Bhakti movement in South and North India
In school children of all castes and religions sit in one class and play together. In the same way the Bhakti movement in the medieval age brought everyone into devotion to one God.
The Bhakti movement gave importance to love of God and devotion rather than rituals. It used the language of the people, so regional languages grew.
Key idea 1 : Beginning in the South — The Bhakti movement is believed to have begun in South India. The Nayanars were devotees of Shiva and the Alvars of Vishnu. Ramanujacharya taught that God is for all and does not discriminate.
Key idea 2 : Sants of North India — Ramanand strengthened the movement in the north. Kabir gave no importance to pilgrimages, fasts and idol worship; for him Truth was God. He gave the message of Hindu-Muslim unity. Mirabai composed verses of Krishna-devotion; Surdas composed ‘Sursagar’; Tulsidas’s ‘Ramcharitmanas’ is a poem of Rama-devotion. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Shankardev, Narsi Mehta and Rohidas were also famous sants.
Key idea 3 : Basaveshwar and the Lingayat thought — In Karnataka Mahatma Basaveshwar opposed caste discrimination and stressed the dignity of labour; ‘Kayakave Kailas’ means work is worship. In his ‘Anubhava Mantapa’ people of all castes, men and women, joined religious discussions. He gave his ideas in Kannada through ‘Vachan’ literature.
- Easy : Whose devotees were Nayanars and Alvars? — Nayanars of Shiva; Alvars of Vishnu.
- Medium : For Kabir who was God? — Truth.
- Exam-type : What does ‘Kayakave Kailas’ mean? — Work is worship.
In the figure: Bhakti sants of the south, north, Karnataka and east India.
Bhakti = love and equality instead of rituals; use of the people’s language.
The Bhakti movement did not stay in one place; it grew in many regions in local forms.
Memory clue: Bhakti = language + no discrimination.
Spot the difference
| Sant | Region | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Kabir | North | Hindu-Muslim unity |
| Mirabai | Rajasthan-Gujarat | Krishna-devotion, tolerance |
| Basaveshwar | Karnataka | Dignity of labour, equality |
Practice questions
- 1What is the Bhakti movement?
- 2What is the difference between Nayanars and Alvars?
- 3Write Kabir’s teaching in brief.
- 4In which language did Basaveshwar compose vachans?
- 5What was special about the Anubhava Mantapa?
- 6How did regional languages grow because of the Bhakti movement?
- 7Write the works of Surdas and Tulsidas and their subjects.
- 8Which message of the Bhakti sants is useful in today’s school? Write.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A movement that gave importance to devotion and equality instead of rituals.
- 2Nayanars were Shiva devotees; Alvars were Vishnu devotees.
- 3Truth is God; no caste or religious divisions; Hindu-Muslim unity.
- 4Kannada.
- 5Men and women of all castes took part in religious discussions.
- 6Sants wrote in the people’s language instead of Sanskrit.
- 7Surdas — ‘Sursagar’, Krishna-devotion; Tulsidas — ‘Ramcharitmanas’, Rama-devotion.
- 8Equal treatment for all and respect for labour.
Mahanubhav Panth and sants of Maharashtra
The ovis told by grandmother are remembered in Marathi, not in Sanskrit. The sants of Maharashtra insisted on speaking in Marathi that everyone could understand.
The Mahanubhav Panth is a Krishna-devotion sect founded in Maharashtra by Chakradhar Swami in the 13th century. The Varkari sampraday is the sant tradition of Vitthal devotion in Maharashtra.
Key idea 1 : Chakradhar Swami — Chakradhar Swami’s guru was Govindprabhu. He took along all castes and men and women, supported equality and preached in Marathi instead of Sanskrit; this helped Marathi grow. The sect spread in Vidarbha and Marathwada; Riddhipur is an important place.
