Bhakti movement

Dr.Augustin.J MI IV
 Bhakti movement
• The Bhakti movement was an important historical religious movement in
medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of
society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation.
• It was prominent in eighth-century south India (now Tamil
Nadu and Kerala states), and spread northwards.
• It swept over east and north India from the 15th century onwards,
reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century CE.
• The Bhakti movement regionally developed around different gods and
goddesses, and some sub-sects
were Vaishnavism (Vishnu), Shaivism (Shiva), Shaktism (Shakti goddesses),
and Smartism.
• Bhakti movement preached using the local languages so that the message
reached the masses. The movement was inspired by many poet-saints,
who championed a wide range of philosophical positions ranging
from theistic dualism of Dvaita to absolute monism of Advaita Vedanta.
• The Sanskrit word bhakti is derived from the
root bhaji, which means "divide, share, partake,
participate, to belong to".
• The word also means "attachment, devotion to,
fondness for, homage, faith or love, worship,
piety to something as a spiritual, religious
principle or means of salvation".
• Ancient Indian texts, dated to be from the 1st
millennium BCE, such as the Shvetashvatara
Upanishad, the Katha Upanishad and the
Bhagavad Gita mention Bhakti.
• There's no creation or creator there,
no gross or fine, no wind or fire,
no sun, moon, earth or water,
no radiant form, no time there,
no word, no flesh, no faith,
no cause and effect, nor any thought of the Veda,
no Hari or Brahma, no Shiva or Shakti,
no pilgrimage and no rituals,
no mother, father or guru there...
• — Kabir, Shabda 43, Translated by K Schomer and
WH McLeod
• The early 15th-century Bhakti poet-sant Pipa stated
• Within the body is the god, within the body the
temple,
within the body all the Jangamas
within the body the incense, the lamps and the food-
offerings,
within the body the puja-leaves.
After searching so many lands,
I found the nine treasures within my body,
Now there will be no further going and coming,
I swear by Rama.
• The movement started as a response to the evil practices that had crept
into Hinduism. Some of the other reasons which fueled the spread of the
movement across the country were:
• The spread of Islam
• Emergence of great reformers
• Influence of Sufi sects
• Influence of Vaishnavism and Shaivism ideologies
• It preached equality.
• It preached universal brotherhood
• It strove hard to rid the religion and society of evil practices
• Perhaps the most important aspect of the movement was its emphasis on
the route of ‘Bhakthi’ rather than superficial rituals as the mode to realize
god and salvation.
• The movement developed under two different schools of thought.
• Nirgunabhakthi
• They believed in formless worship
• It was introduced by Adi Shankara
• Some of the other Bhakthi saints who preached this school of thought are-
Kabir, Guru Nanak, Dadu Dayal etc
• Sagunabhakthi
• It believed in the worship of form.
• It believed that god is the biggest manifestation of everything perfect
• It included philosophers such as- Ramanuja, Nimbaraka, Madhva,
Vallabha, Meera Bhai, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tulsidas, Surdas etc
Shankaracharya
• Shankara was born in the southern Indian state of Kerala, according to the
oldest biographies, in a village named Kaladi sometimes spelled as Kalati
or Karati.
• He was born to Nambudiri Brahmin parents. becomes the disciple of a
teacher named Govinda Bhagavatpada Several texts suggest Shankara
schooling with Govindapada happened along the
river Narmada in Omkareshwar, a few place it along river Ganges in Kashi
(Varanasi) as well as Badari (Badrinath in the Himalayas). Adi Sankara is
believed to have died aged 32, at Kedarnath in the northern Indian state
of Uttarakhand, a Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas.
• Texts say that he was last seen by his disciples behind the Kedarnath
temple, walking in the Himalayas until he was not traced.
• Some texts locate his death in alternate locations such
as Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) and somewhere in the state of Kerala He
wrote commentaries on Brahmasutras. His popular works include-
Vivekachudamani, Saundaryalahari, Bhajagovindam, Shivananda Lahari
• The followers of Shankaracharya are called as Smratas
• “Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah—Brahman is
alone real; this world is unreal; and the Jiva or the individual soul is non-
different from Brahman.”
• His teachings are available in the book Upadesa Sahasri: A Thousand
