GS1 PYQ (Mains Answer Writing): Bhakti Movement | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Q1: The Bhakti movement received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Discuss. (UPSC GS1 Mains)
Answer: 
Bhakti movement is an important landmark in the cultural history of the medieval India which was brought about by a galaxy of socio-religious reformers. Bhakti symbolised the complete surrender of one’s self to God. The main features of the movement were unity of God or one God though known by different names, intense love and devotion the only way to salvation, repetition of the True Name and self-surrender.

• This movement was responsible for many rites and rituals associated with the worship of God by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of Indian subcontinent. For example, Kirtan at a Hindu temple, Qawaali at a Dargah and singing of Gurbani at a Gurdwara are all derived from the Bhakti movement of medieval India.
• The movement had profound influence on the socio-cultural milieu of the Indian subcontinent. The social base of the bhakti saints ranged from the low castes such as Kabir to the high castes such as Chaitanya Mahaprabu.
• Chaitanya (1486-1533) the eastern bhakti poet worshipped the cult of Radha Krishna. Chaitanya was influenced by the doctrines of Nimbikara, Vishnuswami, poetry of Jayadeva and Vidyapala. He believed in the philosophy of sravan and Kirtana as the highest form of devotion to lord. The influence of Chaitanya movement on the overall bhakti movement is immense as he introduced some new elements into the bhakti movement and reorients the bhakti cult in north India. 

Some of the aspects which were introduced through the Chaitanya movement in the Bhakti movement at larger scale are underlined below:

• Systematic propagation of bhakti theology: On the request of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu his selected six disciples called Goswamis started systematically present the theology of Bhakti. This was revolutionary within the bhakti movement as it was not known so far on wider scale. The propagation of bhakti ideas far and wide became instrumental in spreading the message of Chaitanya movement across the north east parts of India and had ripple effect on the other sects.
• Wider social base: Unlike most of bhakti saints, Chaitanya’s associates range from the higher caste to lower castes. His association with Acharyas made his doctrines acceptable to a wider population and later his teaching were spread by the higher and lower caste people alike. The cult of teaching doctrines introduced by Chaitanya in Gaudiya Vaishnivism was later popularised by many followers who were teachers in their own right. 
• Propagating bhakti within existing social structure: Chaitanya propagated his without relinquishing the caste identity. But he accepted the lower caste people as his devotees. This was unique as most of the bhakti saints relinquished existing hierarchies and rigidities. Yet Chaitanya cult became popular among all the people including some Muslim followers. It was because of the emphasis on the purity of thought and action which Chaitanya has emphasised in his teachings and thoughts. 
• Chanting the best means to realise God: Since the inception of Chaitanya movement, a favourite and characteristic form of worship was group singing known as kirtan. It consists of singing of simple hymns and the repetition of Krishna’s name accompanied by sounding of a drum and cymbals and by a rhythmic swaying of the body that continued for several hours and usually resulted in states of religious exaltation. This has profound influence on the later developments in worship in Hindu temples. It became an important ritual in the temples of north India. The concept was that the chanting the name of God brings the devotee closer to Him. This concept was to some extent similar to that of Sama, a Sufi tradition of exalting and chanting the name of to feel his presence. Thus it is no wonder that kirtan and Sama attracted the bhakti devotees of Hindus and Muslims towards each other’s traditions and formed the basis for composite culture. 
• Voice of oppressed: Chaitanya though belonging to higher caste became the voice of the oppressed lower trodden. He confronted even his own high caste followers in order to bridge the gap between the low and high. He became the bridge to reduce the social tensions in eastern India. His highly venerated disciples included Rupa, Santana and Jiva, all of whomwere marginalised either untouchables or stigmatised in society.

