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National Bhakti Movement Class 8 History Chapter 3 Notes
Raman saw his grandfather this morning listening to the discourses of a saint on television. He came to his class and asked the teacher:
- Who are the saints?
- Why do they preach?
- Why do people listen to them?
Hearing Raman’s question, the teacher told the students that they would study about the lives and teachings of the medieval Indian saints in detail. From this study we will get the answer to the questions asked by Raman.
In the medieval period, there was a Bhakti movement in order to rid society of the evils prevailing in it. It was a nationwide movement. Its main objective was religious reform. Although this movement lasted for many centuries, but from the 9th to the 16th century, its widespread impact was seen in various parts of India. From the 14th to the 16th century, this movement was in its early stages. This movement originated in south India. From there it spread all over India. In fact, spirituality deeply associated with life in India. Here three traditions of liberation are described in the ancient traditions and religion. These are the paths of knowledge, the path of action, and the path of devotion. Therefore, in the medieval period, the path of devotion gained special importance. The main reason for this was the evils prevailing in religion. At this time, the true principles of religion were replaced by false customs and superstitions. Ancient originality and purity were no longer in religion. Even in society, evils like untouchability and the caste system have taken deep root. The ancient social fabric was falling apart. At such a time, many religious reformers in different parts of India propagated the path of devotion to remove the evils prevailing in religion and society.
Bhakti : Love and devotion for God – A way of salvation from the cycle of birth and death.
Sant or Guru : A Guru who taught about the path to liberation.
Bhakti Marg : In spirituality, life-death is considered a cycle. There are three paths to getting salvation; the path of knowledge, the path of action, and the path of devotion. In other words, devotion is a path in which the devotee may be liberated from this cycle.
These great men included Ramanujacharya, Namdev, Jaydev, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramanand, Saint Kabir, Meerabai and Guru Nanak Dev. Shankaracharya propagated monotheism. In monotheism, the soul and the divine have been considered the same. The world is described as Maya and God is omnipresent. The ideology of Shankaracharya was at the core of the main principles of saints associated with the Bhakti movement.
Shankaracharya : Shankaracharya was a great philosopher of India who propagated the Advaitva school. He wrote many commentaries on the Upnishads and the Vedant Sutras. He established four monasteries in India, which are very famous at present.
- Jyotirmuth (Badrinath)
- Sringeri Muth (Rameswaram)
- Sharada Muth (Dwarika Dham)
- Govardhan Muth (Puri)
Major saints of Bhakti movement —
1. Ramanujacharya : Ramanujacharya is a prominent name among the major saints of the Bhakti movement. He was born in 1017 AD at a place called Sriperumbudur near Chennai. His father’s name was Keshav and his mother’s name was Kantimati. He was a worshipper of Vishnu and devoted his whole life to propagating Vaishnavism. Impressed by his teachings, common people and rulers accepted Vaishnavism. He propagated the fact that the lower castes can also attain salvation. He wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. He worked mainly in South India.
2. Ramanand : Ramanand was the great Saint of the Bhakti movement in Northern India. He was born in Prayagraj. He was a bitter critic of the caste system. His followers come from all castes. His followers were called ‘Avdhoot which means ‘free from bondage’. He was truly a great reformer. He gave women equal status with men. He is said to be the link between the Bhakti movement running in southern and Northern India.
3. Namdev : The chief saint of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra was Namdev. He was born in 1270 AD. He was born into a tailor family. He considered God almighty, formless and all-pervasive. He considered God as one. He considered pilgrimage, sacrificial rituals, idol worship, and fasting as evil and denied them in his teachings. He travelled to different parts of the country to propagate his principles. He gave his sermons in Marathi, Hindi and Punjabi through hymns. For a long time, he also lived in Punjab. He believed that the only means of salvation is the bhakti of God.
4. Jaydev and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu : The chief saints who preached the Bhakti movement in Bengal were Jaydev and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Jaydev was an ardent devotee of Krishn and Radha. He composed a book called Geet Govind. In his creation, he propagated love and devotion through Radha and Krishna. Laxman Sen, the ruler of Bengal, gave him a place in his court as a gem. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was another great saint of the Bhakti tradition of Bengal whose childhood name was Vishwambhar. He was born in 1485 AD at a place called Nadia. He was a staunch devotee of Krishn. He propounded the practise of Kirtan. His kirtans included singing as well as music and dance.
