Bhakti and Sufi Movements
Exercise
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. The word 'Sufi' is an Arabic term for mystical.
2. The Sufis did not abide by the codes prescribed by the Islamic law known as Shariat.
3. The Nayanars were the worshipers of Shiva and the Alvars were worshipers of Vishnu.
4. Sant Namdev was a Bhakti saint from Maharashtra.
5. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak.
B. Name the following.
1. Bhakti saint who advocated Advaita philosophy.
= Adi Shankaracharya;
2. Couplets composed by Kabir.
= dohas;
3. Belief that there is only one god.
= Monotheism;
4. Founder of Chisti silsilah.
= Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti;
5. Commentary on Bhagvad Gita by Sant Jnaneshwar.
= Jnaneshwari;
C. Choose the correct answer.
1. The Sufis were a group of _______ mystics.
a. Hindu. [ ]
b. Muslim. [✓]
c. Buddhist. [ ]
d. Jain. [ ]
2. The ________ became the hub of religious discourse during the Sufi movement.
a. Silsilah. [ ]
b. Sufi order. [ ]
c. Khanqah. [✓]
d. Dargah. [ ]
3. ________ became an important form of music with the Sufis.
a. Qawwali. [✓]
b. Bhajan. [ ]
c. Kirtans. [ ]
d. Raqs. [ ]
4. The Bhakti movement was first started by Nayanars and Alvars in ________ .
a. south India. [✓]
b. north India. [ ]
c. Maharashtra. [ ]
d. Bengal. [ ]
5. _________ was the first reformer to preach in Hindi.
a. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. [ ]
b. Meerabai. [ ]
c. Ramananda. [✓]
d. Kabir. [ ]
D. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. Who were the Sufis? What was there central belief?
= The Sufis were a group of spiritual or mystical Muslims who were liberal in their views and believed in unity and brotherhood.
They meditated to attain the spiritual growth and connect their souls with god.
2. What was the meaning of 'Bhakti'? Name some Bhakti saints.
= The word 'bhakti' means devotion to god.
Names of some Bhakti saints are - Ramanuja, Ramananda, Kabir, Chaitanya, Meerabai, etc.
3. Who was Ramanuja?
= Ramanuja was a Bhakti saint from south India who advocated the Bhakti Marga. He was a worshipper of Lord Vishnu and emphasised that love and devotion were necessary for worship of god.
4. What did Sant Jnaneshwar advocate? Name some of his literary creations.
= Sant Jnaneshwar advocated the condemnation against caste system and the elaborate ritualism of Hinduism.
He wrote a commentary on the Bhagvad Gita in Marathi, called Jnaneshwari. He also authored Amritanubhava, and Bhabartha Dipika in Marathi.
5. How did Guru Nanak try to end distinction of caste and class?
= To put an end to distinctions of caste and class, Guru Nanak established sangats (people sitting together to listen to the guru) and langers (common kitchens).
E. Answer the following questions in detail.
1. What were the main reasons for the rise of Sufism and Bhakti Movement?
= Causes for rise of Sufi movement:
Sufism arose as a reaction to the corruption of Islamic principles within the community. They wanted to restore Islam to the way it was preached by Prophet Muhammad.
After the death of Prophet Muhammad, there were disputes regarding the election of caliphate in the Muslim community. Thus, the community got divided into two sects - Sunnis and Shias. There were constant conflicts between the two factions.
To maintain peace and unity among the Muslims, some of the liberals started a reform movement - Sufism. Sufism was against all kinds of persecution and advocated religious tolerance. They believed in personal devotion to god, through love and service.
Causes for rise of Bhakti movement:
❐ The rigid caste system in Hinduism had created discontent among the Hindus. People from the lower caste were looked upon as untouchables and were oppressed by the upper caste.
❐ Many meaningless and expensive rituals started being practiced in Hinduism. They put financial burden on the poor people.
❐ The Islamic principles of one God, equality and fraternity of mankind and complete surrender to God appealed to the liberal Hindus.
