Devotional to path of divine

         Exercise question answers History chapter

                Devotional to path of divine

Q1. Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Ideas and Yogis.

Ans; (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  through  meditation on the formless  god and the realisation of  god.
(iv) They advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.

 Q2. What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?

Ans; (i) Kabir’s  teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement, rejection of the major religious traditions.
(ii) He openly criticized   idol  worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam.
(iii) He believed in a formless Supreme God.
(iv) He  stressed on  bhakti or devotion to attain salvation.
He  used  hindi  language  in his poetry. There was also a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads by him.

Q3.  What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?

Ans; (i) They rejected outward religiosity and  stressed 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.

Q4. Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?

Ans;  many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs  and practices  because such beliefs advocated social differences and practicing them was  difficult and cumbersome.

They argued strongly for the equality of all human beings and against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women.

Q5. What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?

Ans; Baba Guru Nanak emphasized the importance of the worship of one God. According to him, caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation.   He gave the motto of nam, dan and isnan, which meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.

Q6. For either the Virashaivas or the sants of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.

Ans; The Virashaivas strongly argued for equality of all human beings. They were against Brahmanical ideas about caste and 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.

 Q7. Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?

Ans; Mira bai was a rajput princess married into royal family of mewar. But she had no interest in the worldly affair. She was an ardent devote e of lord Krishna.  Since Mira bai’s songs openly challenged the existing norms of the ‘upper castes’, ordinary people could relate to them. Hence they preserved her memory.

Extra questions answers

Q.1 Who were the Pulaiyar and the Panars?
Ans. They were considered untouchables belonged to Nayanars sect.

Q.2. How many Alvars were there?
Ans. There were 12 Alvars.

Q. 3. Name the two sets of compilations of Nayanar’s songs.
Ans. Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.

Q.4 Name the set of compilation of Alvars’ songs.
Ans. Divya Prabandham.

Q.5. 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.6. What is abhang?
Ans. It is a Marathi devotional hymn.

Q.7. Name any two saints of Maharashtra.
Ans. Namdev and Tukaram

Q.9. Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia . ..
Ans. Ghazzali and Rumi.                                                  ”

Q.10.What are namghars?                      
Ans. They are houses of recitation and prayer, a practice that continues even today.

Q.11. What was known as dharmsal?
Ans. Baba Guru Nanak created sacred place which was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurudwara.

Q.12. To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?
Ans. Guru Nanak appointed Guru Angad, one of his followers, as his successor.

 SHORTANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. Who were the Nayanars and Alvars? Write about them in brief.
Ans. The Nayanars and Alvars led religious movements in south India during 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  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.2 Who was Ramanuja? What are the main points of his preachings?
Ans:Ramanuja was a Bhakti saint. He was bom in Tamil Nadu in the 11th century. He was deeply influenced by the Alvars. The main points of his preachings are :

(a) Ramanuja  said that  salvation can attained  through intense devotion to Vishnu. Vishnu in His grace helps the devotee to attain the bliss of union with Him.

(b) He propounded the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita or qualified oneness in that the soul even when united with the Supreme God remained distinct.

Q.3 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.They discussed spiritual matters, sought the blessings of the saints in solving their worldly problems or simply attended the music and dance sessions.

Q.4.  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 virtually self-governing body and the modem historians refer to the early 17th century Sikh community as ‘a state within 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.