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The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ) PDF Download
- The Medieval period is considered as an age of great cultural synthesis in India and during this period a new phase of cultural development was initiated.
- The Turks and Mughals introduced fresh ideas and helped in giving rise to new features in the areas of religion, philosophy and ideas.
- The synthesis between different cultures gave birth to new philosophical and religious traditions, ideas.
The Bhakti Movement
- Bhakti means personal devotion to God. It stresses the unity of the individual with God.
- Bhakti movement originated in South India between the 7th and the 12thcenturies AD.
- The Nayanmars, who worshipped Siva, and the Alwars, who worshipped Vishnu, preached the idea of Bhakti.
- Saints like Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhwa gave their concepts of God and the individual soul.
- Teachings of Ramanuja were based on the Upanishads and Bhagwad
- Ramananda was a disciple of Ramanuja. He was the first reformer to preach in Hindi.
- Kabir was an ardent disciple of 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.
- The devotees of Kabir were known as Kabir Panthis.
- Namdeva was a waterman by birth. He composed beautiful hymns in Marathi.
- Nanak was the founder of the Sikh religion.
- 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.
- Chaitanya, a great devotee of Lord Krishna, was a saint from Bengal.
- Meerabai was a Rajput princess. She married the Rana of Mewar. She was a pious devotee of Lord Krishna.
- Chatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha ruler, was a follower of Ramdas.
- Tukaram was a saint who lived in Maharashtra. He composed a large number of verses called Abhyanga.
- Tulsidas composed the famous Ramcharitamanas in Hindi, expounding the various aspects of Hindu dharma.s
- Surdas was a devotee of Lord Krishna and Radha. His works include Sursagar, Sahitya Ratna and Sur Sarawali.
- Dadu Dayal was a disciple of Kabir. His followers were known as Dadu Panthis.
- Eknath was a devotee of Vithoba. He wrote a commentary on verses of the Bhagavad Gita.
- They aimed at bridging the gulf between Hindus and Muslims
- Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a devotee of Shiva, adopted the path of extreme asceticism in order to attain her goal.
Important leaders of the Bhakti Movement
Namadeva and Ramananda (Maharashtra and Allahabad)
- Both of them taught the concept of bhakti to all the four varnas and disregarded the ban on people of different castes cooking together and sharing meals.
Sankara
- A Hindu revivalist movement giving a new placement to Hinduism was started by Sankara.
- His doctrine of Monoism or Advaita was too abstract to appeal to the common people.
Ramanuja
- He preached Visishtadvaita in the12th century.
- According to him, God is Sagunabrahman.
- He encouraged Prabattimarga or path of self-surrender to God.
Nimbarka and Vallabhacharya
- Profound of Shuddha Adwaitha or pure non-duality.
- Nimbarka and Vallabhacharya were also other preachers of Vaishnavite Bhakti in the Telangana region
Nimbakacharya
- Founder of the Radha-Krishna cult.
- He expressed this relation to substantiate the importance of marriage.
- It was also used as an example of God’s love to the people.
Surdas
- He was the disciple of Vallabhacharya.
- He popularized Krishna cult in the Northern part of India.
Mirabai
- She was a great devotee of Krishna.
- She became popular in Rajasthan for her bhajans.
Tulsidas
- He was a worshipper of Rama.
- He composed the famous Ramcharitmanas, the Hindi version of Ramayana.
Ramananda
- He was a worshipper of Rama.
- He composed the famous Ramcharitmanas, the Hindi version of Ramayana.
- Ramananda’s disciples were: Kabir, Raidasa, he was a cobbler, Sena, he was a barber, Sadhana, Dhanna, he was from a Jat farmer, Naraharai, he was a goldsmith, Pipa, he was a Rajput prince.
Tukaram
- He was the great Marathi Varkari-Vaishnavism sect saint of Bhakti Movement in Maharashtra during the 17th century.
- He composed the famous ‘Abhyanga poetry’,
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Bengal)
- 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.
- After formal education, he married Lakshmi Devi. However, gradually he developed a sense of detachment towards worldly affairs.
- From the first, a favorite and characteristic form of worship was group singing known as kirtana.
- At the age of twenty-two, he met a saint named Ishwar Puri at Gaya who initiated him with hymns of Lord Krishna.
- Chaitanya was an exponent of the Radha-Krishna cult. His biography is written by Krishnadas Kaviraj.
- In 1516, he came to Puri and spent the last part of his life here till his death in 1533 A.D.