Conclusion

• Chaitanya movement is a corner stone of Vaishnavism movements that happened in the northeast after 16th century. In fact it is rightly called the first renaissance movement in Bengal. It transverse the caste barriers at the same time kept the social structures within the order. It provided a means to bridge the gap between the upper and the lower castes rather than relinquishing the social identities altogether.
• The movement didn’t prohibit the idol worship which became an integral part of the temple worship of the later times. The movement inspired many generations to teach the rightful gospel of Chaitanya which was based on love and devotion to God.
• The movement was successful in re-orienting the bhakti movement by creating a missionary to spread the bhakti ideas, reducing social tensions by emphasising on peaceful coexistence and by emphasising Sankirtana, chanting name of God as a means to come near to God.
• The movement has subtle influence on the nationalist leaders of Bengal such as Vivek Ananda, Aurbindo Ghosh and many others. The cultural and social life of Bengal in particular and north east India in general resonated many of the ideas and influences of the Chaitanya movement who is even venerated as an incarnation of Krishna and being worshipped in many parts of this region.

Q2: Many of the Bhakti saints were rebels who chose to defy the currents of their time through their writings. Comment. (UPSC GS 1 Mains)
Answer:
Introduction
The beginning of Bhakti movement took place in South India between the 7th and the 12th centuries through the teachings of poet saints known as Alvars and Nayanar whose hymns were collected and compiled in the 10th century. Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Surdas, Tulsi Das, Chaitanya are some of the prominent saints of Bhakti movement.
Bhakti saints rose voice against the popular social conventions and evils of that time such as:

• Rejection of ritualism: Instead of rituals they emphasized on worshipping god by love and devotion.
• Criticized casteism: The Bhakti saints emphasized stress on equality of all castes. They said that no one is high or low in front of god. Everyone is equal.
• Monotheism: Bhakti saints condemned polytheism, Bhakti Movement was monotheistic, believing in one God who was the Supreme Being and the Creator.
• Use of common vernacular languages and local dialect: Since these saints wanted to reach the masses which were excluded due to rigid caste rules, Bhakti saints used local dialects as a means of communication, preached in the form of couplets rather than traditional prose. The Bhakti movement promoted the growth of vernacular language and literature in different parts of the country. Kabir used Hindi, Nanak Gurmukhi and Chaitanya Bengali.
• Hindu-Muslim amity: Due to stress on castes equality, other religions came closer to Hindu religion. Bhakti saints emphasized Hindu Muslim amity, tolerance and friendship.

Conclusion
Thus rebellious impact of Bhakti movement was felt in all spheres of Hinduism. It reformed the religion to a great extent. The evils of caste system, the unnecessary ritualism and Brahmanical orthodoxy of Hinduism received a setback due to the powerful voices of eminent socio-religious reformers during the movement. A deep-rooted change came about to laid the foundations of a liberal and composite Indian society.

Q3: What are the reasons that led to the rise of Bhakti movement in India and what was its impact? (UPSC GA 1 Mains)

Answer:
Introduction
The development of Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between the seventh and twelfth centuries. 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.
Originally began in South India in the 9th century with Shankaracharya spread over all parts of India and by the 16th century was a great spiritual force to reckon with, especially after the great wave made by Kabir, Nanak and Shri Chaitanya.
Reasons that led to the rise of Bhakti movement:

• Evils in the Hindu Society: Hindu society was full of many social anomalies like rigidity of caste system, irrelevant rituals and religious practices, blind faiths and social dogmas. Common men in general had developed an averse attitude towards these social evils and were in need of a liberal form of religion where they could identify themselves with simple religious practices.
• Complexity of religion: The high philosophy of the Vedas and Upanishads were very complicated for the common people. They wanted a simple way of worship, simple religious practices and simple social customs. Alternative was Bhakti marga—a simple way of devotion to get salvation from worldly life.
• Role of Religious Reformers: The chief exponents of the movement were Shankara, Ramanuja, Kabir, Nanak, Shri Chaitanya, Mirabai, Ramananda, Namdev, Nimbarka, Madhava, Eknath, Surdas, Tulsidas, Tukaram, Vallabhacharya and Chandidas. They were the propounders of Bhakti movement and gave a call to the people to worship in the simplest possible way of devotion and love.
• Challenge from Rival Religion: the impact of the Muslim rule and Islam put dread in the heart of Hindu masses. The Hindus had suffered a lot under some of the fanatic rulers. They wanted some solace to heal their despairing hearts.
• Influence of Sufism: The Sufi saints of the Muslim community also inspired the movement. Some similar chords in the two evoked resonance.

