Q 1 – For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.
Ans. 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.
Q 2 – 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 had no interest in the worldly affair. She was an ardent devotee of Krishna and wanted to devote her time to the worship of her lord. She had no belief in princely status and other norms of high-class society. Her devotion to her deity was supreme. Hence, she left the royal palace and began to lend. Simple life with ordinary people.
Q 3 – Find out whether in your neighbourhood there are any dargahs, gurudwaras or temples associated with saints of the Bhakti tradition in your neighbourhood. Visit any one of these and describe what you see and hear.
Ans. Students are suggested to do this exercise themselves.
Q 4 – For any of the saint-poets whose compositions have been included in this chapter, find out more about their works, noting down other poems. Find out whether these are sung, how they are sung, and what the poets wrote about
Ans. Mainly Guru Nanak. Read the chapter and write down.
Q 5 – There are severed saint-poets whose names have been mentioned but their works have not been included in the chapter. Find out more about the language in which they composed, whether their compositions were sung and what their compositions were about.
Ans. For self attempt.
Q 6 – What did the Puranic stories consist of?
Ans. The Puranic stories consisted of local myths and legends
Q 7 – Who were the Pulaiyar and the Panars?
Ans. They were considered untouchables
Q 8 – How many Alvars were there?
Ans. There were 12 Alvars.
Q 9 – Name the two sets of compilations of Nayanar’s songs.
Ans. Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.
Q 10 – Name the set of compilation of Alvars’ songs.
Ans. Divya Prabandham.
Q 11 – What did Ramanuja propound?
Ans. He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when united with the Supreme God remained distinct.
Q 12 – What is abhang?
Ans. It is a Marathi devotional hymn.
Q 13 – Name any two saints of Maharashtra.
Ans. Namdev and Tukaram
Q 14 – Who were Sufis?
Ans. Sufis were Muslim mystics.
Q 15 – Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia.
Ans. Ghazzali and Rumi.
Q 16 – What are namghars?
Ans. They are houses of recitation and prayer, a practice that continues even today.
Q 17 – What was known as dharmsal?
Ans. Baba Guru Nanak created a sacred place which was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurudwara.
Q 18 – To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?
Ans. Guru Nanak appointed Guru Angad, one of his followers, as his successor.
Q 19 – What is Guru Granth Sahib?
Ans. Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
Q 20 – Why did the Mughal emperor Jahangir order the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606?
Ans. The Mughal emperor Jahangir looked upon the Sikh community as a potential threat and therefore he ordered the execution of Guru Aijan.
Q 21 – What did the terms ‘nam’, ‘dan’ and ‘isnan’ mean?
Ans. The terms nam, dan and isnan meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.
Q 22 – Who compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak?
Ans. Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak.
Q 23 – Who were the Nayanars and Alvars? Write about them in brief.
Ans. The Nayanars and Alvars led religious movements in south India during the seventh to ninth centuries. The Nayanars were devotees of Shiva while the Alvars were the devotees of Vishnu. They came from all castes including those considered ‘untouchable’ like the Pulaiyar and the Panars. They preaohe^gjgdent love of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation. They went from place to place composing beautiful poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited and set them to music. There were 63 Nayanars who belonged to different caste backgrounds. There were 12 Alvars who came from equally divergent backgrounds.
Q 24 – Who was Ramanuja? What are the main points of his preachings?
Ans. Ramanuja was a Bhakti saint. He was born in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century. He was deeply influenced by the Alvars.
The main points of his preachings are :
- Ramanuja taught people that the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu. Vishnu in His grace helps the devotee to attain the bliss of union with Him.
- He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when united with the Supreme God remained distinct.
Q 25 – What do you mean by Khanqahs? What purpose did it serve?
Ans. Khanqahs were houses of rest for travellers especially one kept by a religious order. Sufi masters usually held their assemblies here. Devotees of all descriptions including members of the royalty and nobility, and ordinary people flocked to these Khanqahs. Here, they discussed spiritual matters, sought the blessings of the saints in solving their worldly problems or simply attended the music and dance sessions.
Q 26 – The songs are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them.’ Explain.
Ans. The works of the saints were composed in regional languages and could be sung. They became very popular and were handed down orally from one generation to another. Usually, the most deprived communities and women transmitted these songs. They even added their own experiences to them. Thus, the songs as we have them today are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them. They have become a part of our living culture.
Q 27 – Who was Kabir? How do we know about him?
Ans. Kabir probably lived in the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries. He was one of the most influential saints. He was brought up in a family of Muslim jalahas or weavers settled in or near the city of Benaras, now Varanasi. We have little reliable information about the life of Kabir. We come to know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads, which are said to have been composed by him and sung by wandering bhajan singers.
