Nath panthis

Many Hindu yogis adopted the practice of attaining supernatural powers. The most famous among then was Gorakhnath. The followers of Gorakhnath were called Nath panthis. They denounced the caste system and privileges claimed by Brahamanas. The path they preached was called ‘Tantra’.

Bhakti movement

At the intellectual level the most serious challenge to Buddhism and Jainism was posed by Sankara who reformulated the Hindu society.

Sankara philosophy is called ‘ADVAITAVADA’ OR THE DOCTRINE OF NON-DUALISM according to Sankara, god and created world was one. The differences were apparent but not real and arose due to ignorance. The way towards salvation was devotion to God. Strengthened by the knowledge that the God and created beings were one and same and this philosophy is called Vedanta.

In 11th century another tamous scholar Ramanuja tried to assimilate Bhakti to the tradition of Vedas. he argued that grace of God was more important than knowledge about him in order to attain salvation. The tradition established by Ramanuja was followed by number of Thinkers such as Madhavacharya and in North India by Ramananda, Vallabhacharya and others.

The another leader of Bhakti movement was Nimbarkara a young contemporary of Ramanuja. He was a worshipper of Krishna and Radha.

Madhavacharya rank with Shankar and Ramanuja as one of the three principal philosophers of Vedanta system. His view was that the final aim of man is the direct perception. of Hari which leads Moksha. Release from transmigration can be achieved only by means of knowledge and devotion.

Ramanand has been described as the bridge between the Bhakti movement of the south and north. He was a follower of Ramanuja and was born in 1200 at Prayag. He substituted the worship of Rama in placeof Vishnu. His discriples included Ravidas who was a cobbler, Kabir a weaver, Sen a barber and Sadhana a butcher.

Among those who were most critical of the existing social order and made a strong plea for Hindu Muslim unit, the name of Kabir and Nanak stand out.

Kabir emphasized the unity of god who he called by several name. He strongly denounced idol worship, piligrimage, taking part in formal worship such as namaz.

he didn’t consider it necessary to abandon the life of normal at household for the sake of saintly life.

He strongly denounced idol worship, piligrimage, taking part in formal worship such as namaz.

He didn’t consider it necessary to abandon the life of normal at household for the sake of saintly life.

He strongly denounced the caste system and emphasized the fundamental unity of man. However he was not a social reformer, his emphasis being reform of individual under the guidance of true guru or teacher. Followers of Kabir shrunk into a sect called the Kabir Panthis.

Guru Nanak, from whose teachings the Sikh religion derived, was born in Khatri household in village of Talwandi in 1469 A.D.

Nanak laid emphasis on oneness unity of god. His concept of god was Nirguna and Nirakkar. He composed hymns and sang them to the accompaniment of the rabab played by his faithful attendant Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana.

Nanak laid emphasis on purity of character and conduct as first condition of approaching god and need of Guru for guidance. He advocated middle path in which spiritual life could be combined with the duties of householder.

Chaitanya popularized musical gathering or Kirtan as a special form of mystic experiences.

During the 15th century, the monistic ideas of great Arab philospher Ibn-I-Arabi became very much popular. He held that all being is essentially one and every thing is manifestation of divine substances. Thus in the opinion different religions were identical. Arab’s doctrine of unity of being is known as Tauhid-I-Wajudi.

Abdul Wahid Belgrami wrote a treatise Haqaiq-I-Hind in which he tried to explain such words as Krishna, Gopis, Murli and Radha in Sufi mystic terms.

Vaishnavism-These were far important sampradayas of Vaishnavism. Their names were Shri Sampradaya, Brahma Sampradaya, Rudra Sampradaya, Sanakadi Sampradaya, Ramanuja propagated Shri Sampradaya. His followers believed in Advaitvad. Brahma Sampradaya was propagated by Madhavacharya. It’s followers were Dvaitvadis. The followers of Rudra Sampradaya were Advait vadi as it was propagated by Vishnu Swami and Vallabhacharya. The followers of Sanakadi Sampradaya were Dvaita Advaitvadi and it was propogated by Nimbaka Charya.

South india

Growth of Bhakti movement in South India was led by series of popular saints called Nyannars and Alvars. The chief object of their worship was Shiva and Vishnu. They spoke and wrote in Tamil and Telgu.

Another popular movement which arose around the 12th century was Lingayat of Vir Shaiva movement. Its founder was Basava and his nephew Channabasava who lived at the courts of Kalchuri kings of Karnataka.

Ramanuja (Born 1018 A.D) He gave a sound philoshipical basis to the Bhakti cult of Vaishnavas. he expounded Vishistadavita.

Madhavacharya – (1199-1278) – He was the fountain head of Bhakti movement in Karnatka and the founder of Davita school of Philosophy.