- After his death, his followers put his teachings together, collected his religious songs and organized themselves into a separate sect.
- The six Goswamis of Vrindavan were his prominent disciples who carried forward their master’s philosophy.
- Sometimes he is also known as the Renaissance in Bengal.
Saint Kabir
- Probably lived in the 15th-16th centuries.
- We get to know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads said to have been composed by him and sung by wandering bhajan singers.
- Some of these were later collected and preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vani, and Bijak.
- Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, rejection of the major religious traditions and caste systems. He believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion.
- The language of his poetry was simple which could even be understood by ordinary people.
- He sometimes used cryptic language, which was difficult to follow.
- He drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims.
Baba Guru Nanak (1469-1539) and Sikhism
- Established a center at Kartarpur named Dera Baba Nanak on the river Ravi.
- The sacred space thus created by Guru Nanak was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurdwara.
- Before his death, Guru appointed Lehna also known as Guru Angad as his successor.
- Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Guru Nanak, to which he added his own in a new script known as Gurmukhi.
- The three successors of Guru Angad also wrote under the name of “Nanak” and all of their compositions were compiled by Guru Arjan[Fifth Guru] who was executed by Jahangir in 1604.
- The compilation was added with the writings of other figures like Shaikh Farid, Sant Kabir, Bhagat Namdev and Guru Tegh Bahadur.
- In 1706 this compilation was authenticated by Guru Gobind Singh (Ninth Guru). It is now known as Guru Granth Sahib.
- Due to Guru Nanak’s insistence that all the followers should adopt productive and useful occupations had received wider support during the 16th century and followers increased, henceforth.
- By the beginning of the 17th century, the town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar) had developed around the central Gurdwara called Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple). It was virtually self-governing and also referred to as ‘a state within the state’ community. This fumed Mughal emperor Jahangir which led to the execution of Guru Arjan in 1606.
- The Sikh movement began to get politicized in the 17th century, a development which culminated in the institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 and this entity is called Khalsa Panth.
- Guru Nanak’s idea of equality had social and political implications because his idea of liberation was not that of a state of inert bliss but rather the pursuit of active life with a strong sense of social commitment.
- The message of Baba Guru Nanak is spelt out in his hymns and teachings. These suggest that he advocated a form of Nirguna Bhakti.
Importance of the Bhakti Movement
- Bhakti movement provided a spur for the development of regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, etc.
- The lower classes rose to a position of great importance.
- The Bhakti movement gave equal importance to men and women, which gave way to the importance of women in society.
Philosophical schools
| Philosophy | Founder |
| Vishishtadvaita | Ramanuja |
| Dvaitadvaita / Bhedabhed | Nimbarka |
| Dvaita | Madhava |
| Shudadvaita | Vishnu swami |
| Advaita (non-dualism) | Sankaracharya |
The Sufi Movement
- Sufism is basically a religion based on the truth of life. The mystics of Islam are called Sufis.
- Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. It spread into India in the 11th century but had origin in Persia.
- It established unity between Hindus & Muslims.
- It is a socio-religious movement.
- The founders of the most important Sufi lineage Chisti, Suhrawardi, Qadiri, Naqshbandi originally came from central and west Asia.
- The prominent sufi saints were Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia, Ganj-e-Shakar Fariduddin, Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and Hamuddin Nagori.
- Hazrat Nizam-ud-Din was the disciple of Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar.
- Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki was the disciple and the spiritual successor of Moinuddin Chishti.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1142-1236 AD)
- The Chisti order of Sufism was founded in village Khwaja Chishti near Herat in Persia, i.e. Iran.
- In India, Chisti silsila was founded by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (born 1142 AD).
- He came to India around AD 1192.
- He made Ajmer the main centre for his teachings.
- He died in Ajmer in 1236.
Shaikh Ismail
- Shaikh Ismail of Lahore was the first Sufi Saint who started preaching his ideas.
Bahauddin Zakariya
- He is another renowned Sufi Saint who was influenced by Shihabuddin Suhrawardi another famous mystic.
- He founded the Sufis of the Suhrawardi Order.
Nizamuddin Auliya
- He belonged to the Chishti Order who is regarded to be a mighty spiritual force.
- He laid emphasis on Hindu and Muslim brotherhood.
