DEVOTIONAL PATHS

TO THE DIVINE
History :Chapter 8
INTRODUCTION

• Before the formation of empires, people worshipped different gods and goddesses, but

as kingdoms grew into empires, the idea that all living things pass through
cycles of birth, rebirth, and karma became widely accepted.
• One of the beliefs that developed from the 7th century onwards was that:
 human beings are not equal, not even at birth
 social privileges are for those who are born in a higher caste.
• Many people did not believe in this idea and turned to Buddhism and Jainism, where
the path to salvation lay through personal effort. Others felt attracted to the idea of
Bhakti(intense devotion or love of God
IDEA OF A SUPREME GOD
• Other people followed the idea of a supreme god, where salvation (freedom
from birth and death) could be achieved through Bhakti (intense devotion or
love  to one God), and this is advised in the Bhagavadgita.
• Shiva, Vishnu, and Durga became supreme deities, and their
myths and legends became a part of Puranic stories.
• The Puranas introduced methods of worship in local cults,
and said that all devotees could get the blessings of the gods, regardless of
their caste.
BHAKTI MOVEMENT IN SOUTH
◦ Alvars and Nayanars
◦ Shankaracharya and Ramanuja
◦ Basavanna’s Virashaiva Movement
Nayanars and Alvars
Alvars and Nayanars
• Between the 7th and the 9th centuries, there was an emergence of new religious movements
led by Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu),
who came from all castes, including those considered 'untouchables', such as the Pulaiyar and
the Panars.
• They detested Buddhists and Jains and preached that love for Shiva and Vishnu was the
path to salvation. They believed in the ideals of love and heroism from
the Sangam literature and mixed them with values of bhakti.
• Nayanars and Alvars wandered from place to place and composed unique
poems and music in praise of their deities in the local language of Tamil.
• Between the tenth and the twelfth centuries, the Chola and Pandya kings built splendid
temples around the shrines visited by these saint-poets.
• Their poems were compiled and their hagiographies (religious biographies) were composed.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALVARS
AND NAYANARS
ALVARS NAYANARS

Devotees of Lord Vishnu Devotees of Lord Shiva

There are 12 Alvars There are 63 Nayanars
Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabhandham There are two sets of compilation of their songs-
Tevaram and Tiruvacakam

The only women Alvar saint was Andal There were only male Bhakti saints
Eg: Periyalvar, Andal etc. Eg: Appar, Sambandar etc.
SHANKARACHARYA AND
RAMANUJA
PHILOSOPHY AND BHAKTO OF
SHANKARACHARYA AND RAMANUJA
SHANKARACHARYA RAMANUJA
Born in Kerala in the 8th century Born in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century
His philosophy was called Advaita Vedanta or the He propounded the philosophy of Vishistadvaita or
doctrine of the oneness of the individual soul and qualified oneness. Here the soul , even when united
Supreme soul with Supreme God, remains distinct
He believed that the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) He was a devotee of Vishnu.
was formless and without attributes. He also
believed that the world was an illusion
He believed that salvation was possible by He believed that salvation was possible through
renunciation of the world and adoption of the path intense devotion to Vishnu
of knowledge to understand the true nature of
Reality (Brahman)
BASAVANNA’S
VIRASHAIVAMOVEMENT
BASAVANNA’S
VIRASHAIVAMOVEMENT
◦ This movement began in Karnataka in the mid 12th century
◦ It was started by Basavanna and his companions Allama Prabhu and
Akhamma Devi
◦ The main features are as follows:
Equality for all human beings
It was against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women
They were also against all forms of rituals and idol worship
BHAKTI SAINTS OF
MAHARASHTRA(13th to 17th century)
BHAKTI SAINTS OF
MAHARASHTRA
◦ They welcomed people from all castes.
◦ They preached and sang songs to inspire people in simple Marathi. The Marathi devotional hymns
were called abhang
◦ These saints rejected all forms of ritualism, outward display of piety and social differences based on birth
◦ They rejected the idea of renunciation and lived with their families, earning livelihood
◦ Like other people, as well serving people in need
◦ They were Vaishnavas, who worshipped Vitthala (a form of Vishnu and the chief deity in the temple of
Pandharpur)
◦ They believed in the notion of a personal God that lies in the hearts of all people
◦ They believed that bhakti lies in sharing the pain of other people.
BHAKTI SAINTS OF
MAHARASHTRA
◦ Jnaneshwar
◦ Namdev
◦ Eknath
◦ Tukaram
◦ Sakhubai
◦ Chokhamela (who belonged to the untouchable Mahar caste)
NATHPANTHIS, SIDDHAS AND
YOGIS
NATHPANTHIS, SIDDHAS AND
YOGIS
◦ They advocated renunciation of the world
◦ They believed that path of salvation lies in mediation of a formless Ultimate
Reality and the realisation of oneness with it
◦ They advocated intense training of mind of mind and body through practicing
yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation
◦ They criticises rituals and other aspects of conventional religion
ISLAM AND SUFISM
ISLAM
◦ Islam propagated monotheism or submission to one God-Allah
◦ It also rejected idol worship
◦ Muslim scholars developed a holy law called the ‘shariat’, which everybody had to follow.
SUFIS
◦ The Sufis rejected the elaborate rituals and code of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars.
◦ They sought union with God as a lover who seeks his beloved with a disregard for the world.
Sufi saints
◦ Great Sufi saints of Central Asia were Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi.
◦ The Chisti Silsila was among the most influential orders. Sufi saints who
belonged to the Chisti Silsila were Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti of Ajmer,
Qutubuddin Baktiyar Kaki of Delhi etc.
METHODOLOGY OF SUFI SAINTS
They believed that like the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis, the heart can be trained to look at the
world in a different way under the guidance of a master (pir) by:
◦ ZIKR (Chanting of a name or a sacred formula)
◦ CONTEMPLATION- Concentration
◦ SAMA (Singing)
◦ RAQS (Dance)
◦ Discussion of parables
◦ Breath control
SUFI MASTERS
◦ They held their assemblies in khanqahs or hospices( House of rest for
travellers, especially one kept by a religious order)
◦ The royal members, nobility and ordinary people belonging to all castes visited
the Sufi masters.
◦ They discussed spiritual matters, sought blessings of the saints in solving their
problems or simply attended dance and music sessions
◦ The tombs or dargah of Sufi saints became pilgrimage centres as these Sufi
saints were attributed with miraculous powers that could relieve others of their
illnesses and troubles.
AJMER DARGA
BHAKTI SAINTS OF NORTH INDIA

