Causes For The Birth of Bhakti Movement
Causes For The Birth of Bhakti Movement
Causes For The Birth of Bhakti Movement
Prior to the coming of Islam to India, Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism were the dominant
religions. Hinduism lost its simplicity. Many philosophical schools appeared. Two different
sects, i.e., Vaishnavism and Saivism also appeared within Hinduism. In course of time Sakti
worship also came into existence. Common people were confused on the way of worshipping
God. When Islam came to India, the Hindus observed many ceremonies and worshipped
many Gods and Goddesses. There were all sorts of superstitious beliefs among them. Their
religion had become complex in nature. Added to these, the caste system, untouchability,
blind worshipping and inequality in society caused dissensions among different sections of
the people. On the other hand Islam preached unity of God and brotherhood of man. It
emphasised monotheism. It attacked idol worship. It preached equality of man before God.
The oppressed common people and the people branded as low castes were naturally
attracted towards Islam. It only increased the rivalry among religions. Fanaticism, bigotry,
and religious intolerance began to raise their heads. It was to remove such evils, religious
leaders appeared in different parts of India. They preached pure devotion called Bhakti to
attain God.
Bhakti means personal devotion to God. It stresses the Union of the individual with God.
Bhakti movement originated in South India between the 7th and the 12th centuries A..D.
The Nayanmars, who worshipped Siva, and the Alwars, who worshipped Vishnu, preached
the idea of Bhakti. They carried their message of love and devotion to various parts of
South India through the medium of the local language. They preached among common
people. It made some of the followers of the Vedic faith to revive the old Vedic religion.
Saints like Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhwa gave their concepts of God and the individual
soul.
The Bhakti movement in North India gained momentum due to the Muslim conquest. The
saints of the Bhakti Movement were men and women of humble origin. They came from all
castes and classes. They had visited from place to place singing devotional songs. They had
also preached the Unity of God and brotherhood of man. They had stressed tolerance
among various religious groups. Their preaching was simple.
The main principles of Bhakti movement were : (1) God is one, (2) To worship God man
should serve humanity, (3) All men are equal, (4) Worshipping God with devotion is better
than performing religious ceremonies and going on pilgrimages, and (5) Caste distinctions
and superstitious practices are to be given up. The Hindu saints of the Bhakti Movement and
the Muslim saints of the Sufi movement became more liberal in their outlook. They wanted
to get rid of the evils which had crept into their religions. There were a number of such
saints from the 8th to 16th century A.D. We shall deal with some of them here.
Ramanuja : Ramanuja was one of the earliest reformers. Born in the South, he made a
pilgrimage to some of the holy places in Northern India. He considered God as an Ocean of
Love and beauty. His teachings were based on the Upanishads and Bhagwad Gita. Whatever
he taught, he had taught in the language of the common man. Soon a large number of
people became his followers. Ramanand was his disciple. He took his message to Northern
parts of India.
Ramananda : Ramananda was the first reformer to preach in Hindi, the main language
spoken by the people of the North. He was educated at Benaras. He preached that there is
nothing high or low. All 109 men are equal in the eyes of God. He was an ardent worshipper
of Rama. He welcomed people of all castes and status to follow his teachings. He had twelve
chief disciples. One of them was a barber, another was a weaver, the third one was a
cobbler and the other was the famous saint Kabir and the fifth one was a woman named
Padmavathi. He considered God as a loving father. He lived in the 14th century A.D.
Kabir : Kabir was an ardent disciple of Ramananda. It is said that he was the son of a
Brahmin widow who had left him near a tank at Varanasi. A Muslim couple Niru and his wife
who were weavers brought up the child. Later he became a weaver but he was attracted by
the teachings of Swami Ramananda. He wanted unity between the Hindus and the Muslims.
He preached that both the Hindus and the Muslims are the children of a single God. He had
no faith in idol worship, religious rituals and ceremonies. He taught that Allah and Eswar,
Ram and Rahim are one and the same. They are present everywhere. The devotees of Kabir
were known as Kabir Panthis. What Kabir said about God? I am neither in temple nor in
Mosque, neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash; I am not in any ritual or rite nor in yoga or in
renunciation; If thou be a true seeker, thou shall find me in a moment.
He also said : To the East is Hari, to the West Allah’s abode, search thy heart, within the
inner core, Ram and Rahim live there. Thousands of people, both Hindus and Muslims
became Kabir’s followers. He probably lived in the fifteenth century A.D. Namdeva :
Namdeva was a waterman by birth. He hailed from Maharashtra. He composed beautiful
hymns in Marathi. They are full of intense devotion to God. He worshipped Vishnu in the
form of Lord Vithoba. Some of his verses are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy
book of the Sikhs. A large number of people from different castes became his followers.
Guru Nanak. (A.D.1469 - A.D.1538): Guru Nanak was the founder of the Sikh religion.
From his childhood, he did not show any interest in worldly affairs. At the age of 29, he left
his home and became a Sadhu. He went to Mecca and Medina. He had travelled far and
wide to spread his teachings. Guru Nanak had finally settled at Karthpur. He laid emphasis
on pure and simple living. He preached the Unity of God and condemned idolatry. He was
against the caste system. Guru Nanak’s followers are called the Sikhs. He started the
Langer or the common kitchen, where people belonging to all castes or religions could have
their meals together. Nanak’s teachings were in the form of verses. They were collected in a
book called the Adi Granth. Later Adi Grantham was written in a script called Gurmukhi. The
holy book of the Sikhs is popularly known as ‘Grantha Sahib’. It contains verses from Kabir,
Namdeva and other Bhakti and Sufi saints.
