Page 44 - Journeys Through Society-7

Development of Bhakti Movement in North India Ramanuja: The Vaishnava saint, Ramanuja was a saint
After the South India the Bhakti movement spread to
North India which was witnessing major social and
religious changes under the influence of Brahmanical
Hinduism, Islam and Sufism. With the rise of towns
and trade, new social groups were gaining
importance. So they were seeking a religion which
would appeal to them and ensure for them a place in
society.
Some Important Bhakti Saints
The Bhakti saints belonged to various social and caste
backgrounds such as peasants, artisans, weavers,
traders, brahmins, etc. Some important Bhakti saints
are mentioned below:
Surdas: Surdas, the blind poet, composed the poems
about Lord Krishna and they are called Sur Sagar. He
composed many ‘dohas’ or couplets which became
very popular.
Tulsidas: Tulsidas was a devotee of Rama. He also
composed a number of dohas. He wrote the
Ramcharitamanas and Hanuman Chalisa.
Surdas Tulsidas Ramanuja
Shankardev: Shankardev, a bhakti saint of Assam was
an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu and his incarnation
Krishna. Shankardev condemned the caste system.
The religion he preached is practised by a large
population and the sattras (monasteries) that he and
his followers established continue to flourish to this
day.
Saint of Maharashtra: The Vaishnava saint of
Maharashtra called Varakaris were worshippers of
Lord Vishnu. These saints rejected the idea of
renunciation and emphasised the importance of
being a householder while continuing with their
preaching. Sant Namdev, Sant Tukaram, Guru Ramdas
and Sant Jnaneshwar were Marathi saints who
popularised the Bhakti movement in Maharhashtra.
44
from south India who advocated the Bhakti Marga. He
emphasised that love and devotion were necessary
for the worship of God.
Ramananda: Ramanada was a follower of Ramanuja.
He was born in Allahabad in a brahmin family and was
also a worshiper of Lord Vishnu. He was the first
reformer to preach in Hindi. Ravidas (a cobbler), Kabir
( a weaver), Sena (a barber) and Sadhna (a butcher)
were amongst his disciples.
Chaitanya: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vaishnava
saint and devotee of Lord Krishna who popularised
Bhakti in Bengal, Assam and Odisha. He and his
followers are credited with composing a number of
songs in praise of Lord Krishna which are sung during
kirtans.
Mirabai: Mirabai was a Rajput princess who was
married into the royal family of Mewar. She was an
ardent devotee of Lord Krishna since her childhood.
She composed a number of hymns in praise of Krishna
which are popularly known as ‘Mira’s Bhajans’. She
was a disciple of Ravidas, a saint who belonged to a
caste considered untouchable.
Ramananda Chaitanya Mirabai
Kabir: Kabir was a famous Bhakti saint of the 15th
century. Kabir believed in the unity fo God. He was
brought up by a weaver named Neeru. Kabir was also a
weaver by profession and preached in the
neighbourhood of Varanasi.
He preached in the form of couplets called dohas
which he composed in the common dialect. The dohas
composed by Kabir are popular
even today and convey in a simple
language how to lead a life of
wisdom. He rejected the caste
system and the differences based
on it. Most of his followers were
men and women from the so-called
Kabir