Teachings, written by the great philosopher himself.
• The teacher is one who is endowed with the power of furnishing
arguments pro and con, of understanding questions [of the student], and
remembers them. The teacher possesses tranquility, self-control,
compassion and a desire to help others, who is versed in the Śruti texts
and unattached to pleasures here and hereafter, knows the subject and
established in that knowledge. He is never a transgressor of the rules of
conduct, devoid of weaknesses such as ostentation, pride, deceit, cunning,
jugglery, jealousy, falsehood, egotism and attachment. The teacher's sole
aim is to help others and a desire to impart the knowledge.
• — Adi Shankara, Upadesha Sahasri
Ramanujacharya (1017-1137AD)
• He was born at Sriperumbudur.
• He was the disciple of Yamuna Muni and Vedprakash
• He founded the philosophy called Vishishta Advaita and
preached Vaishnavism
• Kulottanga Chola who was a Shaivite banished
Ramanujacharya for preaching Vaishnavism
• He wrote Sri Bashya and was the head of Srirangam
Vaishnava Math
• Ramanujacharya preached Shudras and outcastes could
also attain salvation by completely surrendering to the will
of the guru.
• He was also referred to as Ilaya Perumal which means the
radiant one.
 Vishishta Advaita
• This school grew out of worship of Lord Vishnu
• It is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy. It is non-
dualism of the qualified whole, in which Brahman alone
exists, but is characterized by multiplicity.
• Unlike some Hindu philosophies, Visishtadvaita doesn’t
see the world as simply illusion, which would make it
separate from Brahman. The material world is a part of
Brahman’s nature.
• Moksha, or spiritual liberation, is seen as the joy of
contemplating Brahman (rather than release from the life-
death-rebirth cycle), and that joy is the result of devotion,
praise, worship and contemplating the divine perfection.
Nimbaraka
• He was the disciple of Ramanujacharya
• He was the first to introduce Radhamadhav cult which was
centered in the worship of Radha and Madhav
• He founded the philosophy called Dwita Advaita. It was
centered on the balance between Advaita and
Visishtadvaita.
• He wrote Dashasloki and Vedanta
• He was also a prominent astronomer
• Its philosophy held that men were trapped in physical
bodies constricted by prakrti(matter) and that only by
surrender to Radha-Krishna (not through their own efforts)
could they attain the grace necessary for liberation from
rebirth; then, at death, the physical body would drop away.
Madhvacharya
• Shri Madhvacharya was born to Narayana Bhatta and Vedavati in Pajaka, a small
place near Udupi. He was born in 1238, on the auspicious day of Vijayadashami,
and he was named Vasudeva.
• He was the third of the trinity of philosophers who influenced Indian thoughts
after the ages of the Vedas and Puranas (the other two being Shankaracharya and
Ramanujacharya)
• He propounded the philosophy of Dwaita or Dualism.
• He was initiated into sanyasttva by Achyutapreksha
• At the time of initiation, he was given the name Purnaprajna. It was
also Achyutapreksha who gave him the title ‘Madhva’ by which he was more
famously known.
• Madhvacharya wrote commentaries on several important Hindu holy texts,
including the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutra.
• He wrote various texts that detailed his philosophy which he called Tattvavada, or
as it is more popularly known, Dvaita. Some of his works were the Gita Bhashya,
Brahma Sutra Bhashya, Anu Bhashya, Karma Nirnaya, and Vishnu Tattva Nirnaya.
• Dvaita philosophy
– The basic tenet of Dvaita philosophy is the refutation
of the Mayavada of Sri Shankara. Dvaitha emphasizes
that the world is real and not just an illusion.
– The soul is bound to this world through ignorance
– The way for the soul to release itself from this
bondage is to seek the grace of Sri Hari
– To reach Sri Hari, one has to practice Bhakthi, there is
no other way
– To practice Bhakthi, one needs to meditate
– To meditate, one needs to clear the mind and attain
detachment by studying the sacred texts
Vallabhacharya
• He was also known as ‘Achinitabhadra’
• He was the first to promote Krishna Bhakthi
on the basis of Maha Bhagvad Purana
• He founded the philosophy of Shuddha
Advaita which believed in absolute union.
• He prescribed Pushtimarga as the means for
salvation (extreme devotion to God)
Basavanna
• He was a 12th century administrator, philosopher, poet,
Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focused Bhakti movement.
• He raised social awareness through his poetry, popularly
known as Vachanaas.
• He introduced new public institutions such as
