Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 6 Devotional Paths To The Divine Notes

May 11, 2022

Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 6 Devotional Paths To The Divine

Textbook	NCERT
Class	7^th
Subject	Social Science (History)
Chapter	6^th
Chapter Name	Devotional Paths To The Divine
Category	Class 7th Social Science (History)
Medium	English
Source	Last Doubt

Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 6 Devotional Paths To The Divine Notes – for example What are the 9 forms of devotion, Why is devotion important in life, How can I improve my devotional life, Why is religious devotion important, Why is devotion important in Hinduism, What are the 6 divine attributes, What are the keys to divine direction, What are the four types of divine attributes, What are devotional habits, What does divine mean spiritually, What are the divine properties of God, What is divine personality, What is soul divine etc. We will read about it in detail

Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 6 Devotional Paths To The Divine

Chapter – 6

Devotional Paths To The Divine

Notes

The Idea of a Supreme God

• Prior to the emergence of large kingdoms, different groups of people worshipped their own gods and goddesses. With the growth of towns, trade and empires people were brought together and new ideas began to develop. The idea that every living thing passes through countless cycles of birth and rebirth performing good and bad deeds was widely accepted.

• Also, the idea that not all human beings are equal in birth as well gained ground. Many learned texts focussed on the belief that social privileges come from birth in a “noble” family or a “high” caste. Uneasy with these ideas, many people turned to the teachings of Buddha or the Jainas, which stressed on the possibility to overcome social differences and break the cycle of rebirth via personal effort.

• Some were also attracted to the idea of a Supreme God, who could deliver humans from such bondage if approached with devotion or bhakti, an idea advocated in the Bhagavad Gita. It grew more popular in the early centuries of the common era. Supreme deities to be worshipped using elaborate rituals include Shiva, Vishnu and Durga. Also, the gods and goddesses worshipped in various areas came to be identified with Shiva, Vishnu or Durga. Local myths and legends became a part of the puranic stories.

• Methods of worship recommended in the Puranas were introduced into the local cults. Puranas also laid down the possibility for devotees to receive the grace of God regardless of their caste status. The idea of bhakti became highly popular and even Buddhists and Jainas adopted these beliefs.

A New Kind of Bhakti in South India – Nayanars and Alvars

• The seventh to ninth centuries saw the emergence of new religious movements, led by the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu).

• The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities.

• Between the tenth and twelfth centuries the Chola and Pandya kings built elaborate temples strengthening the links between the bhakti tradition and temple worship.

Philosophy and Bhakti

• Shankara born in Kerala, one of the most influential philosophers of India advocated Advaita or the doctrine of the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God.

• Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century, was deeply influenced by the Alvars described best means of attaining salvation was through intense devotion to Vishnu.

Basavanna’s Virashaivism

• Virashaiva movement initiated by Basavanna and his companions like Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi.

• This movement began in Karnataka in the mid-twelfth century.

• The Virashaivas argued strongly for the equality of all human beings and against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women.

The Saints of Maharashtra

• From the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries Maharashtra saw a great number of saint-poets such as Dnyaneshwar (Gyaneshwar), Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram as well as women like Sakhubai and the family of Chokhamela, who belonged to the “untouchable” Mahar caste.

• These saint-poets rejected all forms of ritualism.

Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis

• Religious groups emerged during this period- criticised the ritual and other aspects of conventional religion and the social order-used simple, logical arguments-among them were the Nathpanthis, Siddhacharas and Yogis-who advocated renunciation of the world- as per them, the path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless Ultimate Reality and the realisation of oneness with it-advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasanas, breathing exercises and meditation to achieve this- groups became particularly popular among “low” castes-criticism of conventional religion created the ground for devotional religion to become a popular force in northern India.

Islam and Sufism

• Sufis were Muslim mystics who rejected outward religiosity and emphasised love and devotion to God and compassion towards all fellow human beings.

• In the eighth and ninth centuries religious scholars developed different aspects of the Holy Law (Shariat) and theology of Islam.

• The Sufis often rejected the elaborate rituals and codes of behaviour demanded by Muslim religious scholars.

• A large number of Sufis from Central Asia settled in Hindustan from the eleventh century onwards.

• The Sufi masters held their assemblies in their khanqahs or hospices.

New Religious Developments in North India

• The period after the thirteenth century saw a new wave of the bhakti movement in north India.

• People, especially craftspersons, peasants, traders and labourers, thronged to listen to these new saints and spread their ideas.

• Some of them like Kabir and Baba Guru Nanak rejected all orthodox religions.

• Others like Tulsidas and Surdas accepted existing beliefs and practices but wanted to make these accessible to all.

• This tradition also included saints like Dadu Dayal, Ravidas and Mirabai.

• A unique feature of most of the saints is that their works were composed in regional languages and could be sung.

A Closer Look Kabir

• Kabir-lived in the 15th-16th centuries-most influential saints-brought up in a family of Muslim julahas or weavers- settled in or near the city of Benares (Varanasi)-Got to know of his ideas from a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads-said to have been composed by him-sung by wandering bhajan singers-Some were later collected-preserved in the Guru Granth Sahib,

• Panch Vani and Bijak-his teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement, rejection of the major religious traditions-openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam-the pre-eminence of the priestly classes and the caste system- language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people- used cryptic language,

• Which is difficult to follow-believed in a formless Supreme God -preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion-drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims.

A Closer Look Baba Guru Nanak

• Baba Guru Nanak (1469-1539) born at Talwandi and travelled widely before establishing a centre at Kartarpur.

• Before his death in 1539, Baba Guru Nanak appointed one of his followers as his successor known as Guru Angad.

• Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak and added a new script known as Gurmukhi.

• The number of Baba Guru Nanak’s followers increased through the sixteenth century under his successors.

• By the beginning of the seventeenth century the town of Ramdaspur (Amritsar) had developed around the central Gurdwara called Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple).

• The Sikh movement began to get politicised in the seventeenth century.

• Guru Nanak emphasised the importance of the worship of one God.