history chapter
Class 7 important facts
The Idea of a
Supreme God
The idea that all
living things pass through countless cycles of birth and rebirth performing
good deeds and bad came to be widely accepted. Similarly, the idea that all
human beings are not equal even at birth gained ground during this period. The
belief that social privileges came from birth in a “noble” family or a “high”
caste was the subject of many learned texts.
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.
in the Bhagavadgita,
the idea of a Supreme God who could deliver humans from such bondage if
approached with devotion (or bhakti)
Shiva, Vishnu and Durga as supreme deities came to be
worshipped through elaborate rituals.
the Puranas also laid down that it was possible for devotees
to receive the grace of God regardless of their caste status.
A New Kind of
Bhakti in South India – Nayanars and Alvars
Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints
devoted to Vishnu) who came from all castesin the seventh to ninth centuries including those considered “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.
Nayanars and Alvars 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.
Between the tenth and twelfth centuries the Chola and Pandya
kings built elaborate temples around many of the shrines visited by the
saint-poets
Hagiographies(Writing
of saints’ lives) or religious biographies of the Alvars and Nayanars
were also composed.
Philosophy and
Bhakti
Shankara, one of the most influential philosophers of India ,
was born 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 which is 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,
born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century,
According to him the best means of attaining salvation was
through intense devotion to Vishnu.
He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita
Ramanuja’s doctrine greatly developed in north India subsequently.
Basavanna’s
Virashaivism
Virashaiva movement initiated by Basavanna and his
companions like Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi.
This movement began
in Karnataka in the mid-twelfth century.
The Virashaivas argued strongly for the equality of all
human beings and against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of
women.
They were also
against all forms of ritual and idol worship.
The Saints of Maharashtra
The most important among them were Janeshwar, Namdev, Eknath
and Tukaram as well as women like Sakkubai and the family of Chokhamela, who
belonged to the “untouchable” Mahar caste.
This regional tradition of bhakti focused on the Vitthala (a form of Vishnu)
temple in Pandharpur, as well as on the notion of a personal god residing in
the hearts of all people.
These saint-poets rejected all forms of ritualism
In fact they even rejected the idea of renunciation and
preferred to live with their families
the famous Gujarati
saint Narsi Mehta said, “They are Vaishnavas who understand the pain of
others.”
Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis
They advocated renunciation of the world.
Path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless Ultimate Reality and the realisation of oneness . To achieve this they advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.
These groups became particularly popular among “low” castes.
Islam and Sufism
Islam propagated strict monotheism or submission to one God.
It also rejected idol worship and believed in collective prayers.
Muslim scholars developed a holy law called Shariat.
Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings.
The Sufis often rejected the elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars. They sought union with God much as a lover seeks his beloved
Sufis composed poems expressing their feelings, and a rich literature in prose, including anecdotes and fables.
the great Sufis of Central Asia were Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi.
They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr (chanting of a name or sacred formula), contemplation, sama (singing), raqs (dancing), discussion of parables, breath control, etc. under the guidance of a master or pir.
The tomb or dargah of a Sufi saint became a place of pilgrimage
Silsilas, a genealogy of Sufi teachers were established.Major silsilas were established by Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki of Delhi, Baba Farid of Punjab, Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Bandanawaz Gisudaraz of Gulbarga.
Hospice House of rest for travellers, especially one kept by a religious order.
New Religious Developments in North India The period
The period after the thirteenth century saw a new wave of the bhakti movement in north India.
Some of them like Kabir and Baba Guru Nanak rejected all orthodox religions. Others like 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. Tulsidas’s composition, the Ramcharitmanas, written in Awadhi (a language used in eastern Uttar Pradesh).
Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. His compositions, compiled in the Sursagara, Surasaravali and Sahitya Lahari.
Shankaradeva of Assam (late fifteenth century) who 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
Other saints like Dadu Dayal, Ravidas and Mirabai.
Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar in the sixteenth century. Mirabai became a disciple of Ravidas, a saint from a caste considered “untouchable”. She was
devoted to 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 masses in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
A Closer Look: Kabir
He was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas or weavers settled in or near the city of Benares (Varanasi).