the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of spiritual
experience”), which welcomed men and women from all
socio-economic backgrounds to discuss spiritual and
mundane questions of life, in open.
• He was a propagator of Visishtadvaita
• Basavanna literary works include the Vachana Sahitya in
Kannada Language. He is also known as Bhaktibhandari,
Basavanna or Basaveswara.
Ramananda
• He was a 14th century Vaishnava devotional poet saint
• He developed his philosophy and devotional themes
• Evidence also suggests that Ramananda was influenced by
Nathpanthi ascetics of the Yoga school of Hindu
philosophy.
• An early social reformer, Ramananda accepted disciples
without discriminating anyone by gender, class, caste or
religion. His disciples included- Kabir, Ravidas, Bhagat Pipa
and others.
• His verse is mentioned in the Sikh scripture Adi Granth.
• Some of his works include- Gyan-lila and Yog-cintamani
(Hindi), Vaishnava Mata Bhajabhaskara and Ramarcana
paddhati (Sanskrit).
Kabir (1440-1510 AD)
• He was a 15th century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings
influenced Hinduism’s Bhakti movement and his verses are found
in Sikhism’s scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
• He was a disciple of Ramananda
• He mounted a spirited attack against the superficial religious
practices followed by both Hindus and Muslims
• Kabir suggested that Truth is with the person who is on the path of
righteousness, considered all creatures on earth as his own self, and who
is passively detached from the affairs of the world.
• He was the first to reconcile Hinduism and Islam.
• He believed in formless God.
• Kabir’s legacy survives and continues through the Kabir panth (“Path of
Kabir”), a religious community that recognizes him as its founder and is
one of the Sant Mat sects. Its members are known as Kabir panthis.
• He wrote- Sabad, Bijak, Doha, Holi, and Rekhtal. He propagated Ram
Bhakti.
Guru Nanak (1469-1538 AD)
• He was born in Talvandi near Lahore
• Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab by Sikhs all
over the world.
• In 1496, although married and having a family, Nanak set out on a set of spiritual
journeys through India, Tibet and Arabia that lasted nearly 30 years.
• The last part of his life was spent at Kartarpur in the Punjab, where he was joined
by many disciples attracted by his teachings.
• The most famous teachings attributed to Guru Nanak are that there is only one
God, and that all human beings can have direct access to God with no need of
rituals or priests. His most radical social teachings denounced the caste
system and taught that everyone is equal, regardless of caste or gender.
• He introduced the concept of god- that is ‘Vahiguru’, an entity that is shapeless,
timeless, omnipresent and invisible. Other names for God in the Sikh faith
are Akaal Purkh and Nirankar.
• Guru Granth Sahib, the holiest book of the Sikhs, contains 974 poetic hymns
composed by Guru Nanak
Mirabai
• Meera, better known as Mirabai[ and venerated as Saint Meerabai, was a
16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a
celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition.
• Mirabai was born into a Rajput royal family in Kudki (modern-day Pali
district of Rajasthan) and spent her childhood in Merta.
• She is mentioned in Bhaktamal, confirming that she was widely known
and a cherished figure in the Bhakti movement culture by about 1600 CE.
• Most legends about Mirabai mention her fearless disregard for social and
family conventions, her devotion to Krishna, her treating Krishna as her
husband and being persecuted by her in-laws for her religious devotion.
• She has been the subject of numerous folk tales and hagiographic legends
Hindu temples, such as in Chittorgarh fort, are dedicated to Mirabai's
memory.
Meera's temple to Krishna at Chittor
Fort, Rajasthan
• She was the most popular Bhakthi reformer
• She was born in Rajasthan
• She became the wife of Rana Bhojraj, one of
the royal families in Rajasthan
• She was the first to introduce Giridhara
Gopala cult of Brindavan and also the first to
introduce Bhajan in Bhakthi movement
• Her bhajans were composed in the language
of Vraj Bhasha
• My Dark One has gone to an alien land.
He has left me behind, he's never returned, he's
never sent me a single word.
So I've stripped off my ornaments, jewels and
adornments, cut my hair from my head.
And put on holy garments, all on his account,
seeking him in all four directions.
Mira: unless she meets the Dark One, her Lord,
she doesn't even want to live.
• — Mira Bai, Translated by John Stratton Hawley
 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