Key idea 2 : Mahanubhav literature — Mhaimbhat compiled the ‘Leelacharitra’, ‘Dhavale’ of Mahadamba is the work of the first Marathi poetess, and there are works by Keshobas, Damodar Pandit, Bhaskarbhat Borikar and Narendra.
Key idea 3 : Eknath and Shaikh Muhammad — Sant Eknath wrote a dialogue between a Hindu and a Muslim, important for religious harmony. The Muslim sant Shaikh Muhammad said in his abhang that, though a non-Hindu, he has Govind in his heart.
- Easy : Who founded the Mahanubhav Panth? — Chakradhar Swami.
- Medium : Who compiled the ‘Leelacharitra’? — Mhaimbhat.
- Exam-type : Who was the first Marathi poetess? — Mahadamba.
In the figure: The chain from Govindprabhu to the growth of Marathi.
What happened before the Dnyaneshwari was written (1290)? In the 13th century the Mahanubhav Panth had already begun to write and preach in Marathi instead of Sanskrit; Lilacharitra is among the earliest Marathi prose works.
What happened after the Dnyaneshwari was written (1290)? About 300 years later, around 1584, Sant Eknath collected old copies, corrected the mistakes that had crept in and prepared an authentic text. This is the Dnyaneshwari we read today.
Mahanubhav = Chakradhar; Leelacharitra = Mhaimbhat; poetess = Mahadamba.
Chakradhar Swami did not preach in Sanskrit; he preferred Marathi.
Memory clue: C-M-M: Chakradhar, Mhaimbhat, Mahadamba.
Spot the difference
| Name | Role | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Chakradhar Swami | Founder | Preaching in Marathi |
| Mhaimbhat | Writer | Leelacharitra |
| Mahadamba | Poetess | Dhavale |
Practice questions
- 1Whose devotion does the Mahanubhav Panth teach?
- 2Who was Chakradhar Swami’s guru?
- 3In which region is Riddhipur?
- 4Write the names of two Mahanubhav works.
- 5Which dialogue did Sant Eknath write?
- 6Why did Chakradhar Swami choose Marathi?
- 7Why is Shaikh Muhammad an example of religious harmony?
- 8What effects might giving women a place in the sect have had? Write your view.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Krishna-devotion.
- 2Govindprabhu.
- 3Vidarbha.
- 4Leelacharitra and Dhavale.
- 5A dialogue between a Hindu and a Muslim.
- 6So that common people could understand.
- 7Though a Muslim, he spoke of devotion to Govind.
- 8Women took part and Marathi literature gained, e.g. Mahadamba’s poetry.
Guru Nanak and Sikhism
The idea that everyone should sit in one row and eat together still feels right on a school trip. Guru Nanak gave the message of treating everyone as equal.
Guru Nanak is the founder and first guru of Sikhism. His followers are called ‘Sikhs’, meaning ‘disciples’.
Key idea 1 : Guru Nanak’s teaching — He visited holy places of both Hindus and Muslims and also went to Mecca. He realised the feeling of devotion is the same everywhere. He taught equal treatment of all and chaste conduct; his teachings aimed at Hindu-Muslim unity.
Key idea 2 : Line of gurus — The ninth Sikh Guru was Teghbahadur and the tenth Gobindsingh. Gobindsingh raised the Khalsa Dal. As he ordered, Sikhs still regard the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ as their Guru.
- Easy : What does the word ‘Sikh’ mean? — Disciple.
- Medium : Who is the founder of Sikhism? — Guru Nanak.
- Exam-type : Who was the tenth Sikh Guru? — Guru Gobindsingh.
In the figure: Steps from Guru Nanak to the Guru Granth Sahib.
What happened before the Guru Granth Sahib? In 1604 the fifth Guru, Arjandev, collected the words of the Sikh Gurus and many sants into the ‘Adi Granth’ and installed it in the Harimandir at Amritsar. The book also includes works of Hindu and Muslim sants such as Kabir.