5. Kabir : Among the saints of the Bhakti period, Kabir was a great preacher of simple and pure devotion, who attacked the contemporary religious and social evils that pre- vailed in society. It is said that he was brought up by a weaver couple named Neeru and Neema. According to the Kabirpanthi tradition, he was born on Magh Shukla Purnima in 1455 AD in a city called Kashi in Uttar Pradesh. He had been a person of religious mind since his childhood. He was a disciple of Ramanand. He gave his discourses in northern India in the language of the masses. His compositions are compiled in a book called ‘Bijak’. His God is omnipresent and Nirguna (formless). He raised his voice against untouchability and the religious order of caste. His devotion emphasises simplicity and purity. Kabir stresses the importance of the true Guru in devotion. According to him, only a true Guru can show the way of the soul’s union with God. He was a staunch critic of religious values prevalent at the time. He strongly condemned religious fetters, such as applying tilak, fasting, pilgrimage, etc. He also opposed idol worship. Not only did he oppose the external fetters of Hinduism, but he also criticised the religious fetters prevalent in Islam. In the true sense, Kabir was a theo- logian, his God was above Ram, Rahim, and Allah, which was almighty and formless.
Do you know? Kabir was revered by both Hindus and Muslims. Both the communities considered him as their own. It is said that after his death, one community wanted to cre- mate his dead body and the other wanted to bury it.
6. Guru Nanak Dev : Born in Punjab in 1469 AD, Guru Nanak Dev was thoughtful since his childhood. He took no interest in worldly affairs. When he grew up, he chose the path of spirituality. It is said that from the age of 35, he began travelling from place to place to preach his experiences. He believed in the nirguna form of God. His ‘Rabb’ (God) was formless, who is the creator of the world. He did not believe in the caste system. He said that just as the filth of the body is removed by water, in the same way the filth of the mind can be removed by devotion to God. He emphasised the recitation of the name of God. He preached to lead a simple and pious life. Like Kabir, he also emphasised the importance of Guru. His main teachings are found in the compositions ‘Japuji’ and ‘Asa-di-Var’.
Nirguna : The saints of the Nirguna Bhakti stream believed that God is formless.
Saguna : The saints of the Saguna Bhakti stream considered God as real and believed in idol worship.
Bhakti in South India : The Bhakti movement originated in South India. There were many such saints who considered Lord Shiva and Vishnu as their gods, away from religious pomp.
Nayanar : Shaivite saints and followers South India were worshippers of Shiva; their number was 63. Sant Appar, Sant Sabandar and Sundar Murti were prominent among them. They used to wander about promoting the devotion of Shiva. In the course of time this sect got divided into many parts. The Kapalikas and Veershaivas were prominent among them.
Alvar : These were Vaishnava saints of south India; their number was 12. Thirumangai, Pariya Alvar and Nammalvar were famous Alvar saints. They used to wander about promoting Vishnu bhakti. Later this sect became famous in different ways in North India. Various saints propagated the two forms of Vishnu in north India. Some preached Ram bhakti and some saints propagated Krishn bhakti.
7. Meerabai : The female saint Meerabai also holds an important place in the medieval tradition of the Bhakti movement. She was a staunch devotee of Krishn. She was born in 1498 AD. She was married to Bhojraj, the son of Rana Sanga, but soon after her marriage, she became a widow. After this, she spent all her life in devotion to God. Meera used to convey the message of love through her songs with the help of an instrument called Ektara. Her songs were sung in the Rajasthani language, which depicts the journey of the soul’s union with the divine. She died in 1547 AD. She was the only female saint among the saints of the Bhakti period who broke the social bonds of devotion.
8. Vallabhacharya : Vallabhacharya’s name is also prominent among the Bhakti saints of north India. He was a disciple of Ramanand. He was born into 1479 AD in a Brahmin family near Kashi. The core of his devotion was quietness. He considered the world as Maya and considered it necessary to abandon the world for the attainment of God. He was a devotee of Krishn. He exhorted his followers to dedicate everything to Krishn.
