Bhakti Movement

An important landmark in the cultural history of medieval India was the silent revolution in society brought about by a galaxy of socio-religious reformers, a revolution known as the Bhakti Movement. This movement was responsible for many rites and rituals associated with the worship of God by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of Indian subcontinent. For example, Kirtan at a Hindu Temple, Qawaali at a Dargah (by Muslims), and singing of Gurbani at a Gurdwara are all derived from the Bhakti movement of medieval India (800-1700). The leader of this Hindu revivalist movement was Shankaracharya, a great thinker and a distinguished philosopher. And this movement was propounded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Namadeva, Tukaram, Jayadeva. The movement's major achievement was its abolition of idol worship. The leader of the bhakti movement focusing on the Lord as Rama was Ramananda. Very little is known about him, but he is believed to have lived in the first half of the 15th century. He taught that Lord Rama is the supreme Lord, and that salvation could be attained only through love for and devotion to him, and through the repetition of his sacred name. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal. A great proponent of loving devotion for God, bhakti yoga, Chaitanya worshiped the Lord in the form of Krishna. Sri Ramanuja Acharya was an Indian philosopher and is recognized as the most important saint of Sri Vaishnavism. Ramananda brought to North India what Ramanuja did in South India. He raised his voice against the increasing formalism of the orthodox cult and founded a new school of Vaishnavism based on the gospel of love and devotion. His most outstanding contribution is the abolition of distinctions of caste among his followers. Followers of Bhakti movement in 12th and 13th Century included saints such as Bhagat Namdev, and Saint Kabir Das, who insisted on the devotional singing of praises of lord through their own compositions. Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and founder of the Sikhism, too was a Nirguna Bhakti Saint and social reformer. He was opposed to all distinctions of caste as well as the religious rivalries and rituals. He preached the unity of God and condemned formalism and ritualism of both Islam and Hinduism. Guru Nanak's gospel was for all men. He proclaimed their equality in all respects. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries continued to witness the rise of many religious reformers. The exponent of the Rama cult and the Krishna cult among the Vaishnavas branched off into a number of sects and creeds. The leading light of the Rama cult was saint-poet Tulsidas. He was a very great scholar

and

had

made

profound

study

of

Indian

philosophy

and

literature.

His

great

poem,

'Ramacharitamanasa', popularly called Tulsi-krita Ramayana is very popular among the Hindu devotees. He set before the people the image of Sri Rama as all virtuous, all powerful, the Lord of the World, and the very embodiment of the Supreme Reality (Parabrahma). The followers of the Krishna cult founded the Radha Ballabhi sect under Hari Vamsa in 1585 A.D. Sur Das wrote 'Sursagar' in Brajbhasha, which is full of verses of the charm of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha.

Sufism
The terms Sufi, Wali, Darvesh and Faqir are used for Muslim saints who attempted to achieve development of their intuitive faculties through ascetic exercises, contemplation, renunciation and selfdenial. By the 12th century A.D., Sufism had become a universal aspect of Islamic social life as its influence extended over almost the entire Muslim community. Sufism represents the inward or esoteric side of Islam or the mystical dimension of Muslim religion. However, the Sufi saints transcending all religious and communal distinctions, worked for promoting the interest of humanity at large. The Sufis were a class of philosophers remarkable for their religious catholicity. Sufis regarded God as the supreme beauty and believed that one must admire it, take delight in His thought and concentrate his attention on Him only. They believed that God is 'Mashuq' and Sufis are the 'Ashiqs'. Sufism crystallized itself into various 'Silsilahs' or orders. The 4 most popular among these were Chistis, Suhrawardis, Qadiriyahs and Naqshbandis. Sufism took roots in both rural and urban areas and exercised a deep social, political and cultural influence on the masses. It rebelled against all forms of religious formalism, orthodoxy, falsehood and hypocrisy and endeavoured to create a new world order in which spiritual bliss was the only and the ultimate goal. At a time when struggle for political power was the prevailing madness, the Sufi saints reminded men of their moral obligations. To a world torn by strife and conflict they tried to bring peace and harmony. The most important contribution of Sufism is that it helped to blunt the edge of HinduMuslim prejudices by forging the feelings of solidarity and brotherhood between these two religious communities.