Meerabai : Meerabai was a Rajput princess. She married the Rana of Mewar. She was a
pious devotee of Lord Krishna. She has written many songs in praise of Krishna, her
favourite God, in Rajastani. Her songs or hymns are even today sung all over India. Her
palace was kept open to people of all castes to join her Bhajans of Lord Krishna. She had
visited all places connected with the life of Lord Krishna. She had lived for the most part of
her life in Mathura, the birth place of Krishna and Vrindaban. There is a temple dedicated to
Meerabai in Chittor, the capital of Mewar.
Guru Ramdas : Ramdas was a famous teacher. He was born in A.D. 1608. Chatrapati
Shivaji, the great Maratha ruler, was a follower of Ramdas. He stressed upon the equality of
all men before God. He said that anyone could attain God’s favour by means of Bhakti. Guru
Ramdas was not merely a religious preacher but also a Nation Builder.
Tukaram : Tukaram was a saint who lived in Maharashtra. He composed a large number of
verses called Abhangas or devotional songs in praise of Panduranga or Krishna. He believed
in one God who was kind, merciful and protective. He wrote all his abhangas in Marathi.
Nayanmars : In South India, the Nayanmars and Alwars were the noted saints of the
Bhakti movement. The Nayanmars, the devotees of Siva, were sixty three in number. The
most famous among them were Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnana Sambandar and
Manickavachakar. These saints composed many verses in praise of Lord Siva. A saint named
Nambiandar Nambi collected the devotional songs of Nayanmars. Appar, Sundarar and
Thirugnana Sambandar composed the Thevaram hymns. Manickvachakar’s songs are known
as Tiruvachakam. Periyapuranam, written by Sekhizhar, tells us the life stories of the
Nayanmars.
Alwars : The Alwars were the worshippers of Lord Vishnu who were twelve in number.
Among them Nammalwar, Tirumangai Alwar, Andal and Perialwar were famous. The songs
of the Alwars were compiled in a book called Nalayira Divya Prabandham by Nadamuni. The
devotional songs of Andal is called Thiruppavai. Thirupavai songs are famous in Tamilnadu.
These songs are even now sung during the Tamil month of margazhi (December - January).
Basava : Basava lived in Karnataka. He founded the Virasaiva or Lingayat sect. According
to Basava, Siva was the supreme God. Basava opposed child marriage and idol worship.
SUFI MOVEMENT
The Sufis were Muslim saints who came originally from Persian and Arabian countries. They
stayed in India in the 11th century A.D. They were progressive thinkers who led a simple
life. They strictly followed the principles of the Holy Koran. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism
influenced the Sufi saints. The Bhakti movement motivated the Sufi saints to work for Hindu
- Muslim Unity. The Sufi movement promoted friendship between the Hindus and the
Muslims. They believed that God is present everywhere. Man could realise God through
meditation and fasting. The two separate groups among the 113 Sufis were the Chishti and
the Suharwardi. Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti started the Chishti group in India. Baba Farid and
Nizamuddin Auliya were other great Sufi saints. Shaikh Shihabuddin Suharwardi and
Hamiduddin Nagori were Sufi saints of Suharwardi groups.
The Bhakti movement had brought the Hindus and the Muslims closer to each other. The
equality concept preached by the leaders reduced the rigidity of the caste system to a
certain extent. The suppressed people gained a feeling of self-respect. The reformers
preached in local languages. It led to the development of Vernacular literature. They
composed hymns and songs in the languages spoken by the people. Therefore there was a
remarkable growth of literature in all the languages. A new language Urdu, a mixture of
Persian and Hindi, was developed. The Bhakti movement freed the common people from the
tyranny of the priests. It checked the excesses of polytheism. It encouraged the spirit of
toleration. The gap between the Hindus and the Muslims was reduced. They began to live
amicably together. It emphasised the value of a pure life of charity and devotion. Finally, it
improved the moral and spiritual ways of life of the medieval society. It provided an
example for the future generation to live with the spirit of toleration.
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This movement received great encouragement because the people,
who were completely cut off from the political and cultural activities,
found a solace in pursuing things pertaining to the other world.
During the first period of Bhakti movement which ended with the
coming of the Islam the religion of the Hindus remained a blending of
the two different tendencies, the pantheism of the intellectuals and the
deistic polytheism of the masses in As a result of contact with Islam
the deistic tendencies of Hinduism ended in monotheism because of
Islam’s belief in the unity of God.
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(3) To escape the wrath of rigid caste system a large number of low-
caste Hindus were adopting Islam. The saints and reformers through
Bhakti movement reduced the rigours of caste-system and through
paved the way for their retention in the fold of Hinduism.
(4) A large number of temples and idols of the Hindus had been
destroyed by the Muslims and the people had to resort to Bhakti
movement.
(6) According to certain well known scholars like Dr. Tara Chand,
Ahmed Nizami and Dr. Quareshi, the Bhakti movement was largely an
outcome of the Muslim impact on Indian society. This opinion is not
fully correct and at the most contains a partial truth.