6th Standard, Social, History, Chapter 16
Indian Ideology and Bhakti cult
Exercises
I Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
1 Guru Nanak’s song are called as Japji
2 The holy book of Sikh is Guru Granth Sahib
3 The birth place of Ramanujacharya is Sriperambudur
4 Saint Meerabai is known as ‘Radha of Kaliyug’.
II Answer the following questions.
1 What were the reforms made by Shankaracharya?
Answer: The reforms made by Shankaracharya are as follows.
1. Shankara brought many reforms in the Hindu society of that time and led the people on the path of knowledge.
2. Through Advaita Philosphy he preached that all mankind are one and equal.
3. Shankara became a social reformer by stopping the conflicts between the castes
4. Shankara established Peethas (mathas) at Badarinatha (Uttarakhand), Dwarake (Gujarat), Puri (Odisha) and Sringeri (Karnataka). These served as emotional and religious centres for uniting Indians.
Shankara wrote many scriptures. His work Bhaja Govindam is popular even today. It is surprising that Shankara achieved so much within his 32 years of life span.
2 What are the teachings of Basaveshvara?
Answer: The teachings of Basaveshvara are as follows.
1 . Basavanna aimed at building a casteless and classless society.
2. ‘Work is Worship’ (Kayakave Kailasa) was one of his main teachings.
3. Basaveshwara condemned casteism, idol worship and sacrifices. He stated, ‘one’s body itself is a temple’.
4. His words ‘woman is a mother, she is everything’ gave confidence to women who had lost their voice.
5. He established ‘Anubhava Mantapa’ at Basavakalyana. It was a platform for the Vachanakaras.
6. Basaveshwar had composed more than thousands of Vachanas. They end with a pen name ‘Kudala Sangamadeva’.
3 What is the importance of vachana literature? Name some vachanakaras.
Answer: The ‘Vachana’ is a distinct literary genre. The vachana literature could be read like prose or sung like a poem. There were Vachanakaras (one who write vachanas) like Jedara Dasimayya, Allamaprabhu, Chenna Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi and others. They belonged to all castes and class. The thoughts expressed in the vachanas are relevant even today.
4 What did the Bhakti saints preach?
Answer: The Bhakti saints preached the path of bhakti or devotion towards God. They believed that Bhakti is the only way to earn God’s grace. This approach to God is known as the Bhakti culture.
5 Who were the major Sufi saints of India?
Answer: The major Sufi saints of India are Nizamuddin Auliya, Bandenawaz, Moyinuddin Chisti, Salim Chisti, Baba Budan and Budan-al-din.
6 State the effects of the Bhakti Movement.
Answer: The effects of the Bhakti Movement are as follows.
1 . The Bhakti saints were responsible for creating harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims.
2. The Bhakti saints composed literature in the regional languages. As a result, Indian languages were enriched.
7 Where is the Darga of Bandenawaz?
Answer: Darga of Bandenawaz is in Kalaburgi.
8 Which is the famous work of Tulasidas?
Answer: The famous work of Tulasidas is Ramcharitamanasa’.
9 What is the famous quotation of Guru Nanak?
Answer: The famous quotation of Guru Nanak is ‘‘Even if I have a lakh tongues, I will chant the name of one God on all those tongues’’.
10 What is the gist of Bhakti Cult?
Answer: The gist of Bhakti Cult are as follows.
1 .The Bhakti cult condemned discrimination between superior and inferior and preached equality.
2. The Bhakti saints opposed and ridiculed outdated customs.
3. The Sufi saints proclaimed that religion meant love of all and service to mankind. They maintained that there is only one God, not many.
4. The saints took up the task of uniting the hearts of the people.
III. Discuss in groups and answer:
1 . The relevance of the teachings of the Bhakti saints.
Answer: Our country is a land of saints and sages. Hundreds of saints have taken birth here from time to time. They brought about social harmony and encouraged the people to walk on the right path. They also exposed the social ills.