Q 28 – Who were the followers of Baba Guru Nanak?
Ans. Baba Guru Nanak had a large number of followers. They belonged to a number of castes but traders, agriculturists, artisans and craftsmen predominated. Thus, the followers of Guru Nanak were all householders and adopted productive and useful occupations. They were expected to contribute to the general funds of the community of followers.
Q 29 – Why was the Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community? How did the Sikh movement gain momentum?
Ans. By the beginning of the 17th century the town of Ramdaspur, Amritsar had developed around the central Gurudwara known as Harmandar Sahib, the Golden Temple. It was a virtually self-governing body and the modem historians refer to the early 17th-century Sikh community as ‘a state within a state’. This made the Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community. He looked upon them as a potential threat and he ordered the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606.
It is from this time the Sikh movement began to gain momentum. It was a development that culminated, in the institution of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699
Q 30 – Write in brief about the ideas of Shankara and Ramanuja.
Ans. Shankara. He was one of the most Influential philosophers of India. He was bom in Kerala in the eighth century. He was an advocate of Advaita or the doctrine of the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God, the Ultimate Reality. He taught that Brahman, the only or Ultimate Reality, was formless and without any attributes. He considered the world around us to be an illusion or maya, and preached renunciation of the world and adoption of the path of knowledge to understand the true nature of Brahman and attain salvation. Ramanuja.
He was bom in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century and was deeply influenced by the Alvars. He preached that the best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu. Vishnu in His grace helps the devotee to attain the bliss of union with Him. He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita of qualified oneness in that the soul even when united with the Supreme God remained distinct
Q 31 – Write a brief note on new religious developments in north India.
Ans. During the thirteenth century a new wave of the Bhakti movement began in north India. This was an age when Islam, Brahmanical Hinduism, Sufism, various strands of Bhakti, and the Nathpanths, Siddhas and Yogis influenced one another. Ordinary people such as craftspersons, peasants, traders, etc. showed their interest in listening to these new saints. Kabir and Baba Gum Nanak did not approve orthodox religious.
Tulsidas and Surdas accepted existing beliefs and practices but wanted to make these accessible to all. Tulsidas conceived of God in the form of Rama. His Ramacharitmanas is a unique creation, Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. His compositions compiled in the Sursagara, Sursaravali and Sahitga Lahari, express his devotion. Shankaradeva of Assam emphasised devotion to Vishnu and composed poems and plays in Assamese. He began the practice of setting up namghars or houses of recitation and prayer. Saints like Dadu Dayal, Ravidas and Mirabai are worth-mentioning here.
Mirabai was a Rajput princess and was married into the royal family of Mewar in the 16th century. She became a disciple of Ravidas, an untouchable saint. She devoted her life to Lord Krishna. She composed a number of bhqjans expressing her intense devotion. A unique feature of most of the saints is that their works were composed in regional languages and could be sung. Therefore, they became very popular among the common mass.
Q 32 – How did the people worship their deity?
Ans. People performed various kinds of bhakti and rituals of worship or singing bhajans, kirtans or qawwalis or even repeating the name of God in silence.
Q 33 – Why did the people turn towards teaching of Buddha and Jainas? ‘
Ans. Many people turned to the teachings of the Buddha or the Jainas according to which it was possible to overcome social differences and break the cycle of rebirth through personal effort.
Q 34 – Which ideas were advocated in the Bhagavadgita?
Ans. There was an idea of a Supreme God who could deliver humans from such bondage if approached with devotion (or bhakti). This idea, advocated in the Bhagavadgita, grew in popularity.
Q 35 – What is hagiography?
Ans. Hagiography is the writing of saints’ lives.
Q 36 – What was the contribution of the Cholas and the Pandyas king in making links between the bhakti tradition and temple worship?
Ans. The Chola and the Pandya kings built huge temples around many of the shrines visited by the saint – poets, strengthening the links between the bhakti tradition and temple worship.
Q 37 – What did Nathpanthis, Siddacharas and Yogis advocate for getting salvation?
Ans. To achieve the salvation they advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.
Q 38 – What do you understand about dargah?
Ans. Dargah is a place where the body of a Sufi saint is cremated. This became a place of pilgrimage where thousands of people of all faiths thronged.
Q 39 – Where did bhakti movement rise?
Ans. Bhakti movement rose in North India.
Q 40 – What was the unique feature of most of the saints?
