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Sufi and Bhakti Movements

Points of Discussion
● Bhakti Movement
⮚ Development in South India
⮚ Features
⮚ Philosophical Schools
● Development of Bhakti Movement in North India
● The Vaishnavite Movement
● Bhakti saints
● Sufi Movement
⮚ Sufism in India
⮚ Silsilahs
⮚ Importance of Sufi Movement

Bhakti Movement

Development in South India

● The development of Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between 7th and 12th CE.
● 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 worshipped and worshipper.

Features

● Discarded rituals and sacrifices

● The emphasized purity of heart and mind, humanism and devotion
● Monotheistic in nature
● God has either Saguna or Nirguna form
● An egalitarian movement, they denounced casteism
● These saints preached in local languages
● They rejected the austerities preached by Jainism and Buddhism. These religions saw a
decline in their growth due to Bhakti movement
● Social reforms:
1. Disregarded caste system
2. Attacked institutionalized religion, Brahminical dominance, idol worship, methods
of elaborate rituals etc
3. Opposed Sati and female infanticide
4. Women were encouraged to join Kirtans
5. They aimed at bridging the gulf between Hindus and Muslims
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Philosophical schools

Philosophy Founder

Vishishtadvaita Ramanuja

Dvaitadvaita / Bhedabhed Nimbarka

Dvaita Madhava

Shudadvaita Vishnu swami

Advaita (non-dualism) Sankaracharya

Significant Facts

● Appar, Sambandar, Sundaramurti, and Manikkavasagar were prominent Nayanars. The

hymns of the first three are mentioned in Thiruvasagam was written by Manikkavasagar.
● Tirumurais is the collection of works of Nayanars which is called as the fifth Veda.
● Andal was a women Alvar saint. There were 12 Alvars and 63 Nayanars. Periyapuranam
by Shekkihzar traces the life history of Nayanars
● Divya Prabhandam was the collection of hymns by Alvars

Development of Bhakti movement in North India

● The saints wrote in local languages, Tamil and Telugu and were, therefore, able to reach
out to many people. They also translated Sanskrit works in local languages. Few saints are
1. Jnanadeva – Marathi
2. Kabirdas, Surdas, Tulsi das – Hindi
3. Shankaradeva - Assamese
4. Chaitanya and Chandidas - Bengali
● Sanskrit, which was prevalent in the north, was given a new form as the movement moved
to North. Bhagavata Purana was a significant work in 9th century and an important
component of Bhakti movement
● Kabir, Namdev and Guru Nanak had preached devotion to a Nirankar form of god. The
followers of Guru Nanak identify themselves as Sikhs.

The Vaishnavite movement

● Devotion on Sakar form of god. Rama and Krishna were seen as avatars of Lord Vishnu.
The main exponents were Surdas, Mirabai, Tulsidas and Chaitanya who espoused the path
of salvation through the medium of Poetry, songs, dance, and kirtans.

Sursagar by Surdas, Ramacharitmanas by Tulsidas were important works during this period.
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Bhakti Saints

Life and Teaching of Shri Chaitanya:-

● The greatest saint of the Bhakti movement was Shri Chaitanya, popularly known as
Gouranga Mahaprabhu. He was born in 1486 A.D. at Navadweep in West Bengal in a
Brahmin family.

● His childhood name was Nimai or Biswambhar Mishra. He was a promising student and
mastered all branches of Sanskrit learning.

● At the age of twenty two he came in contact with a saint named Ishwar Puri at Gaya who
initiated him with hymns of Lord Krishna. Nimai now became a devout worshipper of
Krishna. In 1510, at the age of twenty four, he renounced the world and became a sanyasi.
His name was changed from Nimai to Shri Chaitanya and went on pilgrimage to various
places like Dwarka, Vrindavan and Mathura. In 1516 he came to Puri and spent the last
part of his life here till his death in 1533 A.D.
Teachings of Shri Chaitanya:
● Chaitanya’s teachings centred round ‘love’ – from intense human love to divine love. He
opened the doors of divine love to all by chanting and singing the glories of Krishna in the
form of Kirtans. Kirtan is not merely a religious song, but a feeling of ecstasy emanating
from love and devotion, accompanied by singing and dancing of the highest spiritual order
when one can feel the presence of Almighty.

