History (Medieval India History :- Sufism And Bhakti Movement)

Medieval India History :- Sufism And Bhakti Movement

Sufism

 *Originated in Persia & spread to India by 11th century

 *1st Sufi saint was Shaik ismail of Lahore

 *Most famous Sufi saint of India was Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer which became centre of his activities

 *His disciples were called Sufis of Chisti order →  Nizamuddin Aulia of Chisti order became a mighty spiritual force

 *Sufism stressed on Love & devotion as an effective & only mean of realization of God & attaining salvation

 *According to Sufism, Love of God meant love of humanity, They believed service to humanity equals service of God

 *Self-discipline was key to gain knowledge of God by perception

 *Sufism believed in inner purity not in rituals, they believed in brotherhood & in one God (Did not believe in class division)

 *According to them, one must have guidance of a Pir or Guru, without whom spiritual development is impossible

 *Sufism inculcated a spirit of tolerance among its followers

 *Sufism emphasized on Meditation, Good action, Repentance of sins, Performance of prayers, Pilgrimage, Fasting, Charity & Suppression of passions by ascetic practices

 *When Sufi movement was becoming popular in India, about the same time Bhakti cult was also gaining strength among Hindus.

 *The liberal & unorthodox features of Sufism had a profound influence on medieval Bhakti Saints

Bhakti Movement

900 AD  →  Shankaracharya

 *Born in Kaladi, Kerala

 *Followed doctrine of advaita / monoism (Non duality & oneness of God)

 *Faced reaction against his concept of Nirgunbrahamana (or God without attributes) due to emergence of idea of Sagunabrahamana (or God with attributes)

1200 AD  →  Ramanuja

 *Born in Sriperumbur, Chennai

 *Advocated Prabhattimarga (or path of self-surrender) to god

 *Preached philosophy of vishishtavaida; According to which God is Sagunbrahamana

 *Taught that God is an inner substance & rest are his attributes, Hence God, Soul & matter are real

 *According to him, creative process & all objects in creation are real, not illusionary as depicted by Shankaracharya

1300 AD  →  Madhava @ Kannada

 *Propagated the philosophy of Dvaita, Dualism of Jivatma & Parmatma

 *According to his philosophy, world is not an illusion but a reality & God, soul & matter are unique in nature

Nimbarka :- Propagated Dvaitaadvaita :- Preachers of Vaishnavite Bhakti in Telangana region

Vallabhacharya :- Propagated Shudhhaadvaita – Pushti marg

Surdas :- Disciple of Vallabhacharya :- Popularised Krishna cult in North India

Mirabai :- Great devotee to Krishna :- Popular in Rajasthan for Krishna Bhajans

Tulsidas :- Worshiper of Rama :- Composed Ramcharitmanas in Hindi

Gnandeva :- Founder of Bhakti movement in Maharashtra :- Wrote commentary of Bhagvat Gita called Gnaneswari (Maharashtra Drama)

1400 – 1500 AD  →  Ramananda, Kabir & Nanak

 *Great apostles of Bhakti movement →  Helped common people to shed old age superstitions

 *Preached salvation by Bhakti & pure devotion

 *Did not linked themselves with any particular religious creed

 *Emphasized on fundamental unity of all religions & never believed in rituals & ceremonies

 *Condemned polytheism, denounced all type of idolatry & believed in one god

 *Believed only Bhakti as a mean to attain salvation

Ramanada

 *Ram worshiper, born at Allahabad & originally follower of Ramanuja

 *Later he founded his own sect & preached his disciples in Hindi at Banaras & Agra (1st time in vernacular language)

He strongly believed in 2 ideals, namely:

 *Simplification of Worship

 *Emancipation of people from traditional caste rule

He choosed his disciples from all sections of the society irrespective of any caste viz.

Kabir :- Muslim Weaver (His verses are compiled in Bijak by kabirpanthis)

Raidasa :- A cobbler

Sena :- A barber

Sadhana :- A butcher

Dhanna :- A Jat farmer

Naraharai :- A goldsmith

Pipa :-    A Rajput Prince

Kabir

 *Born near Banaras; Borned to a Brahmin family but brought up by a weaver Muslim family

 *Was familiar with both Hindu & Muslim teachings

 *Regarded devotion to God with a pure heart as effective mean to attain salvation

 *Pure heart, according to Kabir, meant free from cruelty, Dishonesty, hypocrisy & insincerity)

 *His primary object was to reconcile Hindu & Muslims and establish harmony between them

 *Emphasized oneness of all religions by describing Hindus & Muslims as Pots of same clay.

 *To him Ram & Allah, Mandir & Mosque were the same

 *Denounced idolatry & rituals (Like Pilgrimage, Bathing in holy river, Namaz & Prayers etc.

 *Laid emphasis on equality of man before God

Guru Nanak (1469)

 *Born in Talawandi near Lahore, trained in accountancy  →  Disciple of Kabir

 *Founder of Sikh religion & was highly practical & ethical →  His disciples were known as Sikhs

 *Denounced caste distinctions & rituals like Pilgrimage, Bathing in holy river, Namaz etc.

 *Emphasized on giving up selfishness, falsehood & hypocrisy and to live life with truth, Honesty & Kindness

 *He composed hymns and sang them to the accompaniment of the ‘Rabab’, a musical instrument.

 *“Abide pure amidst the impurities of the world” was one of his famous teachings.

 *Dedicated life to establish harmony b/w Hindu & Muslims

Chaitanya

 *Born in Bengal & popularized Kirtan (or musical gatherings) of Krishna cult.

 *Though he was a Brahman he condemned the caste system and emphasized on the equality of all.

 *Renounced the world & became ascetic

 *Believed that through love & devotion, song & dance a devotee can feel the presence of God.

1600 AD (Eknath)  → Opposed caste systems & formed many lyrics & Bhajans