• He was the most popular Bhakthi reformer from Bengal

• He was born at Nabadwip (Bengal)
• He was the disciple of Keshav Bharti.
• He was also known as Gouranga and Vishwambar
• He preached Vaishnavism in Bengal and Odisha
• Puri became the main centre of his activities
• He was also the first to introduce Kirtans in Bhakthi
movement
• The form of Vaishnavism that he preached came to be
called as ‘Gudik Vaishnavism’
 Tulsidas

• He was a contemporary of Akbar.

• He wrote ‘Ramcharit Manas’ in the language of Avadi
• He founded the Sankatmochan Temple dedicated
to Lord Hanuman in Varanasi, believed to stand at the
place where he had the sight of the deity
• Tulsidas started the Ramlila plays, a folk-theatre
adaption of the Ramayana
• Other works of Tulsidas include: Dohavali, Sahitya
ratna or Ratna Ramayan, Gitavali , Krishna Gitavali or
Krishnavali and Vinaya Patrika
 Dadu Dayal

• He was born into the community of weavers at Ahmedabad

• He preached Nirgunabhakthi
• His teachings were compiled in the form of ‘Dadu Dayaram
ki Bani’
• Shankar Dev:
• He was the first to preach Vaishnavism in Brahmaputra
valley
• He was the founder of Eka Saranadharma and
Veerapurushamarga
• He is widely credited with building on past cultural relics
and devising new forms of music (Borgeet), theatrical
performance (Ankia Naat, Bhaona), and dance (Sattriya),
literary language (Brajavali).
 Purandaradasa

• He was a Haridasa philosopher from Karnataka

• He is considered as the father of Carnatic music
• One of his most notable works is Dasa Sahithya
• He introduced the RagaMayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by
beginners in the field – a practice that is still followed today.
• Most of his keertanas deal with social reform and pinpoint the defects in society
• Gnaneshwar
• He was one of the earliest Maratha reformers
• He wrote commentary on Bhagvad Gita called as Gnaneswari, popular known
as Maratha Bhagvad Gita
• His followers are known as Varkaris.
• They believe in attaining the presence of God through religious songs or Bhajans
and prayers.
• They worship Lord Vithoba whom they believe to be the incarnation of Lord
Vishnu.
 Eknath

• He was one of the first reformers to emphasize the growth of

Marathi language
• He preached that one could devote oneself to God by leading a
family life and discharging all functions of a householder.
• His works include numerous religious songs called Abhangas,
Owees, and Bharuds.
• Namdev
• He was a tailor by profession
• He emphasized on cultural unity of the Marathas by introducing a
tradition called Mahapurusha Sampradaya
• He believed in equality of all men and women
• He advocated the practice of devotion to realize god
• Some of his devotional songs are found in the Guru Granth Sahib
• Tukaram
He was contemporary of Shivaji
• He is considered as the greatest Maratha Bhakthi reformer
• He made popular the Vithoba cult
• He composed devotional songs on Vithalswamy called as Abhangs
• He preached the message of equality and universal brotherhood
• Samard Ramdas
• He was guru of Shivaji
• He inspired Shivaji for founding Swaraj
• The message were compiled in the form of the text
called ‘Dasabodha’
• He was a devotee of Lord Rama. He established Ashramas all over
India.
Sufism
• Sufism, mystical Islamic belief and practice in
which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine
love and knowledge through direct personal
experience of God.
• It consists of a variety of mystical paths that
are designed to ascertain the nature of
humanity and of God and to facilitate the
experience of the presence of divine love and
wisdom in the world.
• Islamic mysticism is called taṣawwuf (literally, “to dress
in wool”) in Arabic, but it has been called Sufism in
Western languages since the early 19th century.
• An abstract word, Sufism derives from the Arabic term
for a mystic, ṣūfī, which is in turn derived from ṣūf,
“wool,” plausibly a reference to the woolen garment of
early Islamic ascetics.
• The Sufis are also generally known as “the
poor,” fuqarāʾ, plural of the Arabic faqīr, in
Persian darvīsh, whence the English
words fakir and dervish.
• Though the roots of Islamic mysticism formerly were supposed to
have stemmed from various non-Islamic sources in
ancient Europe and even India, it now seems established that the
movement grew out of early Islamic asceticism that developed as a
counterweight to the increasing worldliness of the expanding
Muslim community
• only later were foreign elements that were compatible with
mystical theology and practices adopted and made to conform
to Islam.
• The Sufis have been further responsible for a large-scale missionary
activity all over the world, which still continues. Sufi vocabulary is
important in Persian and other literatures related to it, such
as Turkish, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, and Punjabi.
• Through the poetry of these literatures, mystical ideas spread
widely among the Muslims.
 Salient features of Sufism