9. Dhanna Bagat : Dhanna Bhagat was born in a village named Dhon Kalan in the Tonk district of Rajasthan. He belonged to a farmer family. He was born in 1415 AD. His family was well known for hospitality. No saint or person who came to his house was allowed to go hungry. His father’s name was Rameshwar and his mother’s name was Gangabai. He was a saint of the Vaishnava tradition. There are many stories about Dhanna Bhagat. Some couplets of Dhanna Bhagat are also compiled in Guru Granth Sahib. The people have great respect for Dhana Bhagat. He died in 1475 AD.
10. Guru Ravidas : Guru Ravidas was a great saint of the Bhakti movement. He is considered a disciple of Ramanand. He was born in 1450 AD in Varanasi. His father’s name was Raghuram. He preached devotion in a wide area of north India. Many of his couplets have been compiled in the holy book ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ of Sikhism. He always opposed the caste system, inequality and hypocrisy in religion. He believed in simplistic piety.
11. Raskhan : Raskhan’s real name was Syed Ibrahim. He was a resident of Delhi. He was a devotee of the 16th-17th century. Enchanted by devotion to Lord Krishna, he took initiation from Vitthalnath and settled in Brijbhoomi. ‘Sujan Raskhan’ and ‘Prem Vatika’ are his major works. There is a beautiful description of devotion towards Krishn, Brij Mahima, love legends of Radha and Krishn in his compositions.
In addition to the above mentioned Bhakti saints, Surdas, Jhulelal, Pippaji, Dadudayal, Gyaneshwar, Ramdas etc. popularised the national Bhakti movement. Some famous Muslim saints like Amir Khusro, Malik Mohammad Jaisi, Rahim etc. also played a role in the Bhakti movement in Indian life.
Do you know? Saints like Puntanam of Kerala, Narsingh Mehta of Gujarat and Shankardev of Assam have described land of India in their songs, poems and teachings.
Main Teachings
➤ Bhakti : It was a simple and easy way to attain salvation. Various saints of the Bhakti movement opposed the evils in society. There were mainly two forms of Bhakti in the medieval period. These are called the Saguna and Nirguna paths. The embodied divine form of Saguna bhakti is considered to be the main one. Whereas, in the Nirguna bhakti stream, God has been conceived as formless. The God of saints like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramanand, Meerabai, etc., Saguna (with a form). Whereas the God of Guru Nanak Dev and Saint Kabir was Nirguna (formless) and omnipresent. All the saints of the Bhakti movement believed in the unity of God. The following were the main teachings of the Bhakti saints :
➤ God is omnipresent : The God of the devout saints was all-powerful and all-pervasive. For them, he resided in every particle of the universe. According to Guru Nanak Dev, instead of looking for it in temples or mosques, one should seek it in one’s mind. The Bhakti movement emphasises surrender to one’s God. According to the sages, man should offer everything to his God.
➤ Bhakti of God : The saints emphasised the devotion to God. They believed that God was pleased by their bhakti with a sincere heart. According to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, only devotion to Krishn can bring salvation to man. Chanting the name of God has also been emphasised by Guru Nanak Dev.
➤ Importance to Guru : All the Bhakti sages have emphasised the importance of the Guru to attain liberation. In Bhakti, the place of Guru is the highest and most holy. It is the Guru who shows the disciple the right path of liberation. Kabir considered Guru to be the form of Brahman itself. Guru Nanak Dev has also stressed the importance of the Guru, who gives inspiration to move forward on the path of liberation.
➤ Opposing discrimination : The saints of the medieval Bhakti movement were also true social reformers. They strongly criticised the evils spreading in society. All the saints opposed the caste system. They emphasised providing opportunity of liberation to all without social discrimination. According to Kabir, “Jati-paati poochhe nahin koye, Hari ko bhaje so hari hoye”. (Don’t ask the caste of someone. He who recite the name of God becomes God).
➤ Opposing ostentation : Many saints of the Bhakti period opposed idol-worship. Saint Kabir, Namdev and Guru Nanak Dev were prominent among them. They considered idol-worship merely a show. Apart from this, they also opposed tantra- mantras, magic, fasting and sacrifice.
➤ Simple Life : They emphasised devotion to God only with a sincere heart and stressed on leading a simple life. Guru Nanak Dev was opposed to the renouncement of the world.
