without any distinction of caste and creed. This institution of langar cut at the roots of the evils of caste and religious distinctions. Another aim of langar was to provide food to the needy.

 

Guru Nanak and his disciples

 

Some of his most important teachings are:

 

Vand Chako: Sharing with others, helping those who have less and are in need

 

Kirat Karo: Earning a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud

 

Naam Japna: Chanting the Holy name and remembering God at all times Nanak lived and died a saint worshipped by all communities. Before he died, he named Lehna (his disciple) as Angad and selected him as the next Guru. The followers of Guru Nanak are known as Nanakpanthis.

 

There were nine more gurus after Guru Nanak. The teachings of the gurus are compiled in the Guru Granth Sahib. It consists of over 6000 verses and also has sayings of other saints like Kabir. All Sikhs visit gurudwaras4 and read this holy book.

 

KABIR

 

Kabir was a mystical poet and great saint of India. His birth is surrounded by legend by legends that he was born in Varanasi to a Brahmana widow and was adopted by a poor Muslim weaver.

 

Kabir did not give up worldly life. He chose to continue his life as a householder and weaver. He preached in an unusual way. He composed songs while he worked. He stressed on simple life and meditation and laid emphasis on the equality of man. He was against idol worship and soon had both Muslim and Hindu followers. His simple compositions called dohe or two liners were easy to remember and appealed to the masses. According to him, there was one God and one could realise him with love. He was against the caste system and tried to bring about unity between Hindus and Muslims.

 

Kabir Panth is the huge religious community. The members of Kabir Panth are known as the Kabirpanthis who had extended all over the north and central India. Some of the great writings of the Kabirdas are Bijak, Kabir Gmnthawali, Anurag Sagar, Sakhi Granth, etc.

 

Saint Kabir

 

Shram se hi sab kuch hot hai, bin shram mile kuch nahi Seedhe ungli ghee jamo, kabsu nikase nahi         

 

Efforts can accomplish everything. Nothing can be accomplished without taking efforts. A purified butter that is frozen cannot be taken out with a straight finger.

 

History Reveals

Guru Arjan Sahib, the fifth Guru, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs. He designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. The construction work on the Sarovar (the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects was completed in A.D 1577.

 

Around the world

 

Martin Luther

 

Martin Luther was a Catholic monk from Germany. In 1510, he visited Rome, the home of the Catholic Church. He was shocked by what he saw. The Pope was only interested in wealth and power. He lived a life of luxury. The priests were corrupt, badly educated and lazy. Luther realised the need to reform the Church and wrote down a list of 95 ways that the Catholic Church could be reformed. He nailed the list to the door of the Church at Wittenberg. His ideas soon spread. Luther believed that everyone should read the Bible themselves instead of hearing everything from the priests. He translated the Bible into German. From then on the movement came to be known as Protestant and the church was split intotwo-the Catholic and the Protestant.