DEVOTIONAL PATHS TO THE DIVINE

 

CLASS-VII                    HISTORY

CHAPTER: 8   DEVOTIONAL PATHS TO THE DIVINE

IDEA OF SUPREME GOD

•        Before large kingdoms- idea was about small kingdoms and individual gods and goddess

•        Focus on birth and re-birth

•        All human beings are equal at birth

•        Social privilege came from birth in noble family and high caste

•        Some turned to Buddha and Jaina teachings

•        Others bounded to bhakti (Shiva, Vishnu or Durga) and some followed Bhagvadgita

•        Methods of worship recommended in puranas were introduced into the local cults

•        Bhakti was adopted by Buddhists and Jainas

 

BHAKTI IN SOUTH INDIA

•        7^th -9^th century- Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu ) who came from all castes including ‘ untouchable’ like Pulaiyar and Panars worship the god

•        They were critics of Buddhists and Jainas

•        Based on ideas of love and heroism in Sangam Literature (earliest or the first Tamil Literature)

•        63 Nayanars castes- untouchables and different castes- Appar, Sambandar, Sundaror and Manikkavasagar. 2 sects of complications of their songs- Tevaram and Tiruvacakam

•        12 Alvars groups from equally divergent backgrounds best were Periyallvar, his daughter Andal, TondaradiPoddi complied in the DivyaProbandham

•        10^th-12^th century- Chola and Pandya kingdoms had their own temples, poems and bhakti traditions – hagiographies (writtings of saints lives) or religious biographies of the Alvars and Nayanars were composed

SHANKAR

•        Philosophers of Kerala in 8^th century

•        Advocate of Advaita or doctrine of oneness of the individual soul and the supreme god which is ultimate reality.

•        Considered world as illusion or maya

•        Preached renunciation of world or adoption of path of knowledge to understand Brahman and attain salvation

RAMANUJA

•        Born in Tamil Nadu in 11^th century

•        Influenced by Alvars- devetee of Vishnus

•        Propunded doctrine of vishishtad viator or qualified oneness in that soul even when united with supreme god remained distinct

•        Inspired bhakti in north India

VIRASHAIVA MOVEMENT

•        Initiated by Basavanna and his companions like AllamaPrabhu and Akkamahadevi

•        Connection between Tamil bhakti movements and temple worship

•        It began in Karnataka in the mid-12^th century

•        Equality of human beings

•        Against Brahmanical ideas of caste

•        Against rituals and idol worship

SAINTS OF MAHARASHTRA

•        13^th -17^th century- saints wrote in simple Marathi

•        Janeshwar, namadev, Ekanath and Tukaram (wrote Abhang- Marathi devotional hymns)

•        Sakkubai and Chokhamela (women) – untouchable-Mahar caste

•        Focused on Vitthala ( a form of Vishnu) temple in Pandharpur

•        Rejected ritualism and outward display of piety and social differences based on birth

•        Rejected on ideas of renunciation and preferred to live with their families

SHARING OTHERS PAIN

•        Gujurati saints-  Narsi Mehta- Vaishnavas who understand the pain of others

NATHAPANTHIS, SIDDHAS AND YOGIS

•        Critized conventional religion and social order

•        Advocated renunciation of the world

•        For salvation lay in meditation on the formless ultimate reality and realization of oneness with it

•        Training mind and body by yogasanas, breathing exercise and meditation to achieve salvation

ISLAM AND SUFISM

•        Saints had common with Sufis (Muslim Mystics)

•        Rejected religiosity

•        Emphasized love, devotion and compassion

•        Strict monotheism or submission to one God

•        Rejected idol worship

•        Developed holy law known as Shariat

•        Rejected elaborate ritulas

•        Composed poems and had rich literature

•        Great Sufis of Central Asia were Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi

TRAINING THE HEART

Zikr (chanting of a name or sacred formula), contemplation, sama (singing) raqs (dancing), discussion of parables, breath control etc. under guidance of Pir.

•        SILSILAS: Genealogy of Sufi teachers, each following a slightly different method (tariqa) of instruction and ritual practice.

•        Sufi centres developed in India under Delhi Sulatanates

•        ChishtiSilsila: most influential orders

•        Teachers like KhwajaMuinuddinChisti of Ajmer, QutbuddinBakhtiar Kaki of Delhi, Baba Farid of Punjab, KhwajaNizamuddinAulaiya of Delhi and BandanwazGisudaraz of Gulbarga

•        Assemblies were held in Khanqahs or hospices – spirituals matters, blessings of saints, music and dance were part of it

•        Sufi saints have miraculous powers that could relieve others of their illness and troubles

•        Tomb or Dargah of a Sufi saint considered as  place of pilgrimage

•        Jalauddin Rumi was a 13^th century sufi poet from Iran who wrote in Persian

RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT IN NORTH INDIA

•        Kabir and Baba Guru Nanak rejected all orthodox religions

•        Tulsi Das and Sur Das accepted existing beliefs but wanted to make these accessible to all

•        Tulsi Das- Wrote RamacharitManas in Awadhi (language of eastern UP) Rama devotee

•        Sur Das- Krishna devotee- wrote Sursagara, Sura-Saravali and SahityaLahari

•        Shankar Deva- Vishnu devotee- Assam- he established namagharas or houses of recitation and prayer

•        Mirabai- Rajput Princess married family of Mewar in 16^th century- disciple of Ravidas (untouchable)- Krishna devotee- Challanged norms of upper caste and got popular in Rajasthan and Gujurat- mainly works were in regionlal language and oral

•        Kabir- brought up in family of Muslim Julahas or weavers settled in or near the city of Varanasi- collection of verses called sakhis and pads – later preserved in Guru Grantha Sahib, PanchVani and Bijak, ridiculed external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam, pre- eminence of priestly classes and caste system and believed in formless Supreme God

DEVELOPMENT OF SHIKHISM

•        Baba Guru Nanak- Borned in Talwandi (Nankana sahib I Pakistan), he established centre at Kartarpur (Dera Baba Nanak on Ravi River), followers ate in common kitchen- langar, created sacred space- dharmasal (Gurudwara), before his death in 1539- appointed Lehna (Guru Angad)

•        Guru Angad- complied Guru Nanak’s work, added his own language Gurumukhi

•        Guru Arjun in 1604- 3 successors of Guru Angad wrote under the name of Nanak and all of their compositions were complied

•        Guru Gobind Singh- added writings of Shaikh Farid, SantKabir, BhagatNamadev and Guru Tegh Bahadur. In  1706, he compiled it as Guru Granth Sahib

•        Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple)- 17^th century – in town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar)- as state within a state. He ordered execution of Guru Arjun in 1606

•        Sikh Movement got politicized in 17^th century- culminated in the institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699

•        Community of the Sikhs, called the KhalsaPanth, became a political entity

IDEAS OF GURU NANAK

•        Worship of one god

•        Caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation

•        Idea of active life with social commitment

•        Used terms nam, dan and insan for the essence of his teaching, which meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct

•        Teachings known as nam- japna, kirt- karna and vand- chhakna, which explain right belief and worship, honest living and helping others

MARTIN LUTHER AND REFORMATION

•        16^th century- reform in Europe

•        Against Roman Catholic church

•        Insisted use of language of ordinary people rather than Latin

•        Translated Bible to German language

•        Opposed practice of indulgences or donations to church

•        Spread with growing use of printing press

•        Protestants suggest there origin to ideas of Martin Luther

 

 

THE END