Devotional Paths

DEVOTIONAL PATHS TO THE DIVINE
Q/A
Q1. Who were Nayanars and Alvars? How did they spread their ideas?
Ans. Nayanars and Alvars were were bhakti saints devoted to lord Shiva and Vishnu
respectively. They went from place to place, composing exquisite poems in praise of their
deities.
Q2. Define the term Hagiography.

Ans. The word Hagios means holy/saint and Graphia means writing. Hagiography is
therefore, the writings of the lives of saints.
Q3. What were the beliefs of the Virashaivas?

Ans. (i) The Virashaiva movement was started by Basavanna and his companions Allama
Prabhu and Akkamahadevi.
(ii) The Virashaivas argued against ideas about caste and treatment of women.
(iii) They were also against all forms of ritual and idol worship.
Q4. Write a note on the Bhakti saints of Maharashtra.

Ans. (i) A great number of saint poets like – Janeshwar, Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram arose
in Maharashtra.
(ii) They rejected all forms of ritualism and social differences based on birth.
(iii) They rejected the ideas of renunciation and preferred to live with their families.
(iv) They insisted that Bhakti lay in sharing the pain of others.
Q5. How did the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis aim to achieve salvation?
Ans. (i) They advocated renunciation of the world.
(ii) To them the path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless Ultimate Reality.
(iii) To achieve the unity with Ultimate Reality they advocated training of the mind and
body through yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation.
Q6. Who were Sufis and what their beliefs?

Ans. (i) Sufis were Muslim mystics who rejected outward religiosity.
(ii) They emphasized love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow
human beings.
(iii) Sufis composed poems expression their feelings for their God.
(iv) They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr (chanting of name), sama
(singing), raqs (dancing) etc.
Q7. What were hospices? Elaborate on their importance.

Ans. Rest houses for travellers, maintained by Sufi saints are called Hospices or Khanqah.
Their importance was –
(i) Devotees of all descriptions including royalty, flocked to these Khanqahs.
(ii) People discussed spiritual matters with the saint and sought his help in solving
their worldly problems.
Q8. Write short notes on Tulsidas, Surdas, Chaitanyadeva and Shankaradeva.

Ans. (i) Goswami Tulsidas – He imagined God in the form of Lord Rama. He composed the
famous poem Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi language.
(ii) Surdas – Was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. He composed many poems such
as; Sursagara, Surasaravalli and Sahitya Lahari.
(iii) Chaitanyadeva – Was a bhakti saint from Bengal. He preached selfless devotion to
Radha-Krishna.
(iv) Shankaradeva – Was a bhakti saint of Assam who emphasized devotion to Lord
Vishnu. He began the practice of setting up namghar or house of recitation and
prayer.
Q9. State the relevance of Mirabai.

Ans. (i) Mirabai was a Rajput princess who became a disciple of saint Ravidas.
(ii) She was devoted to Lord Krishna and composed numerous bhajans dedicated to
him.
(iii) Her songs challenged the norms of caste system and are still very popular.
Q10. What were the major ideas Kabir? How did he express them?
Ans. Kabir was a very influential saint of the 15th- 16th centuries. His ideas were –
(i) He rejected all major religious traditions and caste system.
(ii) He openly ridiculed all forms of external worship.
(iii) He believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to
salvation was through bhakti or devotion.
(iv) He used the language of the ordinary people and gained followers from both
Hinduism and Islam.
Q11. What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?

Ans. Baba Guru Nanak was the first Guru of the Sikhs. His teachings were –
(i) He emphasized the importance of one God.
(ii) He insisted that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation.
(iii) His idea of liberation was not a state of inert bliss but rather the pursuit of active
life with a strong sense of social commitment.
(iv) He used the terms nam (right worship), dan (welfare of others) and isnan (purity
of conduct).
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DEVOTIONAL PATHS TO THE DIVINE

Q2. Define the term Hagiography.

Q3. What were the beliefs of the Virashaivas?

Q4. Write a note on the Bhakti saints of Maharashtra.

Q6. Who were Sufis and what their beliefs?

Q7. What were hospices? Elaborate on their importance.

Q8. Write short notes on Tulsidas, Surdas, Chaitanyadeva and Shankaradeva.

Q9. State the relevance of Mirabai.

Q11. What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?

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