Theme : Salient features of the Indian society, Diversity of India etc
Paper:GS - 1
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Context
- Bhakti Movement
- Rise of Bhakti Movement
- Importance of the Bhakti Poets
- Road Ahead
Context : India at 100 should be confident, joyous and secure in its composite cultural identity.
Bhakti Movement :
- The development of the Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between the seventh and twelfth centuries.
- Nayanars and Alvars: It was reflected in the emotional poems of the Nayanars (devotees of Shiva) and Alvars (devotees of Vishnu).
- These saints looked upon religion not as a cold formal worship but as a loving bond based upon love between the worshiped and worshiper.
- In the 9th century Shankaracharya spread over all parts of India.
- Other important Bhakti Saints: Kabir, Nanak and Shri Chaitanya.
Rise of Bhakti Movement :
- Evils in the Hindu Society like caste system, irrelevant rituals and religious practices etc
- Complexity of religion: The high philosophy of the Vedas and Upanishads were very complicated.
- Challenge from Rival Religion: the impact of the Muslim rule and Islam.
- Influence of Sufism: The Sufi saints of the Muslim community also inspired the movement.
Importance of the Bhakti Poets :
- They are proud upstarts(risen suddenly in rank or importance), not card-carrying gatekeepers
- Their spirituality is based on achievement, not ascription
- They hail from varied caste, class, gender, language and sectarian backgrounds: reminding us of the plural aspects of our spiritual genealogy.
- They remind us of the power of the reclaimed heart and the examined life.
- They make us aware that all darkness can be transformed by the act of acknowledgement and inclusion.
- Their finest poems do not present easy hierarchies between flesh and spirit.
- Basavanna: body is “the moving temple” and Chandidas: , “man is the greatest truth of all”.
- Janabai: “I eat god, I drink god, I sleep on god”, while Soyarabai: divine is not bloodless: “If menstrual blood makes me impure/ tell me who was not born of that blood”.
- They are not meek worshipers; they are radical improvisers who question every hierarchy.
- Nothing is taboo, nothing sacrilegious: because the underlying premise is simple.The self and the other cannot be kept apart.
Road Ahead :
- This makes them inspirational for any culture seeking to heal its wounds and move forward, without getting mired in rage or recrimination.
- Bhakti poets: Collectively, they offer us a less divided gaze, reminding us that we are dual citizens of earth and sky, body and mind, the immanent and the transcendent.
- The bhaktas’ rage stems from love, not ridicule: Even while they disagree with their gods, they never stop loving them.
- For the bhakti poet, there is no “versus”, because there is no “them: There is no outsider, no adversary, because there is, indeed, no “other”.
- India should offer the world its radiant template of spiritual freedom and cultural democracy that holds colliding perspectives in harmony.
FAQs :
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When did the Development of Bhakti Movement take place ?
ANS. The development of the Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between the seventh and twelfth centuries.
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What is the Importance of the Bhakti Poets ?
ANS.
- Their spirituality is based on achievement, not ascription
- They hail from varied caste, class, gender, language and sectarian backgrounds: reminding us of the plural aspects of our spiritual genealogy.
- They remind us of the power of the reclaimed heart and the examined life.