Umapati Shivacharya – He was a prolific writer and eight of the fourteen authoritative philosophical treatise on Shaivism is attributed to him.

Jnandeva – (1175-1296 A.D.) – he was progenitor of Bhakti movement in Maharastra. His father Vittal Panth was  a disciple of Ramananda.

Namdeva – (1270-1350 A.D.) – He belonged to the Chilpi Caste. he was a disciple of Visoba Khechar and Nirguna Upasaka. Some of his abhangas are included in Guru Granth Sahib.

Ekanath (1548 A.D.) - He was the grandson of well known saint Bhanudasa. He was opposed to caste distinction and evinced greatest sympathy for men of low caste.

Tukaram - He was a farmer’s son and great devotee of Vittal. He was opposed to caste distinction and evinced greatest sympathy for men of low caste.

Ramadasa (1608) - He established ashramas all over India it was from him that Shivaji received the inspiration to overthrow Muslim authority and found the kingdom.

North india

Ramananda - The Bhakti movement was spread in north by Ramananda who was greatly influenced by the teaching of Ramanuja. He ignored the traditional barrier of caste and creed and had among his disciple-Raidasa, the cobbler, Kabir the weaver, Dhanna the jat farmer and Sena, the barber.

Kabir (1398 A.D.) - He was the most important of disciples of Ramananda. The God he worshipped was the formless one. He sharply condemened caste and religious distinctions and taught the brotherhood of man. One of his leading followers Dhanadasa formed the Dharmadasi branch of Kabir Panth.

Raidas - He was from mystic Nirguns school. He composed songs brimming with love and devotion. After him his follower formed the Raidasa Panth. Rani Jhali of Chittor became his disciple.

Charandasa - He was a Nirguna upasaka and practised yoga but he was a great devotee of Srikrishna.

Gurunanak - (1469-1539 A.D.) Gurunanak the founder of Sikhism was a mystique of Nirguna school. But his followers branched off from Hinduism and founded a seperate religious system. He became a wandering preacher of a casteless, universal, ethical, antiritualistic and monotheistic and highly spritual religion.

Sur Dasa (1483-1513 A.D.) - He belongs to Saguna school. He was a disciple of famous religious teacher Vallabhacharya. He sang the glory of Krishna’s childhood and youth in his Surasagra.

Tulsi Das (1532-1623 A.D.) - He belongs to Saguna school of Hindu Mystics. He composed the famous Ramacharitamanas.

Chaitanya (1486-1533 A.D.) - The popularity of Vaishnavism in Bengal is due to Sri Chaitanya of Gamanga. He came under the influence of Vaishnava saint Ishvarapuri. He spread the message that raag marg or path of spontaneous love was the best for salvation.

Sikh gurus

Guru Nanak (1469-1538 A.D.) - Founded Sikh religion.

Guru Angad (1538-1522 A.D.) - Invented the Gurumukhi.

Guru Amar Das (1552-1574) - Struggled against Sati and purdha system. Established 22 Gaddiyans to propogate religion.

Guru Ramdas - Founded Amritsar in 1677 (Akbar granted the land)

Guru Arjun - Founded ‘Swarna Mandir’, composed ‘Adigranth’ and appointed mansad and meura for religious work. He was executed by Jahangir.

Guru Hargovind - Transformed Sikhs into militant community established ‘Akal Takhta’ and fortified Amritsar.

Guru Har Rai

Guru Har Krishan

Guru Teg Bahadur -He was executed by Aurangzeb.

Guru Govind Singh - He was the last Guru. He founded Khalsa Army and introduced a new rite ‘Pahul’.

Hindu religious ideas

Vishisht Advaita of Ramanujacharya – it means qualified monism. The ultimate reality according to its Brahman (god) who is imminent in matter and individual souls and controls them from within.

Sivadvaita of Shankracharya – He propounded the view that Shiva endowed with Shakti is ultimate Brahman who pervades the universe and exist beyond it.

Dwaitadwait of Madhavacharya – According to this dualism the worlds is not an illusion but a reality full of real distinctions. God, mattern and soul are all unique in their nature and are irreducible to each other.

Daaitadvaita of Nimbarkacharya – According to this dualistic monism Brahman really transformed himself into the world and souls which are real and distinct and different from god, but cannot exist without its support.

Suddadvaita Vedanta of Vallabhacharya – Vallabha’s philosophy is known as Pushtimarga and his school by the name Rudrasampradaya. he identified Brahamana with Srikrishna.