The Bhakti Movement was led by the Hindu liberals who emphasised aspects like equality irrespective of caste, creed, and colour, virtues of kindness of heart and mind, devotion to one God (monotheism), freedom from all kinds of ritualism and preaching in the language of the common people.
2. When did Sufism come to India? Describe the organisation of the Sufi order in India.
= The Sufis came to India around twelfth century during Delhi Sultanate. The movement became more famous during the rule of Akbar.
The Sufis were organised into orders or silsilahs. Each silsilah was identified by a prominent pir (saint), who lived in the khanqah (hermitage), along with his murids (disciples). Some influential pirs included Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti of Ajmer, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Baba Farid of Punjab.
Some popular silsilahs were the Chistis, the Suhrawardis, the Firdawsiya, the Kubrawaiyya and the Qalandariyya. The Sufis of each silsilah guarded their traditions zealously.
3. Write a note on the teachings of:
❐ Adi Shankaracharya.
❐ Kabir.
❐ Chaitanya.
= ❐ Adi Shankaracharya.
Adi Shankaracharya was one of the greatest philosophers in India who led the Bhakti Movement in the eighth century. He propagated religious monotheism or the Advaita philosophy, which means, god is unique. He travelled around the Indian subcontinent spreading the monotheist philosophy through his poems, discussions and debates. Shankaracharya believed in devoting his life to god through renunciation and was interested in the worldly duties.
❐ Kabir.
Kabir was one of the greatest Bhakti saints in north India. He preached that there is only one god and different religions have different names for that one god. Kabir also advocated universal brotherhood, tolerance and service. He composed short poems or rhymed couplets known as dohas to spread his message among the people.
❐ Chaitanya.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. He popularised the Bhakti Movement in Bengal, Assam and Odisha. He criticised the religious rituals and taught that dance and music are the best ways to connect our soul with god. He emphasised on universal brotherhood and composed poems and songs that were dedicated to Lord Krishna.
4. Give a brief account of the rise of Sikhism and its main principles.
= Guru Nanak was the founder of the religion Sikhism. His goal was to unite the Hindus and Muslims. Therefore, he studied both religion and created a separate community of Sikhs. 'Sikh' means 'disciple' and Guru Nanak believed that one can evolve or achieve salvation only through direct contact with a true master or a 'sadguru'.
He taught there is only one god. The entire universe is his creation.
He rejected the caste system. It propagated unity and brotherhood as all human beings are equal.
Guru Nanak also condemned idol-worship and religious rituals. He taught that one must lead a disciplined and truthful life and maintain a good character.
He also taught that one must follow the guidance of guru to walk on the right path of spirituality.
5. What was the impact of the Bhakti and Sufi movements on the Indian society and literature?
= The Bhakti and Sufi movements inaugurated a new era in the history of religion which moulded the thoughts and consciousness of the people through the preaching of the saints and reformers.
❐ It loosened the hold of rigidities of casteism and ritualism on the people. The movements emphasised on equality of all and rejected the caste system. It instilled a sense of dignity among the lower classes, and questioned the authority of the Brahmans.
❐ The Bhakti and Sufi movements promoted concepts of peace and unity in an age marked by innumerable wars. It created an atmosphere of trust and brotherhood among the Hindus and Muslims. The Bhakti and Sufi saints had followers from all religions. They advocated respect and tolerance for all religions.
❐ The compilations of the works of Bhakti and Sufi saints led to the growth of regional languages and literature as the saints preached in the local languages.
* Rumi and Ghazzali were two of the most famous Sufi poet from Central Asia.
* What is silsilah?
= During the ancient days of Arabia, there was no setup for formal education, thus, the students would learn from their masters. On completing the education, these masters would grant a permission which was considered as a certificate of completion of their education. Then these learned students would become the masters and train their own students. This series of masters was known as silsilah.
* The followers of Bhakti school are divided into two sects - Saguana (believers of god with a form) and Nirguna (believers of a formless god).
* Hagiographies were religious biographies on life of Alvars and Nayanars. The Tamil Shaiva hagiography, Periya Puranam, which was written during the thirteenth century, narrates the history of sixty-three Nayanars.