Bhakti Movement in Medieval India: a Study Rakesh Kumar M.Phil

International Journal of Research e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 05 Issue 04 February 2018 Bhakti Movement in Medieval India: A Study Rakesh Kumar M.Phil. Scholar Dept. Of History, MDU Rohtak ABSTRACT Religious Movements in Medieval Development of the Bhakti movement and India, attempts to explore the Bhakti shown how the ideologies, social bases and movement in Medieval India. Beginning organisational structures in different parts from the 7th century A.D. to the 18th of the country have given a distinct shape to century, Medieval India saw a phenomenal this movement. This paper will be a useful outpouring of religiosity in the vernacular supplement for scholars working in the oral traditions on themes ranging from social and religious history of medieval dilemmas of everyday life to the mysteries of India. Scholars of religious study, sociology the Universe. Scholars have focused on the and women’s studies would find this paper analysis of the texts, philosophic constructs of general interest in order to understand of the social aspects enlightening us with the religious traditions of south Asia in all many readings. While any one cannot be its diversity. reduced to another the study of Bhakti KEY WORDS: Social Criticism, Bhakti demands a holistic an integrated approach drawing analytical tools from many Movement, Saguna And Nirguna Ideology. disciplines. The 19th century saw a INTRODUCTION: rediscovery of many sacred texts that contributed to the construction of Hinduism The most powerful characteristic of the as a monolith. The process of reducing medieval age in India was the Bhakti orality to textuality saw the whole sale standardization of very vibrant, dynamic movement. Bhakti as a religious concept and diverse religious practices. Historically means devotional surrender to a personally the religious beliefs and practices of the conceived supreme God for attaining Hindus were too divergent to constitute a salvation. The origin of this doctrine has coherent, monolith Religious system. A been traced to both the Brahmanical and historical gaze at Hinduism clearly points Buddhist traditions of ancient India and to out that to view this, as a single religious system is not correct and a distortion of the various scriptures such as the Gita. But it heterogeneous religious practices of its was for the first time in South India between people. Throughout history alternate spaces the 7th and the 10th century that Bhakti have been created and bhakti was one such emerged from a mere religious doctrine into medium. The present paper is an attempt to a popular movement based on religious explore this movement in its different equality and broad-based social dimensions in various regions of India. It participation. The movement which was also highlights the attitude of the male bhaktas towards women and the creation of spearheaded by popular saint-poets reached an alternative space by women. Using a its apex in the 10th century after which it variety of Sources inscriptions and literary began to decline. However, it was revamped texts the author has traced the growth and as a philosophical and ideological Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJR/ P a g e | 1277 International Journal of Research e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 05 Issue 04 February 2018 movement by a series of ambulatory HISTORICAL BACKGROUND scholars or acharyas, beginning with The medieval Bhakti movement has Ramanuja in the 11th century. The undoubtedly been the most widespread, far ranging and multi-faceted movement to have establishment of the Sultanate of Delhi affected the Indian subcontinent. In its coincided with many widespread socio- genesis, the objective of the movement was religious movements in various parts of the individual salvation and mystical union with country drawing upon the concepts of god, rather than a change in the living bhakti. These movements have been condition of the masses. But it became a perceived as revival of the older South platform for the marginalised sections to Indian bhakti movement. But each one of protest against social inequalities based on the „varna‟ system and vedic scriptures, its these later movements had a historical custodians (the Brahmins who had the sole context of its own and its own peculiarities. right to interpret them) and its benefactors (the kings and the aristocracy). In my paper, I would like to review the Bhakti movement MEANING OF BHAKTI MOVEMENT as a socialist criticismand will be drawing Usaually it is accepted that the most upon the social philosophies of major saints, characteristic feature of the religious Kabir and Nanak in particular, who were the