● for him, God was Krishna or Hari who would be pleased only by intense love and devotion
of the devotee. He advises his followers to

● Listen to the recitation of God’s name

● Recollect His kindness

● Bow to Him and worship Him

● Do what He wills as a servant

● Believe Him as a friend

● Then dedicate yourself to Him.

● This surrender is unconditional (Nishkama).

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Chaitanya’s exposition of Rasalila is one of his most profound contributions to Indian philosophy.
Chaitanya was a champion of social liberation. He denounced caste system and stood for the
universal brotherhood of man. At the same time he was very much opposed to the domination
of the priestly class and superfluous rituals and ceremonies. It was due to his attitude of social
liberation that people of socially oppressed classes became his disciples. Indeed, one of his most
favourite disciples was a Muslim named Haridas.
Life and Teaching Kabir
● Kabir was one of the chief exponents of the Bhakti movement in the medieval period. His
early life is shrouded in mystery.

● According to a prevailing legend he was the son of a Brahmin widow who had left him by
the side of a tank in Benares.

● A Muslim weaver Niru and his wife Nima picked up the baby and brought him up.

● they could not provide him with formal education. But from his childhood Kabir had a
spiritual bent of mind. Then in later years he became the disciple of a great saint named
Ramananda in Uttar Pradesh. He followed the profession of his foster father and led a
family life after his marriage to a lady named Loi.

● In spite of this, his deep interest in religious affairs attracted many people. Gradually the
number of his disciples increased. Both Hindus and Muslims became his followers who
were later known as Kabirpanthis. His oral sermons were anthologized into a book by his
disciples name Vijak. Kabir composed simple hymns in Hindi in the honour Almighty and
these hymns called doha became extremely popular because of their lyrical beauty and
simplicity of ideas.

Teachings of Kabir:
● Kabir spent much of his time in the company of Hindu ascetics, saints and Muslim sufis.
So he imbibed the tenets of both the religions and realized the best of both. Allah and
Ram were but names of the same God. He was to be found neither in temples nor in
mosques, neither in Benares nor in Mecca but only in the heart of a true devotee.

● Kabir deliberately abandoned the two faiths and taught a middle path. He spread the
simplest message of love and fraternity among all. Presence of a single God was the
central point of his teachings. God is unlimited, endless, pure, omniscient and
omnipotent. For the realisation of God one must take the help of a guru or a teacher who
will show the right path. Kabir told his followers to consider the teacher as Govind (God).
This guru alone can lead the disciple to the light of knowledge emanating from God.

● And the only path to attain God is the path of Bhakti or devotion. With pure thoughts and
a pure heart one can devote himself towards God. No formal rites or rituals are required.
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However, the devotee should surrender himself completely at the feet of God to receive
His blessings.

● Kabir did not believe in idol worship nor did he believe in caste system. Reacting to the
authority of the Vedas and the Quran he put emphasis on the inner virtues of man. For
him the love for human race, irrespective of caste, colour or creed, was the true religion.

● He appealed to the Hindus to give up rituals, sacrifices, lip-worship and caste differences
and openly denounced the concept of incarnations. He appealed to the Muslims to give
up their exclusiveness, their blind faith in one prophet, their performance of rites like
pilgrimage to Mecca, their regulated prayers and mode of fasting etc.

● Kabir did not establish any separate religious sect. Both Hindus and Muslims were his
followers and came to be known as Kabirpanthis. His views and teachings, challenged and
rejected by the upper castes, were largely accepted by the lower strata of the society and
later on some of his hymns were incorporated in the Adi-granth of the Sikhs.

Bhakti saints of Maharashtra Dharma

● Jnanadeva – founder of Bhakti movement in Maharashtra; bhavarthadipka – Marathi

commentary of Bhagavad Gita
● Namadeva – founder of the Vithoba or Vithal cult which was known as Varkari sect
● Eknath – Wrote Bhavartha Ramayana – commentary on Ramayana
● Tukaram – Wrote devotional poetry known as Abhangas
● Ramdas – Dasabodha – Compilation of his writings and sermons

Sufi Movement

The origins of Sufi movement can be traced to Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD) who
belonged to the Ashari school which reconciled orthodoxy with mysticism and led a sufi life. His
influence led to the setup of Madrasas (schools) and Ulemas (scholars).