Ans. The unique feature of most of the saints is that their works were composed in regional languages and could be sung. These transmitted orally by most deprived communities and women.
Q 41 – What did Tulsidas conceive?
Ans. Tulsidas conceived of God in the form of Rama. He composed Ramcharitmanas which is a world-famous epic and is important both as an expression of his devotion and as a literary work.
Q 42 – Who was Surdas?
Ans. Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. He wrote many Chhanda and Dohas which have been compiled in the form of Sursagara, Sahitya Lahari and Surasaravali etc.
Q 43 – Which was the widely accepted idea?
Ans. The idea that all living things pass through countless cycles of birth and rebirth performing good deeds and bad came to be widely accepted. The belief that social privileges came from birth in a ‘noble’ family or a “high’ caste was the subject of many learned texts.
Q 44 – Who was Shankara and what was his thought?
Ans. One of the most influential philosophers of India Shankara was bom in Kerala in the 8th century. He was an advocate of Advaita or the doctrine of the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God which is the Ultimate Reality. He taught that Brahman, the only or Ultimate Reality, was formless and without any attributes.
Q 45 – Who was Ramanuja? Describe.
Ans. Ramanuja, bom in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century, was deeply influenced by the Alvars. Intense devotion to Vishnu was means of attaining salvation. He followed doctrine of Vishishtadvaita. His doctrine greatly inspired the new strand of bhakti which developed in north India subsequently.
Q 46 – What do you understand about Virashaiva movement?
Ans. Virashaiva movement was initiated by Basavanna and his companions Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi in Karnataka in mid-12th century. They argued strongly for equality of all human beings, opposed Brahmanical ideas on caste and treatment of women. They were also against all forms of ritual and idol worship.
Q 47 – Who were Sufis? What did Sufis believe in?
Ans. Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings. Islam emphasizes monotheism (one God). It rejected idol worship and highlights into collective prayers. Sufis composed poems expressing their feelings and a rich literature in prose, including anecdotes and fables, developed around them.
Q 48 – Give the name of some Sufis.
Ans. Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi were the great Sufis in central Asia and in India there were Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti of Ajmer, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki of Delhi, Baba Farid of Punjab, Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Bandanawaz Gisudaraz of Gulbarga.
Q 49 – Describe, the main pillars of Islam.
Ans. Main pillars of Islam are as under:
- Belief in one God and Muhammad as his prophet;
- Essential to perform five times Namaz;
- Give charity (Zakat) to the poor people (2.5% of the savings);
- Those who have wealth, should go to Haj atleast once in the life;
- Fasting in the month of Ramadan (Arabic month) for those who are healthy.
Q 50 – Who wore Nayanars and Alvars?
Ans. New religious movements, led by the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (devoted to Vishnu) emerged between 7th to 9th centuries. Saints and followers of these religious movements had all castes including untouchable like the Pulaiyar and the Panars.
The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited, and set them to music. There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to different caste backgrounds such as potters, untouchable workers, peasants, hunters, soldiers, Brahmanas and chiefs. The best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar. There are two sets of compilations of their songs-Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.
There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal. Tondaradippodi Alvar and Nammalvar. Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabandham.
Q 51 – Give the names of saints of Maharashtra. What were their thoughts?
Ans. Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram, Sakhubai and the family of Chokhamela focused on the bhakti of Vitthala (a form of Vishnu). All these were saints of Maharashtra. They rejected all forms of ritualism, outward display of piety and social differences based on birth. Some saints belonged to lower:castes. The idea of renunciation was rejected and they preferred to live with their families.
Q 52 – Give names of some important saints of the bhakti movement. Describe any two of saints.
Ans. Important saints of the bhakti movement are Kabir, Surdas, Tulsidas, Dadu Dayal, Ravidas, Mirabai, Baba Guru Nanak etc.
Kabir: Kabir was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas or weavers near the city of Benares. His ideas are found in the form of sakhis and pads. Kabir’s verses are also in the Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vani and Bijak which is collection of Kabir’s verses
Kabir’s 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. The language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people.
Baba Guru Nanak: Baba Guru Nanak bom at Talwandi (presently in Pakistan). He established a centre at Kartarpur (Dera Baba Nanak) on the bank of river Ravi. The sacred space thus created by Baba Gum Nanak was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurdwara
Gum Angad compiled the compositions of Baba Gum Nanak, to which he added his own in a new script known as Gurmukhi. The three successors of Gum Angad also wrote under the name of “Nanak” and all of their compositions were compiled by Gum Aijan in 1604. Later, this holy scripture of the Sikhs called as Gum Granth Sahib. This was authenticated by Gum Gobind Singh.