Class 7 History Chapter 6 Question Answers - Devotional Paths to the Divine

Short Q & A :

Q1: What was the purpose of "Nayanar movement"?

Ans : Nayanar movement was started in order to check the development of Buddhism and Jainism in the southern peninsula. They wanted to protect their religion from the incursion of these new religions.

Q2: What was the purpose of Langer started by Guru Nanak?

Ans : To try and preach universal toleration and do away with caste discriminations.

Q3: What is Hagiography?

Ans : Hagiographies are the biographies of the Alvars and Nayanars or can be considered as religious biographies. These are very helpful in writing histories of Bhakti tradition.

Q4: What were dharmsal?

Ans : The places where Sikh congregation and religious gatherings of the followers of Guru Nanak were held were called Dharamsalas. These were also the places for feeding the poor. Eventually, every Sikh home became a Dharamsala. Now it is known as Gurdwara.

Q5: State the main contribution of the Chola and Pandya kings for the growth of the Bhakti movement.

Ans : The Chola and the Pandyas built many temples around many shrines between the tenth and twelfth centuries. The saint- poets visited these shrines and sang songs of Bhakti. It strengthened the links between the Bhakti tradition and temple worship.

Q6: Write a short note on Shankara and his teachings.

Ans : Shankara was one of the most popular religious philosophers of India born in Kerala. He was the expounder of the concept of Advaita which is the doctrine of oneness of the individual soul and the supreme god. He was a fully developed Yogi, Jnani and Bhakta. He believed that Brahman alone is real, this world is unreal. He considered the world as Maya or an illusion. He preached renunciation of the world and adoption of the path of knowledge.

Q7: Why did people turn to Buddhism and Jainism during the medieval period?

Ans : Many people were not satisfied with the notion that noble and high caste of human beings come by birth. These two religions helped them overcome notion that high caste comes by birth. That was why most of the people started following Buddhism and Jainism.

Q8: What were the teachings of Ramanuja?

Ans : Ramanuja was born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century. He was deeply influenced by the Alvars. He was an exponent of the doctrine of Vishistadavita or qualified non-dualism. He advocated that the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu. According to Ramanuja's teachings, Lord Narayana or Bhagavan is the Supreme Being. He believed that Vishnu helped devotees to attain the bliss of union with Him. Later his teachings inspired the Bhakti cult in North India.

Q9: Who started Virashaiva movement?

Ans : The Virashaiva movement began in Karnataka in the mid-twelfth century. It was started by Basavanna and his companions like Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi.

Q10: Write a short note on Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.

Ans : A number of religious groups criticized the rituals and other aspects of conventional religion and preached the social order using simple logical arguments. They advocated renunciation of the world. To achieve the salvation, they advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas. They became popular among low castes in North India.

Q11: Who were Sufis?

Ans : Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings. They condemned the elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars. They also composed poems expressing their feelings.

Q12: What were khanqahs?

Ans : Khanqahs were like hospices. It was a place where the Sufi masters held their assemblies. Devotees of all descriptions including members from the royal and noble groups, and ordinary people gathered there. They discussed spiritual matters and were blessed by the saints.

Q13: Who was Guru Nanak?

Ans : Guru Nanak was born in Talwandi. He preached against caste distinctions ritualism, idol worship and the pseudo-religious beliefs that had no spiritual content. He chose to mix with all. He dined and lived with men of the lowest castes and classes which was socially and religiously unheard of in those days of rigid Hindu caste system. His followers ate together in the common kitchen called langar which became a nucleus for religious gatherings of his society and of establishing the basic equality of all castes, classes and sexes.

Q14: Whom did Guru Nanak appoint as his successor before his death?

Ans : Guru Nanak appointed one of his followers named Lehna as his successor before his death. Later Lehna came to be known as Guru Angad and projected himself as part of Guru Nanak.

Q15: Who ordered the execution of Guru Arjan and why?

Ans : The Mughal emperor Jahangir ordered the execution of Guru Arjan Dev. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, the town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar) developed around the central Gurdwara, also called Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple). It was like a state with self-governing. The Mughal emperor saw this development as a potential threat against his rule. So he ordered the execution.

Q16: This is a picture of Baba Guru Nanak as a young man, in discussion with holy men. Answer the following questions related to Guru Nanak:

a. Where was Baba Guru Nanak born?

b. Who was appointed by Guru Nanak as his successor?

c. When did Baba Guru Nanak die?

Ans : 

1. Baba Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Tailwind (Nankana Sahib in Pakistan).
2. Baba Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Tailwind (Nankana Sahib in Pakistan).
3. Baba Guru Nanak died in 1539.

Q17: Who was Martin Luther? How did he view the Roman Catholic Church?

Ans : Martin Luther was one of the most important leaders of the changes that took place within Christianity.Luther felt that several practices in the Roman Catholic Church went against the teachings of the Bible.

Q18: When did local myths become a part of the Puranic stories?

Ans : When gods and goddess were identified with Shiva, the local myths and legends became part of the Puranic stories and the methods of worship introduced in the Puranas were followed for the local gods and goddesses.

Q19: To whom were Alvars and Nayanars devoted?

Ans : During the seventh and ninth centuries new religious movements were led by the saints called the Nayanars who were devoted to Shiva and Alvars who were devoted to Vishnu.

Q20: How did Khalsa Panth emerged?

Ans : The Sikh movement began to get politicized in the seventeenth century. Development culminated in the institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Thus, the community of the Sikhs called the Khalsa Panth came into existence as a political entity.

Long Q & A :

Q1: What were the teachings of the Bhakti saint Kabir?

Ans : 

Kabir's teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement and rejection of the major religious traditions.

1. His teachings openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam, the pre-eminence of the priestly classes and the caste system.
2. The language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people. He also sometimes used cryptic language, which was difficult to follow.
3. Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion.
4. He drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims.
5. His teachings reflect the secular values of life.

Q2: Explain the teachings of Guru Nanak.

Ans : The ideas of Guru Nanak had a huge impact on people from the very beginning. He emphasized the importance of worship of one God. He insisted that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation. He himself used the terms nam, dan and isnan for the essence of his teaching, which actually meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct. His teachings are now remembered as nam-japna, kirt-karna and vand-chhakna, which also underline the importance of right belief and worship, honest living, and helping others.

Q3: What were the teachings of the saints of Maharashtra?

Ans : The saints of Maharashtra were strong and outspoken drawn from all social classes. They focused on the Vitthala (a form of Vishnu) in temple in Pandharpur whom they identified with Lord Krishna. They stressed on the notion that personal god is residing in the hearts of all people, the efficacy of gods name, professed love and brotherhood. They condemned the idea of all forms of ritualism and social differences based on birth. They even rejected the idea of renunciation and preferred to live with their families like other persons and serve human beings.