Bhakti movement

About 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.
• Bhakti refers to passionate devotion (to a deity).
• 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 movement has traditionally been considered an influential social reformation in Hinduism in that it provided an individual-focused alternative path to spirituality regardless of one’s birth or gender
• The Bhakti movement began with the aim of reforming traditional Hinduism with its strict caste system partly due to the rise and influence of ideas from Islam.
• Contemporary scholars question whether the Bhakti movement ever was a reform or rebellion of any kind. They suggest the Bhakti movement was a revival, reworking, and recontextualization of ancient Vedic traditions.
• Scriptures of the Bhakti movement include the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana and Padma Purana.

FEATURES OF BHAKTI MOVEMENT:

• Unity of God or one God though known by different names.
• Condemnation of rituals, ceremonies and blind faith.
• Rejection of idol worship.
• Surrender of oneself to God.
• Emphasized both Nirguna and Saguna bhakti.
• Salvation through Bhakti.
• Open-mindedness about religious matters.
• Rejected castes distinctions & believed in equality of all humans.
• Rebelled against the upper caste’s domination and the Sanskrit language.
• Use of local or regional languages for Preaching.
• Creation of literature in local language.

Causes for the emergence of Bhakti Movement:

• Influence of Vaishnavism
• To control evil practices of the Hindu religion
• Fear of spread of Islam
• Influence of Sufi sects
• The emergence of great reformers.

Two different ideological streams of the Bhakti movement.

Development of Bhakti movement into three phases:

Phase I – Development in the South

From 6th century AD and till 12th century, Bhakti cult developed in the South.

1. In Bhakti,the devotees completely surrendered to the God. There was a strong bond between the God and the worshipper.
2. Between 6th and 12th centuries, popular saints Nayanars (Saivites) and Alvars (Vaishnavites) flourished in the Tamil kingdom (Pandya , Pallava , Chola periods)
3. They composed their works in Tamil and local languages.
4. They rejected austerities preached by the Jains and the Buddhists and preached personal devotion to God as a means of salvation.
5. Appar, Janasambandar , Sundaramurti and Manikkavasagar were the famous Nayanars. The hymns of the first three were collected in ‘Devaram’.
6. Manikkavasagar wrote ‘Tiruvasagam’. Tirumurais the collection of the works of Nayanars and Saiva poets of South India (twelve volumes compiled in 12th century during later Chola period) is known as the fifth Veda.
7. The 12th Tirumurai was ‘Periyapuranam’ by Shekkizhar, and contains the life depiction of all the 63 nayanars. Agamas also belong to the Saiva literature , which gives the methods of temple construction and worship. Saiva siddhanta developed with all these great works.

There were 12 famous Alvars – Poygai, Pudam and Pey were the first three among them. Tirumangai and Periyalvar and Andal were other famous saints. Tiruppan was a low caste saint . Nandan and Vipranarayana were other two.Kulasekhar Alvar, the ruler of Kerala was another famous alvar. Nammalvar and Madhurakavi were among the last.

Andal was a woman Alwar saint of the times.

Collection of the hymns of Alvars is known as- Divya Prabandha

Almost all of them disregarded the inequalities of caste, though they did not try to oppose the caste system as such. The path of Bhakti advocated vedic worship to all , irrespective of caste.

Sankaracharya (9th century) propounded advaitavada – the doctrine of non-dualism ; Vedanta philosophy. Vedas are the fountainhead of true knowledge ; a bhakt had to clean his heart through jnan for which the study of the scriptures is necessary. Sankara established a number of mathas in different parts of India- Sringeri, Dvaraka, Badrinath, Puri and Kanchi being the well known ones. He regarded Buddhism as Hinduism’s chief enemy.

Ramanuja (first quarter of 11th century) was the greatest Vaishnava acharya. Near Madras. ‘Visishtadvaita’ philosophy- soul can attain bliss not in absorption with the God , but in existence near him. He refuted the Mayavada of Sankara. The Matha at Melkote was established by him after he won over the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana from Jainism.