The saints preached the path of bhakti or devotion towards God. They believed that Bhakti is the only way to earn God’s grace. This approach to God is known as the Bhakti cult. The Bhakti cult condemned discrimination between superior and inferior and preached equality. The Bhakti cult took up the task of uniting the hearts of the people. The Bhakti saints were responsible for creating harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims.
2. Discuss the changes brought by Social Reformers.
Answer: Many great Social Reformers were born in India. They not only guided the people through their teachings but also undertook active social reforms. Their reforms eradicated ignorance and evil practices among the people. Their impact is spread even today. They encouraged caste harmony. They were responsible for building several grand temples in India. The Social reformers aimed at building a casteless and classless society. The thoughts expressed in the vachanas are relevant even today. They condemned discrimination between superior and inferior and preached equality. They opposed and ridiculed outdated customs. The reformers took up the task of uniting the hearts of the people. The Social reformers composed literature in the regional languages. As a result, Indian languages were enriched.
Additional Questions:
1 . What are the reforms of Ramanujacharya?
Answer: The reforms of Ramanujacharya are,
1. Ramanuja encouraged caste harmony.
2. By condemning caste-ism, he preached the principle of Bhakti to all castes.
3. He said that devotion and surrendering are very important for salvation.
4. He told to surrender to God without any desires.
5. He asserted that one can attain salvation through the path of devotion.
6. Ramanuja was responsible for building several grand temples in Melukote and south India.
2. What are the reforms Madhwacharya?
Answer: The reforms Madhwacharya are as follows.
1 . Madhvacharya composed many works in Sanskrit relating to Madhva philosophy.
2. He appointed eight pontiffs to perform regular pujas of Lord Sri Krishna at Udupi.
3. He preached the simple path of Bhakti (devotion).
3. What are the features of Bhakti Cult?
Answer: The features of Bhakti Cult are as follows.
1 .The Bhakti cult condemned discrimination between superior and inferior and preached equality.
2. The Bhakti saints opposed and ridiculed outdated customs.
3. The Sufi saints proclaimed that religion meant love of all and service to mankind. They maintained that there is only one God, not many.
4. The saints took up the task of uniting the hearts of the people.
4. Write a short note about Sri Chaitanya.
Answer: Sri Chaitanya was born in West Bengal. Chaitanya condemned caste discrimination. He preached that Bhakti was the only path to the realization of God (mukti). His teachings were rooted in love, brotherhood and charity. He went on sacred pilgrimage throughout India spreading the message of love.
5. Explain the reforms of Meerabai.
Answer: Saint Meerabai, who is revered as the ‘Radha of Kaliyug’, was also a great composer of songs. She was born in a royal family of Rajputs in Rajasthan. She considered Lord Krishna as her deity. Her mother-in-law strongly objected to her worshipping of Krishna. Meera could not withstand this and left the palace forever and went to Brindavan, the holy place associated with Lord Krishna. The feelings of bhakti and love are prominent in her compositions. Giridhar Gopal is the deity she worshipped. Through her bhajans, Meera finds a permanent place in the hearts of millions.
Activities
1 Read the biographies of Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Basaveshvara and Madhvacharya.
2 Collect any ten vachanas of Basaveshvara.
3 Collect the names of vachanakaras and their pen-names.
4 Dress yourselves as Acharyas, saints and Sharanas and narrate their teachings on the stage during celebrations in the school.
5 “Do not steal, do not kill, do not lie, do not rage, do not loathe the other, do not brag of yourself, and do not revile the opponent. This itself is inner purity. This itself is outer purity. This alone is the way to win our Koodalasangamadeva” What are the values found in this vachana? Do we find these values being practised in our society? If not collect the reason and discuss.
6 Collect and write the teachings of Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya.
7 Collect the pictures of the Bhakti saints with details.
8 Read the biographies of Sri Chaitanya, Guru Nanak, Meerabai, Tulsidas, Kabir, Surdas and the Sufi saints.
9 Listen to Meera bhajans.
10 Collect more details about sufism from the internet. Discuss their influence on India’s multi-religious society and their relevance in the present context, and prepare a report of one page.