➤ Importance of hard work : Saints like Kabir and Ravidas did not give up their respective works even after preaching simple devotion and gave the message of the importance of work. Kabir weaved cloth and Ravidas did his ancestral work throughout their lives. While living in Kartarpur, Guru Nanak Dev also used to do agricultural work.
➤ Equality : The saints emphasised equality. They were not only supporters of Hindu- Muslim unity, but he also emphasised social equality.
➤ Local language : All the saints of the Bhakti movement propagated their ideas in the language of the common man. The medium of their teaching was local languages and dialects like Marathi, Braj Bhasha, Bengali and Punjabi. They firmly believed that devotion to God could not be done in any particular language. There should be true faith and feelings for him in the mind.
In true sense, this movement was a symbol of unity in diversity. Its nature was national. The saints who started this movement in different parts of India were different. But there were similarities in their original ideas.
Influence
The Bhakti movement was multidimensional. It influenced every section of society. That is why it is also called social reform movement. Saint Kabir criticised the ostentations prevailing in both Hindu and Muslim religions. The influence of the Bhakti movement and ancient Indian spiritual traditions is seen in the Sufi movement, which was the main stream of spiritual Islam in India. In the Chishti tradition of the Sufi movement, the ‘shaving of the head’ at the time of initiation is believed to be influenced by the ancient Indian knowledge tradition. Similarly, the Rishi tradition of the medieval Indian Sufi also originally represented the ancient Indian spiritual traditions. The Rishi tradition was originally prevalent in the Kashmir Valley region. Followers of the Chishti and Rishi traditions were influenced by the yog system.
Sufi Movement : This is the spiritual stream of Islam that originated in Iran. It had many branches or many traditions, which were called silsila. Chishti and Rishi Silsila were among those branches which were influenced by the Indian spiritual system. In this mystic stream of Islam, the way to attain God is mentioned.
Attack on Evils : The influence of the Bhakti movement was also multifaceted. Its impact was visible in the social, cultural and religious fields. In this movement, the saints gave a new direction to religion by attacking religious evils. The movement promoted social harmony by making available the path of liberation through devotion to all social classes.
New direction to religion : In the Bhakti movement, re-connecting religion with spirituality got a new impetus. The saints re-introduced religion by criticising the religious ostentation. The saints emphasised on living a simple life.
Opening the path of liberation for all : The saints opposed the caste system. They believed that people of all sections of society could attain God through devotion to Him. God is omnipresent. Whoever worships Him with true passion will get Him. Caste was not created by God.
A Mughal prince influenced by Indian spiritual tradition
The influence of the National Bhakti movement was beyond religion. Dara Shikoh was an example of this. He was the son of the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan. Dara Shikoh was the elder brother of the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. His father had also chosen him as his successor. He was considered a symbol of religious tolerance. He was generous with ideas. That’s why he had great respect for Guru Har Rai, the seventh Sikh Guru. Sikh Guru Har Rai also considered him his friend. He was greatly influenced by ancient Indian religion and philosophy. He got many Upnishads translated into the Persian language; these are compiled under the name “Seer-e-Akbar”. The knowledge of the Indian Upnishads reached abroad through this translation. Not only this, he did a comparative study of the Vedant of Hinduism and Sufist ideas in Muslim religion in his book Mazma-ul-Bahreen. In his another titled Hasnat-ul-Arifeen, he discusses Dharma and renunciation. But unfortunately, in the last days of Shah Jahan’s reign, a war of succession broke out between his sons for the throne. In this war, Aurangzeb killed Dara Shikoh and himself became the Mughal ruler in 1658 AD.
The most intense impact of the Bhakti movement was seen in Punjab where the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev paved the way for a new religion. Later on, the followers of Guru Nanak Dev laid the foundation of a separate sect. The Bhakti movement also had a special impact in the field of literature. The saints propagated their ideas and principles in the local language. This encouraged local languages. The saints of the Bhakti movement composed literature, in which Jaidev’s ‘Geet Govind’, Kabir’s ‘Bijak’ and Guru Nanak Dev’s ‘Japuji’ were the main works. From the social point of view, the Bhakti movement was a symbol of social harmony. In this, the spirit of social equality and mutual brotherhood was prominent, which was very necessary for religious tolerance. Bhakti I gave mental strength. This instilled confidence in the people and they began to be organised. The Bhakti movement also strengthened political movements.