Question

Who among the following was known as a Nirguna saint and reformer?
A. Saint Kabir
B. Surdas
C. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
D. Tulsidas

Answer 1

Hint: The Bhakti Movement was a religious revolution started by the Hindu saints. They wanted to bring reforms in the religion by adopting methods of devotion and achieving salvation.

Complete answer: The Bhakti movement had two divisions, the Nirguna and Saguna. Saguna worship meant worshipping God with form and Nirguna worship is worshipping God without any form. Bhakti means devotion and Gyana means knowledge. They are not different from each other. Saint Kabir Das was a Nirguna saint and reformer. He was one of the main leaders of the Bhakti movement.
Nirguna means formless. The Bhakti movement influenced a large number of people in India. The origin of the Nirguna creed can be traced back to the Buddhist and Brahmanical period in India. Between the seventh and tenth century, the Bhakti transformed from a religious doctrine to a social movement which preached equality irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Between the period of 14th and 17th, the rise of monotheistic saints like Kabir, Nanak and Raidas and other lower castes were significantly different. Kabir affiliated himself neither to Hinduism nor Islam. He criticised both these religions. Kabir preached that a person who is righteous, truth is always on their side, he considered all living beings on earth as equal and gave up all worldly possessions.
Looking at the options:
Option A: Saint Kabir was a renowned Nirguna Bhakti saint. Hence this is the correct answer.
Option B: Surdas was a Hindu poet and singer. Hence this is an incorrect answer.
Option C: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a devotee of Krishna. Hence this is an incorrect answer.
Option D: Tulsidas was a devotee of Ram. Hence this is not correct.
Option A is correct.

Note: The followers of Kabir are known as Kabir Panthis. The Kabir Panth is a religious group that carries forward the legacy of Kabir. Two temples dedicated to him are located in Banaras. One is maintained by the Hindus, the other by Muslims.