Major differences between the Sufis and Orthodox Muslims:
| Sufis | Orthodox Muslims |
| 1. The Sufis highlight on inner purity. | the Orthodox Muslims stress on external conduct |
| 1. They consider love and devotion as the only means of attaining salvation. | They believed in blind observance of rituals. |
Major Teachers of the Chishti Silsila |
||
| SUFI TEACHERS | YEAR OF DEATH | LOCATION OF DARGAH |
| Shaikh Muinuddin Sijzi | 1235 | Ajmer (Rajasthan) |
| Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar kaki | 1235
|
Delhi |
| Shaikh Fariduddin Ganj – j Shakar | 1265 | Ajodhan (Pakistan) |
| Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya | 1325 | Delhi |
| Shaikh Nariruddin Chiragh | 1356 | Delhi |
Objective Multiple Choice Questions on the Bhakti and Sufi Movement
- “Gita Gobinda” the famous poem was written by
(A) Jayachandra
(B) Jayadeva
(C) Jayasimha
(D) Jayant
- Kabir was the disciple of?
(A) Nanak
(B) Ramanuj
(C) Shankaracharya
(D) Ramananda
- Who founded the four mathas (i.e. monasteries) in the four corner of India?
(A) Shankaracharya
(B) Ramanujacharya
(C) Bhaskaracharya
(D) Madhvacharya
- Which philosophical system did Vallabhacharya found?
(A) Mahaeashta Dharma
(B) Suddhadvaita
(C) Aanekantavada
(D) Visistadvaita
- Which philosophy is called the Advaita?
(A) Shankaracharya
(B) Ramanujacharya
(C) Nagarjuna
(D) Vasumitra
- A common feature to all Bhakti Saints was that they?
(A) composed their verses in a language understood by followers
(B) rejected the authority of the priestly class
(C) encourage woman to go to temple
(D) encouraged idol worship
- Bhakti movement was started by
(A) Alwar saints
(B) Sufi saints
(C) Surdas
(D) Tulsidas
- Who among the following was the saint of the Varkari Sect?
(A) Namadeva
(B) Nimbarka
(C) Chakradhara
(D) Ramdasa
- Which one of the following gives equal importance to Jnana, Karma and Bhakti as a means of liberation?
(A) Advait Vedant
(B) Visistadvaitvad Vedant
(C) Bhagvad Gita
(D) Mimansa
- The mystic poet Mira Bai was:
(A) a Rajput noble woman who never married
(B) from a Gujarati royal family married to a Rajput
(C) the daughter of priest from Madhya Pradesh
(D) one of the wives of a Rajput rulers
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ) - Who was the Hindu saint to have as disciple both Hindu and Muslims?
(A) Sri Chaitanya
(B) Ramanuja
(C) Ravidas
(D) Namdev
- Who among the following was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message?
(A) Dadu
(B) Kabir
(C) Ramananda
(D) Tulsidas
- The Shrine of Hazarat Nizamuddin Auliya is situated at
(A) Aligarh
(B) Roorkee
(C) Delhi
(D) Ajmer
- Who was the founder of the Sufi order in India?
(A) Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
(B) Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
(C) Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya
(D) Shaikh Nasiruddin Mahmud
- Which one of the following term was used by the Sufis for the successor nominated by the teacher of a particular order or silsila?
(A) Pir
(B) Murid
(C) Khalifah
(D) Khanqah
- Which Sufi Saint’s Dargarh is at Ajmer?
(A) Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya
(B) Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
(C) Khwaja Salim Chisti
(D) Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
- What were the Khanqah in the Medieval India?
(A) Sufi Shrine
(B) State Granary
(C) Provincial treasury
(D) Wayside resting place for traders
- Which one of the following Sultans of Delhi did Nizamuddin Auliya refuse an audience?
(A) Jalaluddin Firoz Khalji
(B) Alauddin Khilji
(C) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
(D) Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq
- The Chistiya Sufi order was established in India by.
(A) Khwaja Badruddin
(B) Khwaja Moinuddin
(C) Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi
(D) Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya
- Amir Khusrau played a pioneer role in the development of
(A) Khari Boli
(B) Awadhi
(C) Bhojpuri
(D) Maithili
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ) - Amir Khusrau was born at?
(A) Patti
(B) Patli
(C) Patiali
(D) Patiala
- Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya was the disciple of?
(A) Sheikh Alauddin Sabir
(B) Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
(C) Baba Farid
(D) Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi
- The Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti came to Rajasthan during the reign of?