Nimbarka was a young contemporary of Ramanuja – he propounded the philosophy of ‘bheda-bheda’ (the God, the soul and the world were identical yet distinct)

Madhvacharya (born shortly before 1200 near Udipi)) gave the philosophy of complete pluralism- the ‘dvaita vedanta’ He taught that the Universe is ruled by God as two personsVishnu and Lakshmi – and that the souls in the world are eternally distinct from him.

Phase II- Spread of Bhakti to the North:

Development of non-sectarian movements

The ideas of Bhakti were carried from the south to the north by saints , after 12th century. Namadeva (Maharashtrian saint- first part of 14th century) was prominent among them. He was a tailor , and was bandit before he took up Bhakti. He wrote poems in Marathi. He travelled far , interacted and held discussions with the Sufis at Delhi.

Ramananda, was Namadeva’s disciple , was born at Prayag (Allahabad) (in the second half of 14th century) and lived at Benaras. He substituted Rama in place of Vishnu. He was part of saguna cult.He disregarded the ban on people of different castes cooking or eating their meals together. He enrolled disciples from all castes:

Ravidas- a cobbler

Kabir- a weaver

Sena- a barber

Sadhana- a butcher were his famous disciples.

Nanak was another Bhakti saint whose ideas gave rise to Sikh religion. He had a mystic outlook, composed hymns and sang them to the accompaniment of ‘rabab’. He travelled far and wide , to Srilanka in the south and Mecca and Madina in the west. In addition to love and affection, Nanak laid great emphasis on the purity of character and conduct as the first condition of approaching God. He too denounced idol worship and pilgrimages.

Kabir and Nanak were most critical of the existing social order and made a strong plea for Hindu-Muslim unity. Kabir advocated the unity of God and denounced untouchability. He called God by several names , such as Rama, Hari, Govinda, Allah, Sain, Saheb etc. He strongly condemned idol worship, pilgrimages,bathing in holy rivers and doing namaz. His followers were called kabir panthis. Kabir was a nirguna bhakti saint.

Phase III – Development in North India and Maratha kingdom – worship of Rama and Krishna:

During 15th and 16th centuries.- development of Vaishnavite cult. Used the love between Radha and Krishna to depict the relationship of love in its various aspects of the individual soul with the supreme soul.

1. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengal and Orissa)– popularized musical gathering or kirtan ,to realize salvation to unite with Hari. He did not reject the scriptures or idol worship.
2. Meerabai in Rajasthan; she popularized bhajans
3. Surdas in Western Uttarpradesh, wrote ‘soor sagar’ and ‘soor suravali’
4. Shankaradasa in Assam
5. Narsinha Mehta and Dadu dayal in Gujarat
6. Vallabhacharya (1479-1531) was among the prominent philosophers of this period. His philosophy was ‘Shudhadvaita’ ( pure non-dualism) which exalted bhakti above knowledge ; he founded the ‘Pushti marga.’ (path of grace) . He was born at Benaras.

The Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra

• The Bhakti movement in Maharashtra centred around the shrine of Vithoba or Vitthal, the residing deity of Pandharpur, who was considered the manifestation of Krishna. This movement is also known as the Pandharpur movement and it influenced the social and cultural developments in Maharashtra. For instance, it led to the development of Marathi literature, elevated the status of women, helped in breaking caste distinctions, etc. In Maharashtra, the Bhakti movement drew its inspiration from the Bhagavata Purana and the Shiva Nathpanthis.  
• The Bhakti movement is divided into two sects:

• Varakaris – The mild devotees of God Vitthala of Pandharpur, who are more emotional, theoretical and abstract in their viewpoint.
• Dharakaris – The heroic followers of the cult of Ramadasa, the devotee of God Rama, who are more rational, concrete and practical in their thoughts.