What happened after the Guru Granth Sahib? By about 1706 Guru Gobindsingh added the compositions of Guru Teghbahadur. And in October 1708 at Nanded in Maharashtra he declared the book to be the next Guru — from then it became the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’.
Nanak = first guru; 1604 = Adi Granth; 1708 = at Nanded the Granth became Guru.
Sikhism did not begin only for Hindu-Muslim unity; it is an independent religion that gives a message of unity.
Memory clue: Nanded = Granth becomes Guru (1708).
Spot the difference
| Year | Event | Person |
|---|---|---|
| 1604 | Adi Granth installed | Guru Arjandev |
| 1675 | Put to death | Guru Teghbahadur |
| 1708 | Granth declared Guru | Guru Gobindsingh |
Practice questions
- 1Who founded Sikhism?
- 2To which holy places did Guru Nanak go?
- 3Who prepared the Adi Granth?
- 4When was Guru Teghbahadur martyred?
- 5What event took place at Nanded?
- 6Why did Guru Gobindsingh declare the Granth as Guru?
- 7Whose compositions are included in the Guru Granth Sahib?
- 8What use is Guru Nanak’s teaching to society today? Write.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Guru Nanak.
- 2Holy places of Hindus and Muslims, and Mecca.
- 3The fifth Guru Arjandev, in 1604.
- 4In 1675.
- 5In 1708 Guru Gobindsingh declared the Granth as the next Guru.
- 6So that the guru line continues through the book’s teaching.
- 7Along with the Gurus’ words there are compositions of sants like Kabir.
- 8Equal treatment, chaste conduct and unity.
The Sufi sect
If a friend in school just behaves with love, everyone connects with him easily. The Sufi sants also won people’s hearts through love and service.
Sufi is a sect in Islam. Sufi sants believed that God is full of love and that love and devotion are the only way to reach Him.
Key idea 1 : Teachings of the Sufis — Love for all living beings, meditation and simple living. Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti and Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya were famous Sufi sants.
Key idea 2 : Contribution of the Sufis — The Sufi sants’ teachings brought unity among Hindu and Muslim communities. Sufi music made a valuable addition to Indian music.
Key idea 3 : Contribution of the Bhakti sants — The path of devotion was easy for common people, open to all men and women, and the sants spoke in the language of the people. So the Bhakti movement contributed greatly in shaping Indian culture.
- Easy : In which religion is the Sufi sect? — Islam.
- Medium : What was the main teaching of Sufis? — Love, meditation and simple living.
- Exam-type : To which art did the Sufis contribute? — Music.
In the figure: From love and simplicity to unity — the Sufi teaching.
What happened before Shahaji’s birth? According to tradition, Maloji Bhosale had no son and prayed at the dargah of the Sufi saint Shah Sharif at Ahmednagar.
What happened after Shahaji’s birth? His sons were named Shahaji and Sharifji after the saint. Shahaji, born in 1594, became the father of Shivaji.
Sufi = love + simple life; contribution to music.
Sufis and Bhakti sants were not one sect; but their teachings of love and equality match.
Memory clue: Sufi = service + music + simplicity.
Spot the difference
| Sect | Origin | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Sufi | Islam | Love, simple living |
| Bhakti | Hindu tradition | Devotion, equality |
Practice questions
- 1What is the Sufi sect?
- 2Write the names of two Sufi sants.
- 3What was the Sufi teaching?
- 4What is the contribution of Sufi music?
- 5What is common between Bhakti and Sufi?
- 6What is the advantage of sants writing in the people’s language?
- 7How did Sufis improve Hindu-Muslim relations?
- 8Which values can we take today from the Bhakti and Sufi movements? Write.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A sect in Islam that stresses love and devotion.
- 2Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti and Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya.
- 3Love for all, meditation and simple living.
- 4Sufi music made a valuable addition to Indian music.
- 5Love, equality and a path open to all.
- 6Common people understand the ideas easily.
- 7Both communities came closer through love and service.
- 8Love, equality, simplicity and respect for other religions.