• Sufis were a group of religious-minded people who turned to

asceticism and mysticism in protest against the growing
materialism of the Caliphate as a religious and political institution.
• Sufism derives is inspiration from Islam.
• These Sufis had a deep study of vedantic philosophy and had come
in contact with great sages and seers of India.
• Sufism emphasized upon leading a simple life. Sufi saints preached
in Arabic, Persian and Urdu etc.
• The Sufis were divided into 12 orders each under a mystic Sufi saint
like Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthi, Fariuddin Ganj-i-Shakar, Nizam-ud-
din Auliya etc.
• While the orthodox Muslims depend upon external conduct
and blind observance of religious rituals, the Sufi saints seek inner
purity.
• They were critical of the dogmatic definitions and scholastic
methods of interpreting the Qur’an and Sunna (traditions of the
Prophet) adopted by theologians.
• Instead, they laid emphasis on seeking salvation through intense
devotion and love for God by following His commands, and by
following the example of the Prophet Muhammad whom they
regarded as a perfect human being.
• The Sufis thus sought an interpretation of the Qur’an on the basis
of their personal experience
• Devotion is more important than fast (Roza) or prayer (Namaz).
• Sufis bridged the communal divide as is evidenced by the reverence
the Subcontinent’s non-Muslim population exhibited for Sufi saints.
Sufism around the world and in the Subcontinent had the depth to
connect beyond caste, creed and gender
 Liberal outlook associated with
Sufism
• It does not believe narrow societal classification such as caste
• They awakened a new sense of confidence and attempted to redefine
social and religious values.
• Their stress on social welfare led to the establishment of works of
charitable nature, opening of orphanages and women service centres.
• A notable contribution of the Sufis was their service to the poorer and
downtrodden sections of society. Nizamuddin Auliya was famous for
distributing gifts amongst the needy irrespective of religion or caste.
• 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.
• Other ideas emphasized by Sufism are meditation, good actions,
repentance for sins, performance of prayers and pilgrimages, fasting,
charity and suppression of passions by ascetic practices.
 Sufi orders (Chisti)
• It was founded by Sheikh Abdul Chisti
• It was introduced in India by Sheikh Moinuddin Chisti.
• His Dargah is at Ajmer
• Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was the chief disciple of Moinuddin.
• Iltutmush dedicated Qutub Minar to Bakhtiar Kaki
• Sheikh Nizamuddin was the most popular Sufi saint in India.
• Amir Khusro, the greatest musician and literary giant was also the
disciple of Sheikh Nizamuddin.
• A system called Nadasampradaya was followed which meant
burying disciples near as one family
• Sheikh Salim Chisti was the last great saint of this order. He was
held in great respect by Akbar.
• Qamkhana were hermitages of Chisti saints outside the city
 Suhrawardi

It was founded by Shihabuddin Shuhrawardi

It was introduced in India by Bhauddin
It was the richest order and very soon became unpopular
• Firadausia
It was the only Sufi order which was founded and developed
within India
It was founded by Sharafuddin, it was confined to Bihar
He composed Maqtubat and Mulfazat literature
The above dealt with the lives and teachings of Sufi saints
• Qadri
It was the most secular Sufi silsila
It was founded by Sheikh Jilani Qadri
Dara Shikoh, son of Shah Jahan followed this order
• Naqshbandi
It was founded by Sheikh Biqabullah
It was introduced into India by Sheikh Pirsai
Sheikh Niyamtulla was the greatest scholar of this
school
It was the most conservative of the orders.
Aurangzeb followed this order