Indian Renaissance, History of India

Indian Renaissance marked the beginning of a new era of socio-spiritual consciousness started by the reformers, which witnessed the spontaneous participation of native intellectuals. India Renaissance did not just happen in a short time, but was lurking in its ancient historical past. Renaissance in India arrived after the British advent, a significant clashing of moments in Indian history. Indian renaissance is that period in Indian history when a mass religious and social awakening came about, joined enthusiastically by loads of gentlemen and women alike, infused as they were with western culture and educational modes. The foremost reformists had undertaken the task with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm. In India, the Mahabharata is not regarded as a shelved classic rather it is defined as a dynamic force. Further, in this historically rich country Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are worshipped as living powers.

Emergence of Indian Renaissance

Renaissance stands for rebirth and Indian renaissance refers to that period which was marked by the quest of knowledge and development of science and arts. The incredible effects of Indian Renaissance were reflected in the quality of life and the new frontiers scaled by dance, music and other performing arts. Behind the popular creeds and ceremonials of the country, stand the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Tantra, the Vedas; these, though referable to receding ages as regards their rise, are living influences today. The period when the Hindu religious system was revived can be termed as Hindu renaissance, which was marked with the restoration of the Hindu deities and tradition. The Guptas, pioneer of the Golden age resuscitated all lost glory by setting up a tradition, which was very Indian, with developments in Sanskrit literature, art forms and religion at its zenith. The late 18th century marked the beginning of a new era with movements essential for a complete reformation. The reformists did never think of discriminating on the basis of caste or sub caste, gender, or race. Hindu nationalism also rose to a great extent during this period. During the period described as Renaissance in Europe, India witnessed a renaissance of its own; the Taj Mahal was built during this period; sacred texts were translated into different languages and there was development of overseas trade. Moreover, the Grand Trunk Road was constructed during this extensive period and many social reformers also had lived during this period. The most significant and noteworthy renaissance happenings had occurred during the period of colonial rule in India. The British imperialists had ruled and dominated for the most prolonged period, during which both worse and beneficial incidents passed by, till the year 1947. However, surpassing every beneficial

incident, the core spirit and enterprise of the nation was destroyed. The Indian Independence had earned the countrymen their vision of Swaraj and made them their own masters. Indian renaissance had rediscovered roots of economic and administrational stability. In this context of Indian history, renaissance was a solemn effort by a differentiated and higher class of people, who had made them distinguishable in every sphere of art, culture and education. As a result, these native intellectuals earned themselves a handsome opportunity to interact with the English class, when speaking, writing, or associations are being spoken about. And the territory of Bengal was absolutely leading in this Indian renaissance context, beginning from writers, politicians, historians, freedom fighters and religious saints. Such was their influence upon the then Indian society, that Bengal renaissance has now come to be coined as a cardinal element under British Indian episodes. Social Reformers in Indian Renaissance Social reformers in Indian Renaissance had germinated mostly from Bengal, which was inclined towards a tendency to continuously produce luminaries in every field. Beginning from Raja Ram Mohan Roy and perhaps ending in the last days of Indian independence with Nirad Chaudhuri, reformist movements had incessantly procured multi-faceted results. In this context, the Muslim League was also not left far behind. In the erstwhile undivided India, with the concept of brotherhood, Muslims made major contributions into Indian renaissance, making the English-native interface much facilitating. Muslim renaissance thus counts into a unique amalgamation of religious and nationalistic concepts, mingling well with British Indian history. Ramakrishna Paramahansa was a religious teacher preaching oneness of existence, love and devotion for God and harmony of religions. His contributions were important for a traditional revival of Hinduism comparable to Chaitanya`s. Ramakrishna was revered by the religious reformers and assisted in bringing supra consciousness. Swami Vivekananda had established Ramakrishna Mission on May 1st, 1897, with a motto for assisting in welfare services with a spiritual point of view. He had advocated Vedanta philosophy and Yoga not only to India, but also the West. He emphasized upon the divinity of every individual and tireless work for the salvation of others. The Ramakrishna Math and Mission are the integral institutions of faith for the Hindus in present society. Aurobindo Ghose was a nationalist, scholar, poet and philosopher who preached a new spiritual path called the integral Yoga. He was impressed by western philosophies and sought for

