Devotional Paths to the Divine Test - 3

Baba guru nanak was born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib in Pakistan), he travelled widely before establishing a centre at Kartarpur (Dera Baba Nanak on the river Ravi

Islam propagated strict monotheism or submission to one God. It also rejected idol worship and considerably simplified rituals of worship into collective prayers. Muslim scholars developed a holy law called Shariat.

Pulaiyar and the Panars castes were considered ‘untouchable’.

A page from a south Indian manuscript of the Bhagavadgita.

The regional tradition of bhakti focused on the Vitthala (a form of Vishnu) temple in Pandharpur, as well as on the notion of a personal god residing in the hearts of all people.

Shankaracharya was a philosopher and he was born in Kerala in the eighth century.

The sants had much in common with the Sufis, so much so that it is believed that they adopted many ideas of each other. Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasised love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings.

Mira bai and her songs also openly challenged the norms of the “upper” castes and became popular with the masses in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Nayanars were (saints devoted to Shiva)

Shankara one of the most influential philosophers of India, was born in Kerala in the eighth century. He was an advocate of Advaita or the doctrine of the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God which is the Ultimate Reality.

Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasised love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings.

From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries Maharashtra saw a great number of saint-poets, whose songs in simple Marathi continue to inspire people. The most important among them were Janeshwar, Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram as well as women like Sakkubai and the family of Chokhamela, who belonged to the “untouchable” Mahar caste. This regional tradition of bhakti focused on the Vitthala (a form of Vishnu) temple in Pandharpur,

Hagiography is the writing of saints’ lives. Hagiographies or religious biographies of the Alvars and Nayanars were also composed.

Hagiography: Writing of saints lives.

Shiva, Vishnu and Durga as supreme deities came to be worshipped through elaborate rituals.

From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries Maharashtra saw a great number of saint-poets, whose songs in simple Marathi continue to inspire people. The most important among them were Janeshwar, Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram as well as women like Sakkubai and the family of Chokhamela, who belonged to the “untouchable” Mahar caste.

Virashaiva movement initiated by Basavanna and his companions like Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi. This movement began in Karnataka in the mid-twelfth century. The Virashaivas argued strongly for the equality of all human beings and against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the

treatment of women. They were also against all forms of ritual and idol worship.

A new humanist idea emerged as they insisted that bhakti lay in sharing others’ pain. As the famous Gujarati saint Narsi Mehta said, “They are Vaishnavas who understand the pain of others.”

Islam propagated strict monotheism or submission to one God. It also rejected idol worship and considerably simplified rituals of worship into  prayers. At the same time Muslim scholars developed a holy law called Shariat.

Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. His compositions, compiled in the Sursagara, Surasaravali and Sahitya Lahari, express his devotion.

The Sufi masters held their assemblies in their Ichanqahs or hospices.

Intense devotion came into worship in 8th century and later on due to the legacy of different kinds of Bhakti and Sufi movements.

Sangam literature is the earliest example of Tamil literature, composed during the early centuries of the Common Era.

Compositions of Surdas compiled in the Sursagara, Surasaravali and Sahitya Lahari.

Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century, was deeply influenced by the Alvars. According to him the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu.

These are vachanas or sayings attributed to Basvanna.

Tulsidas’s composition, the Ramcharitmanas, written in Awadhi (a language used in eastern Uttar Pradesh), is important both as an expression of his devotion and as a literary work.

There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to different caste backgrounds such as potters, “untouchable” workers, peasants, hunters, soldiers, Brahmanas and chiefs.

There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds.

Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar in the sixteenth century. Mirabai became a disciple of Ravidas, a saint from a caste considered “untouchable”.

Their songs were compiled in the Diva Prabandham.