Achintyabheadabhedvada of Chaitanya god according to Chaitanya is Krishna. He is full of infinite love and bliss. He is full of infinite power and consciousness. Radha is the power of Krishna, there is no difference between him and Radha. Although infinite he incarnates in form of finite mortals and is subject to love. Bhakti or devotion is only means of liberation.

Sufism

Those saints among the muslims who advocated a life of purity and renunciation were called Sufis. Another view is that the word Sufi came out of the word Sooph meaning wool.

Sufism sprang from the doctrine of Wahadat-ul-wujud or unity of being. This doctrine was propounded by Shaikh Muhi-ud-din Ibnul Arabi (1165-1240 A.D.)

One of the earliest Sufis was a woman saint Rabnia of Basra who laid great emphasis on love as bond between god and individual soul.

An important contribution to development of Sufism was made by Mansur-Al-Halaj in 10th century A.d. He conceived the relation of god with man as infusion of divine into human soul. He provided the basis for development of the doctrine of Insan I-Kamil. (The perfect man)

Farib-ud-din Atar wrote 114 books on Sufism. he also compiled autobiographies and sayings of Muslim saints in Tadhkirat-al-Auliya, which is considered to be a source book for study of early Sufism.

Jalal-Ud-Din Rumi left a vast store of spiritual knowledge in his ‘Masnavi’.

Al-Ghazzali who is venerated both by the orthodox elements and Sufis tried to reconcile mysticism with Islamic orthodoxy.

The Sufis were organized in 12 order or “Silsilahs” . The silsilahs were generally led by a prominent mystic who lived in “Khanqah” along with his disciples.

The link between the teacher or “Pir” and his disciple or “Murids” was a vital part of Sufi system. Every Pir nominated a successor or “Wali” to carry out work.

The sufi orders are widely divided into two Basahara that is those who followed the Islamic law and Be-Sahara that is those which were not bound by it. Of the Be-sahara movement only two acquired significant influence. These were Chisti and suharwardi Silsilahs.

Chisti order

The Chisti order was founded by Khwaja Abdul Chisti in Herat. It was brought to India by Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti (1141-1236). He arrived at Lahore in 1161 A.d. and settled at Ajmer about 1206 A.D.

Two of the important disciples of Shaikh Muinudin were Shaik Hamid-ud-din and Shaik Qutub-ud-din Bhaktiyar Kaki. Kaki came to Delhi during the rule of Iltutmish.

Shak Farid-ud-din Ganj-I-shakar was desciple of Kaki. He worked in Hansi And Ajodhan. His outlook was so broad and humane that someof his verse are found quoted in Adi-granth of Sikhs. Sultan balban was devoted to Baba Farid.

However, the most famous of Chisti saints were Nizamuddin Auliya and Nasiruddin Chriag-IU-Delhi. Auliya was generally known as Mahbud-I-Iiahi (beloved of god).

An important Chisti center was established at Nagaur by Shaik Hamid-ud-din naguri.

They made themselves popular by adopting musical recitation called ‘Sama’ to create mood of nearness to god.

Suhrawardi Silsila – it was founded by Shaikh Shihabuddin Suhrwardi. The credit of organizing it on sound basis goes to Shaik bahauddin Zakariya. Its main centers were Multan. Saints of this orders had big Jagirs and had closed contact with state.

Firdausi Silsila – It was first established in Delhi by Shaik Badruddin of Samark, but later on its moved to Bihar and Became the most influential mystic order. It most distinguished saint was Shaik Shamasuddin Yahya Munair who believed in Pantheistic monoism.

Shattari Silsila – It was founded in India by Shah Abdullah Shattari. It was however under Shaik Muhammad Ghauth of Gwalior that the order developed to its full statue. Among his discriple were the famous musician Tansen. The Shattari saints sought to synthesize Hindu and mystical Muslim thoughts to practice.

Qadiri Silsila – Shah Niamatula Qadri was probably the first notable saint of this order to enter India but it was Syed Mayhdum Muhammad Jilani who organized it on efficieve basis. Dara Shikoh the eldest son of Shah Jahan was followed of this order.

Naqshbandi Silsila – This silsila was introduced in India by Khwaja Baqi Billah during the later years of Akbar’s reign who came from Kabul and settled of Delhi. It attained a position of great importance in India under the leadership of Shaik Ahmad Sirhindi. he was opposed to Pantheistic philosophy (wahdut-ul-wujud) and propounded the theory of (wahdut-ul-Shudud).

Mahdawi Movement – It was initiated by Syed Muhammad Mahadi of Jaunpur who promised Mahdi to set al things right. He concentrated his energies on regeneration of peoples.

Raushaniyah Movement – The movement owed its origin to Miyan Bayazid Ansari a native of Jallandur. He emphasized inter organization of religious rites and inspired his followers with the ideal of ascetic self-denial.