absolute spiritual awakening. His poems are expressive in an intrinsic delight, which according to him is perpetual beyond everything. Aurobindo Ghose had contributed to Hinduism greatly with a new interpretation of Vedas concerned with inner spirituality. Ram Mohan Roy was founder of the Brahmo Samaj and among the pioneers of the Indian socio-religious reform movements. He had exerted supreme influence upon politics, social life, education and religion alike. Raja Ram Mohan Roy had radical views about society, shunning away eras of darkness, yet without adapting to contemporary world. He was also influenced by western thoughts and aided in the revival of Bengal and influencing the nation as a whole. Swami Dayananda Saraswati was the founder of Arya Samaj. An important Hindu religious scholar, he believed in the Vedas and stressed on the ideals of Brahmacharya, which stands for celibacy and devotion to God. He contributed vastly to the emancipation of women, doing away with idol worship, animal sacrifices and other vices debasing Hindu religion. Dayananda Saraswati was a great contemporary, voicing the cause of Hinduism with a universal touch. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a politician and a pioneer of modern education among the Muslim community in India. The founder of the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later developed into the Aligarh Muslim University, his ideas were shaped by a strong aversion to the emerging nationalist movement. Sir Syed Ahmed had sought to unite the Muslims under a single banner for over all development. Allama Iqbal is revered for his contributions for the revival of Islamic civilisation all over the world. He had penned about politics, religion and other topics envisaging the cause of the Muslims, conferring them status and identity at political level and achieving their unity widely.

Reformist Groups during Indian Renaissance

The religious reformers and reformists groups played an integral part in the ushering in of Indian renaissance, though they also functioned at regional levels. Their ideas and philosophies were absorbed by the whole nation like a breeze sweeping over trying to bring a transformation, which was just and at par with the contemporary civilization.

Brahmo Samaj
Brahmo Samaj was the society formed by the ideas of developing a universal religion, whose ideology to a large extent was derived from the Isa Upanishad, a monotheistic Hindu scripture. Ideas behind Raja

Ram Mohan Roy`s Brahmo Movement included abolition of caste system, abolition of dowry, and abolition of sati and improvement of the educational system. There were many other groups that developed during this period. Hindu Dharma Sabha was founded in 1830 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy to limit the intrusion of English culture in India.Sanatan Singh Sabha was the original Singh Sabha formed in 1873 by Sikhs in Amritsar to recover a distinctive Sikhism. Tattvabodhini Sabha was an essential reformist organisation, which was founded by Debendranath Tagore to popularise Brahmo Dharma or Brahmo faith. Paramahansa Yogananda founded Yogoda Satsanga Society in 1917 on the banks of the Ganga River at Dakshineswar. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar or Veer Savarkar formed the Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha in 1924, aiming to the preservation of Hindu social and cultural heritage. Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha was initially a Hindu nationalist organisation of Manipur, formed by Maharaja Churachand Singh. Keshab Chandra Sen founded the Sangat Sabhas, Believer`s Associations in 1860. These Sabhas comprised small discussion groups that met on a weekly basis, but his energetic disciples soon showed an inclination for action rather than mere discussions. Hitaishini Ganga Dharma Sabha was founded in Haridwar for the benefit of the cow, social order and the holy River Ganges. The Radha Soami Satsang Beas, based in Northern India, is a philosophical organisation, following the spiritual teachings of all religions. Manav Dharma Sabha was one of the earliest socio-religious reform movements in Gujarat and British India, founded on 22nd June 1844. Prarthana Samaj, or the Prayer Society in Sanskrit, is a movement for religious and social reform in Maharashtra that was based on previous reform movements and traditions of the state. Nowrozjee Furdoonjee and Dadabhai Naoroji founded the Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha and put in considerable efforts. The Sabha was meant for the purification of Zoroastrian religion, which was being prejudiced by Hindu elements. India did not stand still, while Europe had gone on towards some bright goal during the renaissance period. India, too, has moved; but while Europe has moved away from its history, India has carried its history with it, not merely in books but in its thoughts and evolution.