The Bhakti Movement

What is Bhakti Movement?

The Bhakti movement was a religious reform movement initiated by Hindu saints
to follow the path of devotion to reach salvation. In the Indian subcontinent, this
movement resulted in numerous rites through practicing devotional rituals among
Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. They expressed themselves through composing
devotional composing in Temples, Gurudwaras and Masjids. The image of a bhakti
singer-songwriter is popular all over the world. Most world civilizations have had
bards, who served as chroniclers and satirists, mocking the meaningless
conventions of their times while also writing and performing poems.

Medieval Indian History of Bhakti Movement

In India, the celebrated image of a religious songwriter was fully realized in the Bhakti
movement, which was eventually named after him. Perhaps the strict caste structure,
the complex ritualism that constituted religion, and the inherent need to transition to a
more fulfilling manner of devotion and salvation spurred this movement.

‘Surrender to God’ was emphasized manner by Bhakti poets. Even now, a modified
version of the Bhakti movement is practiced.

The Alvars and Nayanars, Vaishnavite and Shaivite poets, are thought to have started
the movement in the Tamil region around the 6th and 7th centuries AD, and thier works
gained a lot of popularity. These poets, who came from both the upper and lower castes,
produced a strong body of literature that has established their place in the popular
canon.

Who started the bhakti movement?

The movement started by Basavanna (1105-68) in the 12th century in the Kannada region
threatened the caste system. While the orthodoxy held out, the Bhakti movement or
bhakti religion in this region produced a rich vein of literature known as Vachana
Sahitya, which was written by Basava and his adherents(Akkamahadevi, Allama
Prabhu, Devara Dasimayya, and others). These Vachanas were composed of pithy
aphorisms and imparted some astute observations on spiritual and social matters in
unambigous language.
Basavanna, the founder of the movement in Karnataka, was King Bijjala's minister. He
used his great position to initiate social reform programs, and he saw his verses as a
means of reaching out to the masses. He was ultimately defeated by orthodoxy, but he
established a new way of thinking in society that has survived to the present day, and he
remains an inspirational figure in Karnataka to this day.

The Bhakti movement in Karnataka, and indeed throughout India, challenged the caste
system, emphasized the individual's direct connection to god, and the prospect of
salvation for all via good deeds and simple living as a social movement. It was a literary
movement that freed poetry from singing kings' praises and introduced spiritual
themes to poetry. It put an end to Sanskrit metrical forms' hegemony in literature by
introducing simple and accessible styles like Vachanas (in Kannada) and other forms in
diverse languages.

Background: The Bhakti movement in South India

During the era between the 7th and the 10th centuries, the Saiva Nayanar saints and
Vaisnava Alvar saints of South India extended the concept of bhakti to all elements of
society, regardless of caste or sex. Some of these saints were women, and some were
from lower castes. The saint poets preached bhakti with great emotion and attempted
to promote religious equality.

Bhakti and the South Indian Acharyas

When the bhakti movement's popularity in South India was waning, some bright
Vaishnava Brahmin scholars (acharyas) defended the concept of bhakti on a
philosophical level. The first of them was Ramanuja (11th century). He provided
philosophical support for bhakti. He attempted to create a careful balance between
orthodox Brahmanism and popular bhakti that was open to all.

Many popular socio-religious movements developed in North and East India and
Maharashtra from the 13th to 15th centuries. These movements were marked by a focus
on bhakti and religious equality. During the Sultanate period, almost all bhakti
movements were linked to one or more South Indian vaishnava achariyas. Many scholars
argue that the Sultanate period's bhakti activities were a continuation or resurgence of
the previous bhakti movement or bhakti religion for these reasons. They claim that
philosophical and ideological links existed between the two as a result of contact or
diffusion.

Influences Made by the Bhakti Movement in the Society

Socio-Economic Factors

It has been suggested that the medieval Indian bhakti movements (medieval Indian
history) represented popular sentiments against feudal oppression. The verses of the
bhakti saints, from Kabir and Nanak to Chaitanya and Tulsidas, include aspects of
revolutionary rebellion to feudalism, according to this viewpoint. In this light, medieval
bhakti movements are frequently viewed as India's counterpart of the Protestant
Reformation in Europe. This is also referred to as medieval Indian history.

Socio-Economic Changes

The huge popularity of Kabir, Nanak, Dhanna, Pipa, and other monotheistic movements
can only be completely explained in the context of some significant socio-economic
developments in the time after the Turkish conquest of Northern India. Unlike the
Rajputs, the Turkish ruling class lived in cities. The concentration of resources in the
hands of the ruling class resulted from the extraction of massive agricultural surpluses.

The demand for manufactured products, luxuries, and other necessities by this resource-
wielding class resulted in the widespread acceptance of many new techniques and
crafts. In the 13th and 14th centuries, this resulted in an increase in the number of urban
artisans.

Features of Bhakti Movement

There are more features of the bhakti movement. Let us look at some of the features of
the bhakti movement here. All of the saints involved with the monotheistic movement
have certain similar teachings that give the movement its fundamental unity.

1. The majority of monotheists were from the lower castes and were conscious of a
similarity of thought among them. The majority of them were aware of each other's
influences and teachings. They reference one other and their ancestors in such a way
in their lyrics that it suggests a harmonious ideological affinity between them.
2. The Vaishnava principles of bhakti, the Nathpanthi movement, and Sufism inspired
all monotheists in different ways and to varying degrees. The monotheistic
movement is the result of a synthesis of these three traditions.
3. There was only one method for monotheists to establish a relationship with God
through the personal experience of bhakti. The Vaishnava bhakti saints followed a
similar route, but there was one major difference in their perceptions: they were all
labeled monotheists since they uncompromisingly believed in one God. Nanak's God
was then non-incarnate (Nirankar), eternal (Akal), and ineffable (Alakh).
 Monotheistic bhakti became Nirguna bhakti rather than Saguna bhakti, as it had
been for Vaishnavites who believed in many human incarnations of God.
4. Monotheism took a course that was distinct from both the prominent religions of
the time, Hinduism and Islam. They refused allegiance to either of them and
criticized both religions' superstitions and orthodox aspects.

List of Important Saints of Bhakti Movement

The important saints of the Bhakti Movement were:

Ramanuja
Ramananda
Sant Dnyaneshwar
Kabir
Guru Nanak
Sant Namdev
Mira Bai
Vallabhacharya
Sant Eknath
Chaitanya Maha Prabhu
Samarth Guru Ramdas
Sant Tukaram

Did you Know?

It will be simpler to understand the eclectic spirit of many modern Indian figures such as
Raja Rammohun Roy, Kesab Chandra Sen, Bhai Girish Chandra Sen, Tagore, Gandhi,
Abul Kalam Azad, and Ambedkar if we truly understand the medieval bhakti
movement.

We can see Ambedkar's reaction to Hindu scriptures in the bhakti movement. It's easy to
see why, in a time when communal tensions were at an all-time high, Kabir became a
powerful figure for both Gandhi and Tagore.

Conclusion

Thus, in this article we have covered about Bhakti movement and its important aspects.
It was said to be a Hindu religious revival movement and said to be occurred during the
medieval period in India. It focused on achieving the salvation through devotion. It
connected the individual directly with the God and believes in the unity of the God.

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