HISTORY: OUR PASTS-II Chapter 3- DEVOTIONAL PATHS
TO THE DIVINE
1.
The Buddha questioned social differences
Shankaradeva Namghar
Nizamuddin Auliya Sufi saint
Nayanars Worship of Shiva
Alvars Worship of Vishnu
2. Fill in the blanks:
a) Shankara was an advocate of ________.
b) Ramanuja was influenced by the ________.
c) ________, ________ and ________ were advocates of Virashaivism.
d) ________ was an important centre of the Bhakti tradition in Maharashtra.
Answer:
a) Advaita.
b) Alvars.
c) Basavanna, Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi.
d) Vitthala temple.
3. Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas, and Yogis.
Answer: Beliefs and Practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas, and Yogis
a) Criticism of ritual and other aspects of conventional religion.
b) Renunciation of the world.
c) Path of salvation in meditation on the formless.
d) Ultimate reality and realisation of oneness.
e) Intense training of mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises,
and meditation.
4. What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?
Answer: Major ideas expressed by Kabir and his way of expressing them:
a) Rejection of orthodox religion and religious traditions.
b) Religion was is accessible to all.
c) Criticism of all external worship of Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam
d) No caste system.
e) Belief in formless God.
f) Bhakti and devotion is the only path of salvation.
g) He expressed his ideas through couplets.
5. What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?
Answer: Sufis were Muslim mystics.
a) They rejected outward religiosity and gave emphasis on love and devotion to God.
b) They inspired people to be compassionate towards all fellow human beings. They
rejected idol worship and considerably simplified rituals of worship into collective
prayers.
c) They believed that the heart can be trained to look at the world in a different way.
d) They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr, meaning chanting of a name or
sacred formula, contemplation, sama i.e. singing, raqs, i.e. dancing, discussion of
parables, breath control etc. under the guidance of a master called pir.
6. Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?
Answer: Yes, many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices because they had
numerous shortcomings and they promoted division in society.
8. For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards
caste.
Answer: Attitude of the Virashaivas towards caste :
a) They believed in the equality of all human beings.
b) They were against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women.
c) They wished for a society where people of all backgrounds could live in harmony
without any feelings of high and low, rich and poor.
9. Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?
Answer: Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar. But she had
no interest in the worldly affair. She was an ardent devotee of Krishna and wanted to devote her
time to the worship of her lord. She had no belief in princely status and other norms of high-
class society. Her devotion to her deity was supreme. Hence, she left the royal palace and began
to lend. Simple life with ordinary people.
10. What are the important works of suharwardi saints?
Ans The suharwardi’s preached the doctrine of love, piety and humanism from village to
village in Kashmir. The greatest number of Malfuzat or hagiographic literature was
produced by suharwardi saints like Baba Dawood Khaki, Mullah Ali Raina, Mullah
Haider Tulmulli and Baba Naseb Ud Din Ghazi.
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