The Bhakti Movement In Mediaeval India

During the medieval time, a new wave of cultural development emerged in the shape of the Bhakti Movement, giving rise to many cultures, rituals, philosophical and theological traditions, and ideas. Explain the essential aspects of the Bhakti Movement in the main body. Such as God’s oneness, deep love and devotion as the sole means to redemption, self-surrender, formal condemnation, rejection of idol worship, open-mindedness, etc. Religions go through stages of change that are frequently influenced by the local political and social circumstances. Shankaracharya was the first person and scholar who introduced the Bhakti Movement in India. 

What Exactly Is the Bhakti Movement?

The Bhakti movement was a tendency in Hinduism during medieval periods, notably from the late 7th century to the 17th century. The notion of Bhakti originated with Hinduism and is related to complete devotion to God. However, the Bhakti movement emerged later due to changing social and political situations. Two groups of people deemed poets and saints had a significant role in propagating the Bhakti movement. These people were known as the Nayanars and the Alvars. The Nayanars were devotees of Lord Shiva, whereas the Alvars were devotees of Lord Vishnu. Adi Shankaracharya, an 8th-century Hindu religious reformer and scholar, was also instrumental in extending the Bhakti movement throughout India. Shankaracharya is claimed to have been a child genius who knew all of the Hindu sacred books by eight.

The Spread of the Bhakti Movement in Medieval Indian Society

Muslims from adjacent areas began to conquer northern India during the medieval period of Hinduism, during the 7th century. This marked the beginning of an era of Muslim hegemony in India that lasted far into the 1700s. The Bhakti movement arose in part due to the Muslim invasion and governance.

Characteristics of the Bhakti movement

1. The term Bhakti refers to a single-minded devotion to one God. The devotee’s worship is intended to obtain God’s favour for salvation.
2. The Bhakti religion rejected rituals and sacrifices as means of worship, instead emphasising purity of heart and mind, humanism, and devotion as the simplest path to God’s realisation.
3. The Bhakti movement was fundamentally monotheistic, with adherents worshipping a single personal God who may have a form (saguna) or be formless (nirguna). The former’s adherents, known as Vaishnavas, were further classified into Krishna – both avatars of Vishnu – as their personal God. Nirguna Bhakti adherents rejected idol worship. They claimed that God is omnipresent and lives within man’s heart.
4. On the philosophical front, both the Saguna and the Nirguna adhered to the Upanishadic doctrine of Advaita, with slight variations provided by various Bhakti saints.
5. Knowledge (Jana) was recognised as a constituent of bhakti by the Bhakti saints of both North and South India. Because such knowledge might be obtained through a teacher or guru, the Bhakti movement placed a high value on obtaining authentic knowledge through a guru.

The Bhakti Movement’s Beneficial Influence on Medieval Indian Society

Social and political ramifications:

• Several harmful habits had crept into Hindu culture over time. There were a lot of castes and social class division. Several splits had happened. They want some solace to repair their broken hearts
• The most significant social influence of the Bhakti movement was that its adherents disregarded the caste system
• They started mixing on the premise of equality. They ate their meals in the shared kitchen as a group. The movement attempted to break the bonds of caste
• A spirit of harmony among many segments of society and religion was encouraged
• The terrible practise of ‘Sati’ suffered a setback, and the position of women was elevated
• Under the influence of the Bhakti movement, several kings embraced liberal religious policies

Religious ramifications

• The movement sparked an awareness among Hindus and Muslims about the futility of ritualism and superstitions
• The feeling of respect for the differences between the two religions’ philosophies and practices evolved
• The movement promoted religious tolerance
• The holy book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, which was subsequently compiled, includes messages from saints of all religions. This was due to the ethos of tolerance espoused by Bhakti saints

Promotion of ordinary people’s regional languages

• In place of Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian, the Bhakti saints taught in local languages that were easily comprehended
• Kabir’s language, for example, was a mash-up of various ordinary languages. Surdas spoke in the ‘Brij’ dialect. Goswami Tulsidas wrote his writings in the Awadhi language

Conclusion

The Bhakti religion was a vast movement engulfed the whole Indian subcontinent for several centuries. It was a popular movement that piqued the public’s curiosity. There has never been a more broad and popular movement in our nation following the demise of Buddhism than the Bhakti movement. Its fundamental ideas of love and devotion to a personal God were wholly Hindu; the ideas of the oneness of the Godhead upon which its doctrine was founded were also primarily Hindu. Islamic beliefs and practices had a significant impact on the movement. Shankaracharya was a great scholar who contributed his life to this movement.