Sufis

● The Sufis were mystics

● They opposed the degeneration of religion, vulgar display of wealth, orthodoxy etc.
● They emphasized free thoughts and liberal ideas
● They were against formal worship, rigidity, and fanaticism in religion
● They practiced meditation. They interpreted religion as ‘love of god’ and service to
humanity. Sufis absorbed various ideas and practices from Hinduism, Christianity,
Buddhism etc.
● They worked towards Hindu-Muslim unity and cultural synthesis
● The Sufis were divided into different Silsilahs (orders) with each silsilah having its own Pir
(guide) called Khwaja or Sheikh. The Pir and his disciples lived in a Khanqah (hospice). A
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Pir nominated a successor or Wali from his disciples to carry on his work. The Sufis
organized Samas (a recital of holy songs) to arouse mystical ecstasy

Sufism in India

● The Sufis came to India via Afghanistan. In the beginning, the main centers were Punjab
and Multan which later spread to Kashmir, Bihar, Bengal, and Deccan.

Abu Fazl in Ain-i-Akbari speaks of fourteen silsilahs. They were divided into

1. Ba-shara: Orders which followed the Shariat and its directives such as Namaz and Roza.
Chief of them are Chisthi, Suhrawadi, Firdwasi, Qadiri and Naqshbandi
2. Be-shara: They were not bound by Shariat. The Qalandars belonged to this group

Silsilahs

● The Chishti Silsilah: Founded by Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti who made Ajmer as the center
of learning. His disciples were Sheik Hamiduddin and Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Baba
Farid, the disciple of Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya made Delhi as an important center. Sheik
Nasiruddin Mahmud, famously called Nasiruddin Chirag-i-Dilli was also the famous Chisthi
saint
● The Suhrawadi Silsilah: founded by Sheik Shihabuddin Suhrawadi, it was established by
Sheik Bahauddin Zakariya in India. He set up Khanaqa at Multan and received the title
Shaikhul Islam.

● NAQSHABANDI SILSILAH: Established in India by Bahauddin Naqshabandi and

propagated by Sheikh Baqi Billah and Sheikh Ahmad Sarhindi. It Stressed to observe
SUNNAT and to denounce BIDDAT. It Opposed ‘sama’ and ‘Ziyarat’ and liberal policies of
Akbar and declared the relation of god and man as of master and slave.

● QADIRIYAH SILSILAH: -Initiated in Punjab during Mughal rule by Sheikh Abdul

Qadir.Propagated by his sons Sheikh Niamatullah, maqdoom Mohammad Gilani and
Miyan Mir. Associated with Jahanara and Darashikoh. Believed in Wahadat-al-wazud and
dismissed orthodoxy.

● Shattari : - Founded by sheikh shirajuddin Abdullah shatter.The saints of this order sought
to synthesize Indian and Muslim mystical thoughts and practices. Some of them learnt
Sanskrit to be familiar with the Hindu religious thought.

● Raushaniyah: - founded by Ansari, a native of Jalandhar, during the sixteenth century. He

inspired his followers with the idea of ascetic self-denial. As their activities disturbed
peace in the Kabul-Indus region, they often came into conflict with the Mughal emperors.
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Importance of Sufi movement

● The Sufis believed in the concept of Wahdat-ul-Wajud (Unity of Being)

● The hatha-yoga treatise Amrita Kunda was translated into Arabic and Persian.
● The Sufi saints maintained close contact with the common people
● The Sufi saints were poets who chose to write in local languages. Amir khusrau wrote in
Hindi and developed a new style of sabaq-i-hindi.
● The liberal views of Sufis influenced the Din-i-Illahi of Akbar

Thus, we see that Sufi and Bhakti movements created a new spirit in the religious life and took
on social reforms in creating an egalitarian society. They worked for the poor and downtrodden
and believed in the personal devotion as a tool to experience god.