However, the realisation of God as the highest end of human life is a common aim of both. The great saints belonging to the Vithoba cult were Jnaneswar/Jnanadeva, Tukaram and Namdeva.

Jnaneswar or Jnanadeva ( c. 1275 – 1296 CE)

• A 13th-century mystical poet-saint of Maharashtra who wrote a commentary of Bhagavad Gita called Jnaneswari which served as a foundation of the Bhakti ideology in Maharashtra.
• He was strictly against caste distinctions and believed that the only way to attain God was through Bhakti.
• He also composed “Amritanubhava” (immortal experience), based on the philosophy of the Upanishads and “Haripatha”, a song admiring Hari (Vishnu).

Namadeva (c. 1270 – 1350)

• A Maharashtrian saint, who flourished in the first part of the 14th century. Namadeva was a tailor who is said to have taken to banditry before he became a saint.
• His poetry which was written in Marathi breathes a spirit of intense love and devotion to God.
• He is considered one of the five revered gurus in the Dadupanth tradition within Hinduism, the other four being Dadu, Kabir, Hardas and Ravidas. It is believed that his Abhangas were included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
• Namadeva is said to have travelled far and wide and engaged in discussions with Sufi saints at Delhi.

Sant Eknath (c. 1533 – 1599 CE)

• He was a scholar of Varkari sampradaya and Vaishnavism, the branch of Hinduism that is characterised by devotion to God Vishnu and his incarnations (avatars).
• He is known to have enriched Marathi literature and had translated various Sanskrit texts into Marathi.
• He also tried to shift the emphasis of Marathi literature from spiritual to narrative composition and introduced a new form of Marathi religious song called Bharood.
• He was a family man and emphasised that staying in monasteries or withdrawing from the world are not necessary for leading a religious life. He was known for resolving conflicts between householder duties and the demands of religious devotion.
• He was against caste distinctions and spread the message that there was no distinction in God’s eyes between Brahmin and outcaste or between Hindu and Muslim.

Tukaram (c. 1608 – 1650 CE)

• A 17th-century poet-saint who was a contemporary of Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj and saints like Eknath and Ramdas. His poetry was devoted to Vithoba or Vitthala, an avatar of the Hindu God, Vishnu.
• He is known for his Abangas (dohas) in Marathi which are a rich heritage of the Gatha – devotional poetry and was also responsible for creating a background for Maratha nationalism (Parmaratha).
• He laid emphasis on community-based worship with spiritual songs called Kirtans. He preached the virtue of piety, forgiveness and peace of mind.

Ramdas (c. 1608 – 1681 CE)

• He was a renowned spiritual Guru.
• He wrote Dasabhoda, a treatise on the Advaita Vedanta in the Marathi language which deals with a wide range of topics on the spiritual life, characteristics of Guru, the necessity of Guru, the qualifications of a true disciple, Maya, importance of spiritual disciplines, true and false knowledge, bhakti and liberation. His other works are Karunashtaken, Janasvabhavagosanvi and Manache Sloka.

Sikh Movement

The Sikh religion was founded by saint Guru Nanak in the medieval period. It started as a minor religion but developed into a prominent one over the centuries. The ten recognised living Gurus in the Nanak line were –

Guru Nanak (c. 1469 – 1539 CE)

• He was the founder of Sikhism. He was born in Talwandi near Lahore.
• He preached – God is supreme, all-powerful, formless, fearless, universal, self-existent, everlasting, creator of all things, the eternal and absolute truth. He rejected the authority of the Vedas.
• He was against casteism and rituals like bathing in holy water. He advocated equality of all human beings irrespective of caste, gender, etc. 
• He encouraged people to live a life of honesty, truth and kindness. He advised people to give up falsehood, selfishness and hypocrisy. He guided people to follow the principles of conduct and worship; sach (truth), halal (lawful earning), khair (wishing well for others), niyat (right intentions) and service to the Lord.
• His philosophy consists of three basic elements – a leading charismatic personality (the Guru), ideology (Shabad) and organisation (Sangat).
• He denounced idol worship and rejected the theory of incarnation.
• He introduced the concept of langar (community kitchen).
• He conceptualised God as Nirguna (attributeless) and Nirankar (formless).
• His main teachings can be summed up as:

• Faith in one true Lord.
• Worship of the name.
• The necessity of the Guru in the worship of the name.

