Textbook Solutions: Popular Beliefs and Religious Debates | Window on the Word Class 7: Solutions, Notes & Worksheets PDF Download

A. Choose the correct answer.

1.
Ans: (c)
Tukaram lived in Maharashtra

2.
Ans: (b)
The founder of the Chishti order of Sufism in India was Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

3.
Ans: (b)
Kabir was a disciple of Ramanand

4.
Ans: (c)
Guru Granth Sahib was compiled by Guru Arjan

B. Fill In the blanks

1.
Ans: The Alvars used to worship Vishnu.

2. 
Ans: Shankaracharya was born in the state of Kerala.

3. 
Ans: The Lingayat sect was founded by Basavanna.

4.
Ans: Meera Bai was a disciple of Guru Ravidas.

5.
Ans: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu popularised musical performances known as Kirtans.

6. 
Ans: Sufi pirs and their murids lived in Khanqahs.

C. Name the following

1.
Ans: The group of Bhakti saints who worshipped Shiva is the Nayanars.

2.
Ans: Two of the most well-known Sufi saints of the Suhrawardi silsilah are Shaikh Shihabuddin Suharwardi and Hamid-ud-Din Nagori.

3.
Ans: Moral guidelines composed by Kabir are called Sakhis.

4.
Ans: Community kitchens established by Guru Nanak are called Langars.

D. Answer in one or two sentences.

1.
Ans: Shankaracharya's philosophy centered around the absence of rituals and the importance of renunciation and knowledge to reach god and attain salvation. His re-examination of Vedic philosophy paved the way for the Bhakti movement.

2.
Ans: The Sufi pirs ensured that their legacies were carried forward by training disciples, known as murids, who were then passed on the sacred knowledge of the pirs. Each pir would nominate a wali (successor) to continue his legacy.

3.
Ans: Kabir's spiritual ideas were primarily formed by his exposure to both Muslim and Hindu saints during his upbringing in Benares. He later became influenced by the teachings of the Bhakti and Sufi saints, and became a disciple of Ramanand, who was a follower of Ramanuja.

4.
Ans: Guru Nanak nominated Guru Angad as his successor.

E. Answer in a paragraph.

1.
Ans: The advent of the Bhakti and Sufi movements in India was primarily a response to the oppressive and often unjust practices of orthodox religions during the medieval era. These movements challenged existing social and religious practices, such as the caste system, untouchability, and elaborate and expensive rituals. They preached the importance of equality, simple living, and devotion to god, bringing about significant changes in Indian society.

2.
Ans: The teachings of the Bhakti saints and the Sufi pirs had much in common despite their different religious backgrounds. They both believed in the oneness of god, equality of all human beings, realization of god through simple living, praying to god in simple language, and denounced elaborate and expensive rituals. They both sought to reach out to the common people and spread a message of love, tolerance, and equality.

3.
Ans:  Kabir was a great saint and thinker of the medieval era who advocated for the unity and tolerance of all religions. He rejected the caste system and any forms of formal worship. Instead, he believed in the oneness of god, and taught that god could be realized through love and devotion. He expressed his philosophical ideas in simple words through sakhis, dohas, and bhajans in Hindi.

4.
Ans: Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, preached against discrimination based on caste and religion. He promoted universal brotherhood and believed in the existence of one eternal and formless god. Guru Nanak emphasized the importance of purity of character and conduct, the necessity of having a guru for spiritual guidance, and the integration of spiritual life with household duties. His teachings were encapsulated in the three key principles: Naam Japo, Kirat Karo, and Vand Chakko.