NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science - Devotional Paths to the Divine

Let’s Recall

1. Match the following:

Ans:

Q2. Fill in the blanks:
(a) Shankara was an advocate of _________ .
(b) Ramanuja was influenced by the ______ .
(c) _____ , _____ and _____ were advocates of Virashaivism.
(d) ______ was an important centre of the Bhakti tradition in Maharashtra. 
Ans: 
(a) Shankara was an advocate of advaita.
(b) Ramanuja was influenced by the Alvars.
(c) Basavanna, Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi were advocates of Virashaivism.
(d) Pandharpur was an important centre of the Bhakti tradition in Maharashtra.

Q3. Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis. 
Ans: Beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis:
(i) They believed in logical arguments.
(ii) They criticised the rituals and other aspects of conventional religion and the social order.
(iii) They believed that the path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless Ultimate Reality and the realisation of oneness with it.
(iv) They advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.

Q4. What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?
Ans:

The major ideas expressed by Kabir:
(i) His teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement, rejection of the major religious traditions
(ii) He openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam.
(iii) He believed in a formless Supreme God.
(iv) He preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion. He expressed these by the language of his poetry. It was was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people. There was also a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads by him.

Let’s understand 

Q5. What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis? 
Ans:

Major beliefs and practices of the Sufis:
(i) They rejected outward religiosity and emphasised love and devotion to God.
(ii) They also emphasized compassion towards all fellow human beings.
(iii) They rejected idol worship and simplified rituals of worship into collective prayers.
(iv) They believed in monotheism or submission to one God.
(v) They rejected the elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars.

Q6. Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?
Ans:
(i) Many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices because it created differences in society.
(ii) Those teachings favoured the upper caste people and lower caste people suffered.
(iii) The idea that all human beings are not equal was prevailing in society and must be abolished.
(iv) They believed in equality of God and want to break the evils of society.
(v) Bondage can be broken if approached God with devotion.

Q7. What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?
Ans:

 Baba Guru Nanak Dev ji

Major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak ji:

(i) Worship of one God.

(ii) Irrelevance of caste, creed, and gender for attaining liberation.

(iii) The pursuit of active life with a strong sense of social commitment.

(iv) Nam, the dam, is the major essence of his teachings.

(v) Nam-japna, kirt-kama, and vand Chakhna basis of right belief, and worship, honest living and helping others.

(vi) The idea of equality.

Let’s Discuss

Q8. For either the Virashaivas or the sants of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.
Ans: The attitude of the Virashaivas towards caste:
They believed in the equality of all human beings. They were against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women. They wished for a society where people of all backgrounds could live in harmony without any feelings of high and low, rich and poor.

Q9. Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?
Ans: Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar. But she never liked the life of a palace. Hence, she left it and became a disciple of Ravidas, a saint from a caste considered "untouchable". She, devoted her life to Lord Krishna and composed innumerable bhajans expressing her intense devotion. Her songs also openly challenged the norms of the 'upper' castes and became popular with the ordinary people. Once Mirabai drunk the poison sent by her husband. Still she did not die. The incident became very popular. People thought that she was saved by Lord Krishna. Thus she was proved to a true devotee.