development during the medieval period exemplars of social reformation. was the movement which emphasized During the rule of the Gupta dynasty single-minded intense devotion to god. It in Northern India from fourth to sixth was a complete surrender of oneself to God. centuries AD, the Hindu culture came to be The movement which emphasized primarily firmly established. They called themselves these ideas was the Bhakti movement- the bhagvatas- devotees of God – and devotion to God. Bhakti to God was identified themselves with the lineage of accepted as salvation. Lord Vishnu; thus establishing the precedent of a royalty blessed by divinity and kingship MAIN FEATURES OF THE BHAKTI by heredity. The language of the gods i.e. MOVEMENT Sanskrit became the official language of the Unity of God or one God though state. These ideas were instantaneously known by different names. lapped up by the Dravidians, who called Bhakti, intense love and devotion,the themselvesthe descendants of Lord Brahma only way to salvation. and became the upholders of the Vedic Repetition of the True Name. tradition.The inception of Bhakti in the sixth Self-Surrender. century South India was thus the logical Condemnation of rituals, ceremonies result of its interaction with the North and blind faith. whichled to the emergence of a rigidly caste Rejections of idols worship by many ridden society with oppressing policies saints. towards the lower caste shudras and Open-mindedness about deciding mlecchas. The presence of reformative and religious matters. humanitarian religions like Jainism and No distinction of different castes, Buddhism, which had provided an higher or low. opportune escape for the oppressed masses, also led to the transformation of Vedic Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/IJR/ P a g e | 1278 International Journal of Research e-ISSN: 2348-6848 p-ISSN: 2348-795X Available at https://edupediapublications.org/journals Volume 05 Issue 04 February 2018 ideology into sympathetic religions of Ramanuja (11th century) was the first Shaivism and Vaishnavism to dissuade among them. He gave philosophical people from converting. Although Shiva justification for bhakti. He tried to establish bhakti was more popular in the agrarian a careful balance between orthodox setup, it subsumed under its fold the various Brahmanism and popular bhakti which was Shakti cults (i.e. primitive local deities) as open to all. Though he did not support the continuing forms of worship. Emerging idea of the lower castes having access to the from Tantriks and Nathpanthi sadhus (under Vedas, he advocated bhakti as a mode of Gorakhnath) which existed in the northern worship accessible to all including the and western parts of India, these movements Sudras and even the outcastes. While began the protests against caste and gender propagating bhakti, he did not observe caste barriers which prohibited the people from distinctions and even tried to eradicate worshipping their personal gods in their untouchability. Nimbarka, a Telegu vernacular. The temple gates were forced Brahman, is believed to have been a younger open and the lower castes were allowed to contemporary of Ramanuja. He spent most join in the worship rituals. This marked a of his time in Vrindavan near Mathura in radical step towards the departure from North India. He believed in total devotion to institutionalised religion. While the southern Krishna and Radha. Another South Indian movement of Bhakti was fundamentally vaishnavite bhakti philosopher was egalitarian in spirit, it hardly denounced the Madhava who belonged to the 13th century. caste system or Brahmanical privileges. Like Ramanuja he did not dispute orthodox Thereafter, it developed in eleventh and Brahmanical restriction of the Vedic study twelfth century Karnataka as the Virashaivas by the Sudras. He believed that bhakti (developed from the Shaiva cult, also known provided alternate avenue of worship to the as Lingayats),the outrightly iconoclastic Sudras. His philosophical system was based sect, questioning the conventions of on the Bhagvat Purana. He is also believed Brahmanical orthodoxy, deconstructing to have toured North India. The last two sacrificial rituals, inducing social reform, prominent vaishnava acharyas were and propagating the Puranic religion. Thus, Ramananda (late 14th and early 15th both of these movements were “revolts from century) and Vallabha (late 15th and early within”, i.e. they induced a sense of 16th century). liberality in the social structure and made In the thirteenth and fourteenth use of vernacular forms of Prakrit as more century, the movement swiftly spread acceptable forms of Bhakti hymns. The upwards. In Maharashtra, under the aegis

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