Guru Angad (c. 1539 – 1552 CE)

• Guru Angad was born with the birth name of Bhai Lehna. 
• He standardised and popularised the Gurumukhi script of the Punjabi language.
• He made extensive efforts to spread the teachings of Guru Nanak far and wide. He established new religious institutions and also opened new schools. 
• He popularized and expanded the institution of Guru ka langar.
• He also established the tradition of Mall Akhara for physical as well as spiritual development. 

Guru Amar Das (c. 1552 – 1574 CE)

• He strengthened the langar community kitchen system.
• He divided his spiritual empire into 22 parts called Manjis, each under a Sikh, and also Piri system.
• He asked Akbar to abolish the pilgrims tax (toll tax) for non-Muslims while crossing Yamuna and Ganges rivers.
• He preached against the sati system of Hindu society, encouraged widow remarriage and asked the women to discard the purdah (veil worn by women).

Guru Ramdas (c. 1574 – 1581 CE)

• He composed the four Lawans (stanzas) of the Anand Karaj, a distinct marriage code for Sikhs separate from the orthodox and traditional Vedic system.
• The Mughal emperor Akbar granted him a plot of land where the Harmandir Sahib was later constructed.
• He laid the foundation stone of Chak Ramdas of Ramdas Pur, now called Amritsar.
• He strongly denounced superstitions, pilgrimages and the caste system.

Guru Arjun Dev (c. 1581 – 1606 CE)

• He compiled the Adi Granth, i.e.Guru Granth Sahib and installed it at Sri Harmandir Sahib.
• He completed the construction of Taran, Amritsar and Kartarpur.
• He is considered the first martyr of the Sikh religion as he was executed by Jahangir for helping his rebellious son, Khusrau. 

Guru Har Govind (c. 1606 – 1644 CE)

• He fought against rulers Jahangir and Shah Jahan and defeated a Mughal army at Sangrama.
• He was titled “Sachcha Padshah”.
• He transformed Sikhs into a militant community, established the Akal Takht and fortified Amritsar.
• He was the proprietor of the concept of miri and piri (keeping two knives).

Guru Har Rai (c. 1644 – 1661 CE)

• He gave shelter to Dara Shikoh, brother of Aurangzeb who was his rival to the throne, and thus was persecuted by Aurangzeb.

Guru Har Kishan (c. 1661 – 1664 CE)

• He became the youngest Guru in Sikhism who succeeded his father Guru Har Rai at the young age of five. According to tradition, he died at the age of eight due to smallpox, which he contracted while healing sick people during an epidemic.

Guru Tegh Bahadur (c. 1665 – 1675 CE)

• He appointed Banda Bahadur as the military leader of the Sikhs.
• He is credited with spreading Sikhism to Bihar and Assam.
• He was executed by Aurangzeb, as he revolted against him. He was beheaded before the public in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk in c. 1675 CE. The Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara stands at the site of his martyrdom today.

Guru Gobind Singh (c. 1675 – 1708 CE)

• Last Sikh Guru who was born in Patna and organised the Sikhs as community warriors and called them Khalsa in c. 1699 CE.
• Guru Gobind Singh started some practices which were to be followed by Sikhs in order to create a sense of unity among the Sikhs. These were: initiation through baptism by the double-edged sword, wearing uncut hair, carrying arms and adopting the epithet Singh as part of the name.
• He compiled the supplementary Granth of Deswan Padshan Ka Granth.
• He selected five persons known as the Panj Pyare (the five beloved), and requested them to administer the pahul (amrit chakha) to him.
• He passed the Guruship of the Sikhs to the Guru Granth Sahib. He died of complications from stab wounds inflicted by an Afghan, believed to have been sent by the Mughal governor, Wazir Khan.

