- Among the Hindus, the Bhakti movement preached religion which was non – ritualistic and open to all without any distinction of caste or creed.
- Real development of Bhakti took place in south India between 7th and 12th century.
- Bhakti saints came usually from lower castes.
- They disregarded castes, encouraged women to join in the gatherings and taught in the local vernacular language.
Shankaracharya (9th century)
- Born in Kaladi, Kerala
- Preached doctrine of advaita / monoism (Non duality & oneness of God)
- Faced reaction against his concept of Nirgunbrahamana (or God without attributes) due to emergence of idea of Sagunabrahamana (or God with attributes)
Ramanujacharya (12th century)
- Born in Sriperumbur, Chennai
- Preached philosophy of vishishtavaida
- According to him, creative process & all objects in creation are real, not illusionary as depicted by Shankaracharya
- Contemporary of Ramanuja.
- He was a worshipper of Krishna and Radha.
Madhavacharya (13th century)
- He ranks with Ramanuja in the Vedanta system.
- He preched Dvaita doctrine.
- He said that release from transmigration can be secured only by means of knowledge and devotion.
Ramanand (15th century)
- First great Bhakti saint of north India & Worshiper of Lord Ram.
- He put emphasis on Bhakti and avoided both Gyan marg and Karma marg.
- His followers were Ravidas, Kabir, Dhanna, Sena & Sadhana.
1. Namadeva – Tailor.
2. Ravidas – Cobbler (His 30 hymns are in Guru Granth Sahib).
3. Kabir – Weaver.
4. Sena – Barber.
5. Sadhana – Butcher.
Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539)
- born in the village of Talwandi (now called Nankana in present day Pakistan).
- Undertook wide tours all over India and then to Sri Lanka, Mecca and Medina.
- His concept of God was Nirguna (attributeless) and Nirankar (formless).
- He used the name of Hari, Ram, Allah and Khuda for God.
- Didn’t believe in the Vedas and the Quran.
Kabir (1440 – 1518)
- He was not only concerned with religious reform but also wished to change the society.
- Emphasized the unity of God and expressed his ideas in dohas or couplets.
- Didn’t make any distinction betwee Hinduism and Islam.
Chaitanya (1485 – 1534)
- Born in Bengal & traveled throughout India
- He popularized Krishna cult.
- ‘Kirtan system’ was given by Chaitanya only.
Meerabai (1498 – 1546)
- Born in Rajasthan & she was the follower of Lord Krishna.
- She was married to Rana Sanga’s eldest son and heir-apparent Bhojraj.
- After the death of her husband, she devoted herself completely to religious pursuits.
- She wrote some poetic stanzas on Lord Krishna.
Surdas (1479 – 1584)
- Born in western UP & wrote lyrical poems on Radha and Krishna.
- He also Wrote Sur Sarawali, the Sahitya Lahari & the Sur Sagar.
Vallabhacharya (1479 – 1531)
- Born in a Telangana
- Advocated the worship of Krishna and dedication of everything to him alone.
Tulsidas (1532 – 1623)
- He was born in a Brahmin family in Varanasi.
- On account of a taunt of his wife, he is said to have to the life of a religious hermit.
- He wrote Ram Charit Manas, Gitawali, Kauitawali, Vinay Patrika, etc.
- He also used Arabic and Persian words in his writings.
Gnanadeva (13th century)
He was the founder of the Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra.
It was called Maharashtra dharma.
He wrote a commentary of Bhagavat Gita called Gnaneswari.
Importance of the Bhakti Movement
Bhakti movement provided an impetus for the development of regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, etc.
As the caste system was condemned by the Bhakti saints, the lower classes were raised to a position of great importance.
Importance of women in society was also increased because the Bhakti movement gave equal importance to them.
A liberal reform movement within Islam & had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the 11th century.
First Sufi saint Shaikh Ismail of Lahore started preaching his ideas.
Famous of the Sufi saints of India was Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer which became the centre of his activities.
Sufism stressed the elements of love and devotion as effective means of the realisation of God.
In the later period, Akbar, the Mughal emperor, appreciated Sufi doctrines which shaped his religious outlook and religious policies.
- There were 3 chief orders of Sufis in India : Chishti, Suharawadi and Silsilah of Firdausi.
- The link between the teacher or pir and his disciple or Murid was a vital part of Sufi system.
Every pir nominated a successor or Wali to carry out work. Khanqah was the place where Sufi mystics lived.