Impact of Bhakti movement:

• The Bhakti exponents raised their powerful voice against different types of immoral acts like infanticide and sati and encouraged prohibition of wine, tobacco and toddy. Adultery and sodomy were also discouraged. They aimed to set up a good social order upholding high moral values.
• Another remarkable impact was bringing about a unity among the Hindu and Muslim communities. The movement tried to reduce the growing bitterness between the two and bridge the gap. The saints of Bhakti movement and the Sufi saints spread message of friendship, amity, tolerance, peace and equality among all.
• The method of worship and belief in God took a new turn during the movement. Henceforth, importance was given to devotion and love for God who is the God of all-God of both Hindus as well as Muslims. Bhakti or devotion for the Almighty was the central theme of this movement.
• The spirit of tolerance, harmony and mutual respect which was inaugurated by the Bhakti saints had another everlasting impact – the emergence of a new cult of Satyapir. It started under the initiative of King Husain Shah of Jaunpur which later paved the way for the spirit of liberalism adopted by Akbar.
• The Bhakti movement promoted the growth of vernacular language and literature in different parts of the country. Kabir Nanak and Chaitanya preached in their respective vernacular tongues – Kabir in Hindi, Nanak in Gurmukhi and chaitanya in Bengali.

Conclusion
With such long-lasting impacts, the religious depression of the medieval society was set aside. The teachings acted as a healing balm to the suppressed classes. A deep-rooted change came about to lay the foundations of a liberal and composite Indian society.

Q4: Evaluate the nature of Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture. (UPSC GS 1 Mains)
Answer:
Introduction
The development of the Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between the seventh and twelfth centuries. Originally began in South India in the 9th century with Shankaracharya spread over all parts of India and by the 16th century was a great spiritual force to reckon with, especially after the great wave made by Kabir, Nanak and Shri Chaitanya.
Body

• Nature of Bhakti Literature
• Inter-religious Harmony: Bhakti and Sufi supported each other and various sufi saints recitation found place in Sikhs’ religious canons. Shri Guru Granth Sahib incorporated teachings of Kabir.
• Spread of Bhakti cult due to adoption of vernacular languages which was easi to be understood by masses.
• Inclusive Literature: It preached for removal of sectarianism and casteism. The Bhakti literature called for inclusion of?castes and out-castes.
• Against unorthodox rituals of the traditional society.
• Muslim poets Daulat Kazi and Sayed Alaoal wrote poems that were a cultural synthesis of Hinduism and Islam.
• Contribution of Bhakti literature
• Growth of Vernacular languages: The Bhakti literature promoted the growth of vernacular language in different parts of the country.
• In eastern Uttar Pradesh Sufi saints, such as Mulla Daud, the author of ‘Chandayan’, Malik Muhammad Jaisi, the author of ‘Padmavati’ wrote in Hindi and put forward Sufi concepts in a form which could be easily understood by the common man.
• Amongst the eastern group of languages, Bengali was used by Chaitanya and by the poet Chandidas, who wrote extensively on the theme of the love of Radha and Krishna.
• It was also a Bhakti leader Shankaradeva, who popularized the use of the Assamese in the Brahmaputra valley in the 15th century. He used an entirely new medium to spread his ideas.
• In today’s Maharashtra, Marathi reached its apogee at the hands of saints like Eknath and Tukaram.
• Other prominent saints like Kabir, Nanak, and Tulsidas contributed enormously to regional literature and language with their captivating verses and spiritual exposition.
• Emergence of a new cultural tradition with the influence of Bhakti and sufism.
• Also emergence of new sects like Sikhism, Kabir panth etc.
• As a literary movement, it liberated poetry from singing the praises of kings and introduced spiritual themes. From a style point of view, it introduced simple and accessible styles like vachanas (in Kannada), saakhis, dohas and other forms in various languages and ended the hegemony of Sanskrit metrical forms.
• The ideas of Bhakti movement continued to permeate the cultural ethos of the society through the enormous body of literature left by them. The congruence in their ideas not only saved us from the likely internecine conflicts but also built the spirit of tolerance. To appeal to the common masses, their messages were composed into songs, proverbs, and stories that led to the development of Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and a number of other languages.