Contribution of women in Bhakti Movement

• AkkaMahadevi: She was a poet of Kannada Language. She is known to have considered the god Shiva as her husband. Her mystical poems have notable contribution to Kannada literature.
• MeeraBai:MeeraBai a mystical poet and singer known for her songs of devotion to Lord Krishna. Mira is a symbol of a liberated woman who risked all to protect her independence, freedom, and love towards Krishna.
• Andal: A well-known South Indian poet and only female among 12 Alwars of TamilNadu.
• LalDed: The Muslim poetess from Kashmir Lalded&HabbaKhatun, represented the saint tradition of Bhakti and wrote Vakhs (maxims), which are peerless gems of spiritual experience.
• JanaBai:Janabai was influenced by teachings of Saint Namdev. Her poetry encompasses the discrimination faced by women &sudras. This awakens the sudras and women for their rights.

SUFI MOVEMENT:

• In beginning of 12 AD, some religious people in Persia turned to asceticism due to the increasing materialism of the Caliphate. They came to be called the ‘Sufis’.
• In India, Sufi movement began in 1300 A.D & came to South India in 15th century.
• Sufism is the mystical arm of Islam. Sufis represent the inner side of the Islam creed (tasawwuf).
• Sufism(tasawwuf) is the name given to mysticism in Islam.
• Sufi means wool: People who wear long woolen clothes were called as sufis.
• It was a liberal reform movement within Islam. It stressed the elements of love and devotion as an effective means of the realization of God.
• It is based on Pir-Murid (Teacher- student)
• Sufism sprang from the doctrine of Wahadut-ul-wajud (unity of being) propounded by Ibn-ul-Arabi [1165-1240 AD].
• Early Sufi saints – Rabia, Mansur bin hallal.
• Sufi orders are broadly divided in two : Ba-sara– Those followed Islamic law & Be-shara– who did followed Islamic law.
• In Sufism, self-discipline was considered an essential condition to gain knowledge of God. While orthodox Muslims emphasise external conduct, the Sufis lay stress on inner purity.
• Sufism entered in India between 11^thand 12^th  Al-Hujwari was first Sufis who settled in India and died in 1089 AD who is popularly known as Data Ganj Naksh (Distributor of unlimited treasure).
• Multan and Punjab were the early centre and later on, it spread to Kashmir, Bihar, Bengal and the Deccan.

THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SUFISM:

• Fana: Spiritual merger of devotee with Allah
• Insan-e-kamil: Perfect human with all good virtues,
• Zikr-tauba: remembrance of god all the time(zikr),
• Wahadatul-wazudi: one god for entire universe; unity of god and being.
• Sama: spiritual dance and music to promote their concepts, though music is un-Islamic.

THREE STAGES IN THE HISTORY OF SUFISM:

SUFISM AND MUSIC:

• Sufism encourages music as a way of deepening one’s relation with God, remembering God by zikr (reciting name) sama or performance of mystical music.
• Sufis too composed poems and a rich literature in prose, including anecdotes and fables, The most notable writer of this period was Amir Khusrau the follower of Nizamuddin Auliya.
• Sufi saints are credited with invention of sitar and tabla.
• It contributed to evolution of classical music. Khayal style owes a lot to sufism.
• Amir Khusro was disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya. He give unique form to sama.
• Khusrow is sometimes referred to as the “Parrot of India”. His songs are sung in several dargahs across the country. Khusrow is regarded as the “Father of Qawwali”.

