Lec 12: Religious

Movement in
Medieval India
 Bhakti Movement
• Bhakti as a means of Salvation is routed in
Bhagwadgeeta. It was popularized by the South Indian
Bhakti saints – the Alvars and Nayanars
• Bhakti was systematized by Ramanuja in the 12th C A.D in
South India and brought to north India by his disciple
Ramananda
• Bhakti implies intense devotion to favorite god in which
devotee surrenders his ego before god
• It was influenced by two factors –
i. The decay in Hinduism due to varna system, rituals,
sacrifices and multiplicity of gods
• Islam which had two special features namely equality
and unity of god influenced the Hindu reformers to
reform Hinduism to make it mire simple and equally
accessible to all
ii. Islam being a proselytizing religion threaten to
convert the lower caste Hindus into Islam. If this threat
was to be avoided Hinduism must reform itself
• Similarly, Sufism also absorbed many Hindu
practices such as meditation, singing, shaving of
head, breathing exercises, etc.
Nirguna Saints
• Kabir (1398-1518)
• Son of a brahmana widow but brought up by a
Muslim weaver
• He mainly emphasised on bringing utility between
Hinduism and Islam
• He declared both Ram and Rahim are the names
of the same god
• He was a desciple of Ramananda
• Gurunanak (1469-1539)
• Although he was a Nirguna Hindu mystic but his
followers founded a new religion called Sikhism
• His preaching are compiled in Adigrantha
• Raidasa (14th C)
• He was famous for his verses, many of which has
been incorporated in Gurugranth
• He was a disciple of Ramananda and
contemporary of Kabir
• Dadu Dayal (1544-1603 A.D)
• He was from Ahmedabad and preached Hindu-
Muslim unity
• Sundardasa was his main disciple
Saguna School
Surdada (1483-1563)
• He was disciple of Vallabhacharya
• He followed Krishna cult and wrote Sursagar and
Sursurawali
Mirabai (1498-1546)
• She was a widow of Prince of Chittor, Bhojraja
• She worshipped Krishna as her real husband and is
known as goddess of Geeta style of poetry
Chaitanya (1486-1533)
• He was great devotee of Krishna
• He popularised Kirtana and dance as a form of
worship
 Maharashtra Saints
• Namdeva (1270-1350): He was a robber and
murderer, later he became a Nirguna saint
• Many of his verses were taken in Guru Granth Sahib
• Jnan Dev (1275-1296): wrote jnaneshwari which is a
commentary on Geeta
• Eknath: popularised bhajans and Kirtanas
• Tukaram: devotee of Vithalla
• Ramdasa: Wrote a book namely, Dasbodh
• He was a respected teacher of Shivaji
 Bhakti Principles
• Vishishtadvaita: Founded by Ramanuja
• It means modified moneism, which believes in the unity of god
• Dvaitavad: founded by Madhavacharya
• It is a moneistic philosophy
• The Dvaita Vedanta school believes that God (Vishnu,
supreme soul) and the individual souls (Jivatman) exist as
independent realities, and these are distinct, being said that
Vishnu (Narayana) is independent, and souls are dependent
on him.
• Dvaita Advaitavada: developed by Nimbarkacharya
• He was a Telugu Brahmin who believed in dualistic moneism
• Shudhadvaita: developed by Vallabhacharya
• His philosophy is better known as ‘Pushtimarga’ and his
community is known as ‘Rudrasampradaya’
• Later on this Pushtimarga degenerated into materialism and
equated with the western epicurianism (ultimate pleasure)
 Sufi Movement
• Sufism as a movement within Islam began around 11th c
A.D in Arabia and came to India later on
• It is Islamic mysticism and a liberal trend within Islam
• The word Sufi signify the Muslim saints who used to wear
woolen long clothes and live a life poverty and simplicity
• There is a tradition of Pir (Guru) and Murid (disciple) and
Kanquah (monastery)
• Sufi saints were two types – Be-shara and Ba-Shara
• Ba-Shara were followers of Islamic law whereas Be-shara
were not bound to it
• Sufis believed in a concept of Wahadat-ul-Wujud
meaning unity of being – pantheistic monism i.e. the
universe is identical with divinity
• They did not believe in anthropomorphic gods
 Silsilas
• Sufi orders were known as silsilas. These were:
1. Chishti Silsila: It was founded by Khwaza Muinuddin
Chishti in the 12th C A.D at Ajmer
• His important followers were Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar
Qaki and Baba farid
• In Delhi, his most important disciple was Nizauddin
Auliya and Chirag-e-dilli
• They practiced many hindu rituals like head shaving,
begging bowl, etc.
• It was popular in Rajasthan
• Suhrawardi Silsila: it was founded by Sheikh Sihabuddin
Suhrawardi and Hamiduddin Nagori, but it was
organized by Bahauddin Zakaria
• They differed from Chishti silsila in one respect while the
Chishti saints did not accept state support or job under
the state and prefer to live a life of poverty.
• The Suhrawardis accepted state support and lived in
luxury
• It was popular in Multan
• Firdausi Silsila: Founded by Sheikh Bahauddin and
popularized in Delhi but later shifted to Bihar
• They believed in pantheistic monism
• Shattari Silsila: founded by Abdullad Shatari and
popularized in Malwa, Bengal and Jaunpur area
• They preached the life of spiritual intoxication
• Tansen was follower of Shattari Silsila
• They synthesized Hindu and Muslim practices
• They equated the word ‘Om’ with ‘Raba’
• Mahadawi Silsila: It was founded by Muhammad
Mahadi of Jaunpur. They were orthodox in their
principles
• Roshaniya Silsila: Founded by Bayajid Ansari at
Jalandhar
• He preached ascetic self denial
• Quadari Silsila: founded by Niamatullah Quadiri,
organized by Muhammad Gilani
• This silsila had both orthodox and extreme trends
• Naqsabandi Silsila: founded by Khwaza Baqi Billah but
organized by Ahmed Sirhindi
• It was contemporary to Akbar period
• It was a reactionary Silsila which opposed Akbar’s
religious experiments, opposed Hinduism and principles
of Wahadal-ul-Wujud (unity of being)