Bhakti Movement

The term ‘Bhakthi’ refers to ‘devotion’. As a movement, it emphasized on the mutual intense emotional attachment and love of a devotee toward a personal god and of the god for the devotee. This movement originated in South India in the 7th and 10th CE, mostly in the poems of Alvars and Nayanars. These poems were composed in Tamil; the poems were addressed to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva respectively

Bhakti soon spread to North India, appearing most notably in the 10th-century Sanskrit text the Bhagavata-Purana. It swept over east and north India from the 15th century onwards, reached its peak between the 15th and 17th century CE. The Bhakti Saints moved against the austerities propagated by the Buddhist and Jain schools and professed that ultimate devotion to god was the means to salvation.

Factoid: The route of Bhakthi for salvation of a human being was not new, rather in the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu religious text, it is mentioned that the path of Bhakti, or Bhakti-marga, is superior to the two other religious approaches, the path of knowledge (Jnana) and the path of ritual and good works (karma).

Reasons behind the movement

The movement started as a response to the evil practices that had crept into Hinduism. Some of the other reasons which fuelled the spread of the movement across the country were:

  1. The spread of Islam
  2. Emergence of great reformers
  3. Influence of Sufi sects
  4. Influence of Vaishnavism and Shaivism ideologies

Some of the common teachings associated with this movement are:

  1. It preached equality. This was in stark contrast to the reality where the society was divided on the lines of religion, caste, gender etc. Ex: Disciples of Ramananda included a weaver, cobbler, barber
  2. It preached universal brotherhood built on values such as love, care, and affection etc for everyone in the society. Ex: Kabir preached universal brotherhood through his Dohas.
  3. It strove hard to rid the religion and society of evil practices that had crept into the society over the years. Ex: Guru Nanakcondemned caste difference and rituals like bathing in holy rivers. His idea of religion was highly practical and strictly moral.
  4. Perhaps the most important aspect of the movement was its emphasis on the route of ‘Bhakthi’ rather than superficial rituals as the mode to realize god and salvation.
Alvars and Nayanars

    • The Nayanars and Alvars were Tamil poet-saints who played an essential role in the propagation of a Bhakti Movement in the South part of India during the 5th – 10th centuries.
    • Alvars bestowed their belief and devotion to Lord Vishnu
      1. The poetry of the Alvars echoes Bhakti to God through love, and in the ecstasy of such devotions they sang hundreds of songs which embodied both depth of feeling and felicity of expressions
      2. The collection of their hymns is known as Divya Prabandha. The Bhakti literature that sprang from Alvars has contributed to the establishment and sustenance of a culture that broke away from the ritual-oriented Vedic religion and rooted itself in devotion as the only path for salvation.
    • Nayanars bestowed their belief and devotion to Lord Shiva
      1. Among the Nayanars, the poets Nanachampantar, Appar, and Chuntaramurtti(often called “the three”) are worshipped as saints through their images in South Indian temples.
      2. In the 10th century Nambi Andar Nambi collected the hymns of the Nayanars in an anthology called the Tevaram

Leaders associated with the Bhakthi movement in India

The movement developed under two different schools of thought.

  1. Nirgunabhakthi
    • They believed in formless worship
    • It was introduced by Adi Shankara
    • Some of the other Bhakthi saints who preached this school of thought are- Kabir, Guru Nanak, Dadu Dayal etc
  2. Sagunabhakthi
    • It believed in the worship of form.
    • It believed that god is the biggest manifestation of everything perfect
    • It included philosophers such as- Ramanuja, Nimbaraka, Madhva, Vallabha, Meera Bhai, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tulsidas, Surdas etc