We get to know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads said to have been composed by him and sung by wandering bhajan singers. Some of these were later collected and preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vani and Bijak. Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement(showing strong feeling;), rejection of the major religious traditions. His teachings openly criticized 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. Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion. A Closer Look: Baba Guru Nanak Guru Nanak (1469-1539) Born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib in Pakistan)
Guru g establishing a centre at Kartarpur (Dera Baba Nanak on the river Ravi.
Teachings of guru Nanak
He emphasized the importance of the worship of one God. He insisted that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation.
He himself used the terms nam, dan and isnan for the essence of his teaching, which actually meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.
His teachings are now remembered as nam-japna, kirt-karna and vand-chhakna, which also underline the importance of right belief and worship, honest living, and helping others.
Dharmsal.
The sacred space created by Guru Nanak was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurdwara.
Before his death in 1539, Guru Nanak appointed one of his followers as his successor. His name was Lehna but he came to be known as Guru Angad.
Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Guru Nanak, to which he added his own in a new script known as Gurmukhi. The three successors of Guru Angad also wrote under the name of “Nanak” and all of their compositions were compiled by Guru Arjun in 1604.
In 1706 this compilation was authenticated by his son and successor, Guru Gobind Singh. It is now known as Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis
They advocated renunciation of the world.
Path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless Ultimate Reality and the realisation of oneness . To achieve this they advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.
These groups became particularly popular among “low” castes.
Islam and Sufism
Islam propagated strict monotheism or submission to one God.
It also rejected idol worship and believed in collective prayers.
Muslim scholars developed a holy law called Shariat.
Sufis were Muslim mystics. They rejected outward religiosity and emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings.
The Sufis often rejected the elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars. They sought union with God much as a lover seeks his beloved
Sufis composed poems expressing their feelings, and a rich literature in prose, including anecdotes and fables.
the great Sufis of Central Asia were Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi.
They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr (chanting of a name or sacred formula), contemplation, sama (singing), raqs (dancing), discussion of parables, breath control, etc. under the guidance of a master or pir.
The tomb or dargah of a Sufi saint became a place of pilgrimage
Silsilas, a genealogy of Sufi teachers were established.Major silsilas were established by Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki of Delhi, Baba Farid of Punjab, Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Bandanawaz Gisudaraz of Gulbarga.
Hospice House of rest for travellers, especially one kept by a religious order.
New Religious Developments in North India The period
The period after the thirteenth century saw a new wave of the bhakti movement in north India.
Some of them like Kabir and Baba Guru Nanak rejected all orthodox religions. Others like 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. Tulsidas’s composition, the Ramcharitmanas, written in Awadhi (a language used in eastern Uttar Pradesh).
Surdas was an ardent devotee of Krishna. His compositions, compiled in the Sursagara, Surasaravali and Sahitya Lahari.
Shankaradeva of Assam (late fifteenth century) who 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
Other saints like Dadu Dayal, Ravidas and Mirabai.
Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar in the sixteenth century. Mirabai became a disciple of Ravidas, a saint from a caste considered “untouchable”. She was
devoted to 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 masses in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
A Closer Look: Kabir
He was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas or weavers settled in or near the city of Benares (Varanasi).
We get to know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads said to have been composed by him and sung by wandering bhajan singers. Some of these were later collected and preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib, Panch Vani and Bijak. Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement(showing strong feeling;), rejection of the major religious traditions. His teachings openly criticized 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. Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion. A Closer Look: Baba Guru Nanak Guru Nanak (1469-1539) Born at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib in Pakistan)
Guru g establishing a centre at Kartarpur (Dera Baba Nanak on the river Ravi.
Teachings of guru Nanak
He emphasized the importance of the worship of one God. He insisted that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation.
He himself used the terms nam, dan and isnan for the essence of his teaching, which actually meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.
His teachings are now remembered as nam-japna, kirt-karna and vand-chhakna, which also underline the importance of right belief and worship, honest living, and helping others.
Dharmsal.
The sacred space created by Guru Nanak was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurdwara.
Before his death in 1539, Guru Nanak appointed one of his followers as his successor. His name was Lehna but he came to be known as Guru Angad.
Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Guru Nanak, to which he added his own in a new script known as Gurmukhi. The three successors of Guru Angad also wrote under the name of “Nanak” and all of their compositions were compiled by Guru Arjun in 1604.
In 1706 this compilation was authenticated by his son and successor, Guru Gobind Singh. It is now known as Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of the Sikhs.
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