(A) Maharana Pratap
(B) Rana Sanga
(C) Rana Kumbha
(D) Prithviraj Chauhan
- Who was known as Tuti-e-Hindustan (the Parrot of Indian)?
(A) Amir Khusrau
(B) Malik Mohammad Jayasi
(C) Roy Vanmal
(D) Purandar Khan
- Select the correct order
(A) Nizamuddin Auliya, Kabir, Mirabai, Tulsidas
(B) Mirabai, Kabir Niza-muddin Auliya, Tulsidas
(C) Kabir, Nizamuddin Auliya, Tulsidas, Mirabai
(D) Tulsidas, Mirabai, Kabir, Nizamuddin Auliya
- Which of the following is associated with Sufi saints?
(A) Tripitaka
(B) Dakhma
(C) Khanjah
(D) Synagogue
- Which of the following aspects is not common to both Bhakti movement and Sufi movement?
(A) Personal love for God
(B) Worship of idols
(C) Mysticism
(D) Visit to holy shrines
- Who was the greatest Bhakti poet of Maharasthra?
(A) Ramdas
(B) Tukaram
(C) Namdeva
(D) Eknath
- The famous Bhakti Saint who be longed to the royal family of Mewar was
(A) Chaitanya
(B) Meerabai
(C) Andal
(D) Ramabai
- The first Bhakti Movement was organised by
(A) Nanak
(B) Meera
(C) Ramdas
(D) Ramanujacharya
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ) - The Sufi saint who maintained that devotional music was one way of moving closer to God was
(A) Muin-ud-din-Chisti
(B) Baba Farid
(C) Saiyid Mummed
(D) Shah Alam Bukhari
- The Bhakti cult spread in Maharashtra with the teaching of
(A) Sant Tukaram
(B) Sant Jnanesvar
(C) Samarth Guru Ramdas
(D) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
- What is meant by a ‘Pir’ in the Sufi tradition?
(A) The Supreme God
(B) The Guru of the Sufis
(C) The greatest of all Sufi saints
(D) The orthodox teacher who contests the Sufi beliefs
- Kabir was the disciple of?
(A) Nanak
(B) Ramanuj
(C) Shankaracharya
(D) Ramananda
- Who founded the four mathas (i.e. monasteries) in the four corner of India?
(A) Shankaracharya
(B) Ramanujacharya
(C) Bhaskaracharya
(D) Madhvacharya
- Who among the following was the first Bhakti saint to use Hindi for the propagation of his message?
(A) Dadu
(B) Kabir
(C) Ramananda
(D) Tulsidas
- Which of the following is associated with Sufi saints? [SSC Tax Assistant (Income & Central Excise 2004]
(A) Tripitaka
(B) Oakhma
(C) Khanjah
(D) Synagogue
- Which philosophical system was founded by Vallabhacharya?
(A) Mahaeashta Dharma
(B) Suddhadvaita
(C) Aanekantavada
(D) Visistadvaita
- Which philosophy is called the Advaita?
(A) Shankaracharya
(B) Ramanujacharya
(C) Nagarjuna
(D) Vasumitra
- Who was the greatest Bhakti poet of Maharasthra?
(A) Ramdas
(B) Tukaram
(C) Namdeva
(D) Eknath
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ)
- Bhakti movement was started by :
(A) Alwar saints
(B) Sufi saints
(C) Surdas
(D) Tulsidas
- The first Bhakti Movement was organised by :
(A) Nanak
(B) Meera
(C) Ramdas
(D) Ramanujacharya
- Who among the following was the saint of the Varkari Sect?
(A) Namadeva
(B) Nimbarka
(C) Chakradhara
(D) Ramdasa
- A common feature to all Bhakti Saints was that they?
(A) composed their verses in a language understood by followers
(B) rejected the authority of the priestly class
(C) encourage woman to go to temple
(D) encouraged idol worship
- The Bhakti Movement was first organized by:
(A) Ramanuja
(B) Kabirdas
(C) Nanak
(D) Ramananda
- Who among the following was contemporary of Namdev?
(A) Madhav
(B) Ramdas
(C) Sena
(D) Nimbark
- Who wrote the commentary on Vedanta Sutras in Sanskrit?
(A) Ramananda
(B) Tulsidas
(C) Lalleswari
(D) Vallabhacharya
- Whose philosophy is called the ‘Advaita’
(A) Vallabhacharya
(B) Vasumitra
(C) Nagarjuna
(D) Sankaracharya
- ‘Let no man ask a man’s sect or cast’ Whose dictum was this?
