Bhakti Movement

The Bhakti movement was a religious reform movement initiated by Hindu saints to follow the path of devotion to reach salvation. In the Indian subcontinent, this movement resulted in numerous rites through practicing devotional rituals among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. They expressed themselves through composing devotional compositions in temples, Gurudwaras, and Masjids. The image of a bhakti singer-songwriter is popular all over the world. Most world civilizations have had bards, who served as chroniclers and satirists, mocking the meaningless conventions of their times while also writing and performing poems.

Here, we will provide information on ‘what is bhakti movement or bhakti religion?’ who started bhakti movement and more details from this article.

Medieval Indian History of Bhakti Movement

In India, the celebrated image of a religious songwriter was fully realized in the Bhakti movement, which was eventually named after him. Perhaps the strict caste structure, the complex ritualism that constituted religion, and the inherent need to transition to a more fulfilling manner of devotion and salvation spurred this movement. ‘Surrender to God’ was emphasized by Bhakti poets. Even now, a modified version of the Bhakti movement is practiced.

The Alvars and Nayanars, Vaishnavite and Shaivite poets, are thought to have started the movement in the Tamil region around the 6th and 7th centuries AD, and their works gained a lot of popularity. These poets, who came from both the upper and lower castes, produced a strong body of literature that has established their place in the popular canon.

Who Started the Bhakti Movement?

The movement started by Basavanna (1105-68) in the 12th century in the Kannada region threatened the caste system. While the orthodoxy held out, the Bhakti movement or bhakti religion in this region produced a rich vein of literature known as Vachana Sahitya, which was written by Basava and his adherents (Akkamahadevi, Allama Prabhu, Devara Dasimayya, and others). These Vachanas were composed of pithy aphorisms and imparted some astute observations on spiritual and social matters in unambiguous language.

Basavanna, the founder of the movement in Karnataka, was King Bijjala's minister. He used his great position to initiate social reform programs, and he saw his verses as a means of reaching out to the masses. He was ultimately defeated by orthodoxy, but he established a new way of thinking in society that has survived to the present day, and he remains an inspirational figure in Karnataka to this day.

The Bhakti movement in Karnataka, and indeed throughout India, challenged the caste system, emphasized the individual's direct connection to god, and the prospect of salvation for all via good deeds and simple living as a social movement. It was a literary movement that freed poetry from singing kings' praises and introduced spiritual themes to poetry. It put an end to Sanskrit metrical forms' hegemony in literature by introducing simple and accessible styles like Vachanas (in Kannada) and other forms in diverse languages.

Background: The Bhakti movement in South India

During the era between the 7th and the 10th centuries, the Saiva Nayanar saints and Vaisnava Alvar saints of South India extended the concept of bhakti to all elements of society, regardless of caste or sex. Some of these saints were women, and some were from lower castes. The saint poets preached bhakti with great emotion and attempted to promote religious equality.

Bhakti and the South Indian Acharyas

When the bhakti movement's popularity in South India was waning, some bright Vaishnava Brahmin scholars (acharyas) defended the concept of bhakti on a philosophical level. The first of them was Ramanuja (11th century). He provided philosophical support for bhakti. He attempted to create a careful balance between orthodox Brahmanism and popular bhakti that was open to all.

Many popular socio-religious movements developed in North and East India and Maharashtra from the 13th to 15th centuries. These movements were marked by a focus on bhakti and religious equality. During the Sultanate period, almost all bhakti movements were linked to one or more South Indian vaishnava achariyas. Many scholars argue that the Sultanate period's bhakti activities were a continuation or resurgence of the previous bhakti movement or bhakti religion for these reasons. They claim that philosophical and ideological links existed between the two as a result of contact or diffusion.

Influences Made by the Bhakti Movement in the Society

The influence of the Bhakti movement is given below:

Socio-Economic Factors

It has been suggested that the medieval Indian bhakti movements (medieval Indian history) represented popular sentiments against feudal oppression. The verses of the bhakti saints, from Kabir and Nanak to Chaitanya and Tulsidas, include aspects of revolutionary rebellion to feudalism, according to this viewpoint. In this light, medieval bhakti movements are frequently viewed as India's counterpart of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. This is also referred to as medieval Indian history.

Socio-Economic Changes

The huge popularity of Kabir, Nanak, Dhanna, Pipa, and other monotheistic movements can only be completely explained in the context of some significant socio-economic developments in the time after the Turkish conquest of Northern India. Unlike the Rajputs, the Turkish ruling class lived in cities. The concentration of resources in the hands of the ruling class resulted from the extraction of massive agricultural surpluses.

The demand for manufactured products, luxuries, and other necessities by this resource-wielding class resulted in the widespread acceptance of many new techniques and crafts. In the 13th and 14th centuries, this resulted in an increase in the number of urban artisans.

Features of Bhakti Movement

There are more features of the bhakti movement. Let us look at some of the features of the bhakti movement here. All of the saints involved with the monotheistic movement have certain similar teachings that give the movement its fundamental unity.

1. The majority of monotheists were from the lower castes and were conscious of a similarity of thought among them. The majority of them were aware of each other's influences and teachings. They reference one other and their ancestors in such a way in their lyrics that it suggests a harmonious ideological affinity between them.

2. The Vaishnava principles of bhakti, the Nathpanthi movement, and Sufism inspired all monotheists in different ways and to varying degrees. The monotheistic movement is the result of a synthesis of these three traditions.

3. There was only one method for monotheists to establish a relationship with God through the personal experience of bhakti. The Vaishnava bhakti saints followed a similar route, but there was one major difference in their perceptions: they were all labeled monotheists since they uncompromisingly believed in one God. Nanak's God was then non-incarnate (Nirankar), eternal (Akal), and ineffable (Alakh). Monotheistic bhakti became Nirguna bhakti rather than Saguna bhakti, as it had been for Vaishnavites who believed in many human incarnations of God.

4. Monotheism took a course that was distinct from both the prominent religions of the time, Hinduism and Islam. They refused allegiance to either of them and criticized both religions' superstitions and orthodox aspects.

List of Important Saints of Bhakti Movement

The important saints of the Bhakti Movement were:

• Ramanuja

• Ramananda

• Sant Dnyaneshwar

• Kabir

• Guru Nanak

• Sant Namdev

• Mira Bai

• Vallabhacharya

• Sant Eknath

• Chaitanya Maha Prabhu

• Samarth Guru Ramdas

• Sant Tukaram

Did you Know?

It will be simpler to understand the eclectic spirit of many modern Indian figures such as Raja Rammohun Roy, Kesab Chandra Sen, Bhai Girish Chandra Sen, Tagore, Gandhi, Abul Kalam Azad, and Ambedkar if we truly understand the medieval bhakti movement.

We can see Ambedkar's reaction to Hindu scriptures in the bhakti movement. It's easy to see why, in a time when communal tensions were at an all-time high, Kabir became a powerful figure for both Gandhi and Tagore.

Conclusion

Thus, in this article we have covered about Bhakti movement and its important aspects. It was said to be a Hindu religious revival movement and said to be occurred during the medieval period in India. It focused on achieving the salvation through devotion. It connected the individual directly with the God and believes in the unity of the God.