◦ Some saints rejected all orthodox religions. For example Kabir And Guru Nanak.
◦ Some saints accepted existing religious beliefs, but wanted to make them accessible
for all.
Tulsidas was a devotee of Lord Rama and composed ‘Ramcharit manas’, which is
written in Awadhi.
Surdas was a devotee of Lord Krishna and his compositions are compiled in
Sursagara, Surasaravali and Sahitya Lahari
Shankaradeva of Assam was a devotee of Vishnu . He composed plays and poems
in Assamese and set up namghars( Houses of recitation and prayers)
BHAKTI SAINTS OF NORTH
◦ Tulsidas Surdas Shankaradeva
BHAKTI SAINTS OF NORTH INDIA
◦ Mirabai-
◦ Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar.
◦ She became a disciple of a saint called Ravikant (who was considered an untouchable).
◦ She was a devotee of Lord Krishna and composed many bhajans to express her intense devotion as well
as challenge the norms of the upper caste.
KABIR (15 TH
-16 TH
CENTURY)
◦ He was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas (weavers) in the city of Benares (Varanasi)
◦ He rejected the major religious traditions
◦ He ridiculed the caste system and idol worship as well as external worship of both
Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam.
◦ He believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that only path to salvation was through
bhakti or devotion.
◦ His ideas are found in a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads
◦ Some of them have been later preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vatik and Bijak
BABA GURU NANAK
◦ He was born in Talwandi (Nankana Sahib in Pakistan)
◦ He established a centre in Kartarpur (Dera Baba Nanak on River Ravi).
◦ The sacred space established by him is now called a Gurdwara, where his followers sing hymns and eat
together in the common kitchen called langar
◦ His followers belonged to different casted as he insisted that his followers must be householders and
adopt productive and useful occupations
◦ The compositions of Guru Nanak have been compiled by his successor Guru Angad in a new script
known as Gurmukhi.
◦ The holy scripture of the Sikhs is known as the Guru Granth Sahib. This contains the compositions and
writings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The writings of Kabir, Guru Tegh Bahadur were also added
to it. This was authenticated by the last Sikh Guru –Guru Gobind Singh.
TEACHINGS OF GURU NANAK
◦ He emphasised the importance of the worship of one God
◦ He believed that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation
◦ His idea of liberation was not a state of inert bliss, but pursuit of an active life
with a strong sense of social commitment.
◦ He emphasized the importance of nam-japna, kirt karna and vand-chhakna,
which also underline the importance of right belief and worship, honest
living and helping others
GURDWARA HARMANDAR SAHIB
◦ The town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar) developed around the Gurdwara
Harmandar Sahib (The Golden Temple) in the 17th century.
◦ It was a self-governing town and hence modern historians refer to it as ‘a
state within a state’.
◦ The Mughal Emperor Jahangir looked upon them as a potential threat and
executes Guru Arjan in 1606
◦ In the 17th century, Guru Gobind Singh started the Khalsa Panth, which
became a political entity.