IMPORTANT FEATURES:

• The Sufis rejected the elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars.
• They believed that God is ‘Mashuq‘ and Sufis are the ‘Ashiqs’.
• Sufism was divided into 12 orders (Silsila) and each under a mystic Sufi saint of which 4 most popular ones were Chistis, Suhrawardis, Qadiriyahs and Naqshbandis.
• Silsila is continuous link between Murshid (teacher) and Murid (student). They lived in Khanqah -hospice of worship.
• Names of Silsila were based on name of founding figure E.g. – Qadri Silsila based on name of Shaikh Abdul Qadri & Place of origin E.g. – Chishti (place in Afghanistan).
• Sufism took roots in both rural and urban areas and exercised a deep social, political and cultural influence on the masses.
• Sufism believes that devotionis more important than fast (Roza) or prayer (Namaz).
• Sufism discards caste system.
• Sufism has adapted extensively from the Vedanta school of the Hindu philosophy.
• The cardinal doctrines of the Sufism include: Complete surrender to the will of God; Annihilation of the self; Becoming a perfect person
• These three cardinal principles altogether make the Doctrine of Fana which means annihilation of human attributes through Union with God.
• In Sufism, a perfect being is also called a Wali (saint), a word that literally means ‘sincere friend’.

IMPORTANT SILISILA/ORDERS OF SUFIS:

Impact of Bhakti Movement

Social impact:

• Rejection of the caste distinction. People belonging to all “so called classes” began to mix together on the basis of equality.
• It led to the upliftment of people in the lower rungs of the society in fundamental ways.
• They took their meals together from the common kitchen. The movement tried to loosen the bond of caste.
• A spirit of harmony among different sections of society and religion received impetus.
• The evil practice of ‘Sati’ received some set back.
• The status of women got improved.

 Religious impact:

• The movement aroused awakening among the Hindus and Muslims regarding the futility of ritualism and superstitions.
• The feeling of appreciation of the difference between the thought and practices of the two religions emerged.
• The movement encouraged religious toleration.
• It gave birth to a new sect i.e. Sikhism.

 Impetus to Vernacular Languages

• In place of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian, the Bhakti saints preached through the medium of local languages which could be understood very easily.
• For instance Surdas used ‘Brij’ dialect. GoswamiTulsi Das composed his works in ‘Awadhi’.

 Moral influence

• The movement attempted to infuse a spirit of piety in the daily life of the people.
• It emphasized earning of wealth through hard work and honest means.
• It encouraged the value of social service to the poor and the needy.
• It developed a humanitarian attitude. It pointed out the virtues of contentment and self control.
• It drew attention to the evils of anger, greed and vanity.

Relevance of Bhakti Movement in today’s world

• Bhakti movement, which dates back to the 6th century, reshaped the cultural, social and religious life of India, breaking barriers of caste and gender and it continues to do so when India and the world is grappling with issues like:
  • Inter-communal Violence: Figures at 723 for the year 2017 (NCRB Report).Communal violence rose by 28% from 2014 to 2017.
  • Intolerance :India ranks fourth highest in terms of social hostilities against religion (PEW Report)
  • Inequality: The top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national wealth- Oxfam Report.
  • Casteism
• Top 10% upper caste households own 60% wealth – World Inequality Database.
• According to a report by Human Rights Watch: Discriminatory and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of over 165 million people in India has been justified on the basis of caste.
• Nine states accounted for 84% of all crimes against Dalits in India in 2019 though they accounted for only 54% of the country’s SC population–National Crime Records Bureau.
  • Status of women:
• India’s female labour force participation rate stands distressingly low at 23.4 per cent (2019) as per the World Bank (modelled ILO estimates)
• The crime rate registered per lakh women population is 62.4 per cent in 2019, up from the 58.8 per cent figure of 2018- NCRB
• India ranked 108^th out of 149 countries on Gender Gap Index by World Economic Forum.

Source:

Best source to read about Bhakti Movement is book by Poonam Dalal-Dahiya

 

 

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