(A) Kabirdas
(B) Ramanuja
(C) Ramananda
(D) Tulsidas
- Who among the following was a blind poet who worshipped Lord Krishna and spread Krishna Bhakti cult?
(A) Surdas
(B) Kabirdas
(C) Tulsidas
(D) Bihari
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ)
- The pioneer in preaching Nirguna Bhakti in medieval India was:
(A) Sankaracharya
(B) Vallabhacharya
(C) Ramananda
(D) Namadeva
- Who said “Ram and Rahim are two different names of God”?
(A) Kabirdas
(B) Manudas
(C) Tulsidas
(D) Surdas
- Which Sufi saint’s dargah is at Ajmer?
(A) Salim Chishti
(B) Muinuddin Chishti
(C) Baba Farid
(D) Hazrat Nizamuddin
- Tulsidas wrote Ramacharitamanas during the reign of:
(A) Jahangir
(B) Rama Raya
(C) Akbar
(D) Krishnadev Raya
- The oldest composition in Punbi are devotional compositions by
(A) Ramanuja
(B) Kabirdas
(C) Ramanand
(D) Nanak
- In which region of India was the Suharawadi order of Sufism popular?
(A) Delhi and Bihar
(B) Delhi and Doab region
(C) Punjab and Sind
(D) Around Ajmer
- In which region of India was the Firdausi order of Sufism popular
(A) Sind
(B) In and around Delhi
(C) Deccan
(D) Bihar
- Kabirdas was the disciple of
(A) Chaitanya
(B) Sankaracharya
(C) Ramananda
(D) Vallabhacharya
- Who among the following saints wrote ‘Bijak’?
(A) Ramdas
(B) Kabirdas
(C) Thulsidas
(D) Guru Arjun
- The term ‘Sufi’ is derived from
(A) A type of poetry
(B) A type of garment
(C) A language
(D) A name of a place
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ)
- Which of the following Bhakti saints used the medium of dance and songs (Kirtans) to make one feel the personal presence of God near him ?
(A) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
(B) Jnanadeva
(C) Shankaradeva
(D) Chandidasa
- In him within whose heart is truth doth God Himself abide, said
(A) Kabir
(B) Vallabha
(C) Chaitanya
(D) Madhya
- The author of Sri Bhashya is
(A) Vallabha
(B) Ramanuja
(C) Kabir
(D) Sankara
- Devotion to Lord Krishna was preached by
(A) Madhva
(B) Ramananda
(C) Vallabha
(D) Kabir
- During his pilgrimage, Chaitanya received enlightenment at
(A) Rameswaram
(B) Allahabad
(C) Gaya
(D) Kanchipuram
- To which Sufi did the famous saint of Bihar, Makhdum Sharfuddin Maneri belong ?
(A) Kubrawi
(B) Suhrawardi
(C) Firdausi
(D) Chisti
- The sage who is said to have Aryanised South India was
(A) Vasishtha
(B) Yagyavalkya
(C) Vishwamitra
(D) Agastya
- The most famous and the earliest biographer of Chaitanya, who wrote Chaitanya Charitamrita, was
(A) Madhavacharya
(B) Krishnadas Kaviraj
(C) Sunderdas
(D) Kritivasa
- Sufi sect developed in the religion
(A) Hinduism
(B) Jainism
(C) Sikhism
(D) Islam
- Who amongst the following was a blind poet who worshipped Krishna and spread Krishna Bhakti cult?
(A) Kabir
(B) Raskhan
(C) Bihari
(D) Surdas
The Bhakti & Sufi Movement (Notes+MCQ) - The saint from Gujarat, who preached non-sectarianism in medieval times was
(A) Ramanand
(B) Dadu Dayal
(C) Raghunandan
(D) Tukaram
- Which of the following does not belong to Nirgun cult?
(A) Kabir
(B) Ravidas
(C) Nanak
(D) Meera
- Who amongst the following Acharyas is regarded as having combated the absolute monoism of Sankara in the 12th century?
(A) Udyotaka
(B) None of these
(C) Ramanuja
(D) Hemachandra
- Sri Perumbudur, a temple town in the south, is the birthplace of
(A) Adi Shankaracharya
(B) Madhavacharya
(C) Vidyaranya
(D) Ramanuja
- Which of the following was a saint of the Bhakti movement in Bengal?
(A) Tulsidas
(B) Vivekananda
(C) Chaitanya
(D) Kabir
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