Bhakti Movement: and Philosophy of Shankaracharya

BHAKTI
MOVEMENT
AND PHILOSOPHY OF
SHANKARACHARYA .
DIKSHA SIDDHESHWAR KAMBLE.

TA426
PAPER VI, HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL
INDIA.
Starting of Bhakti Movement
Bhakti Movement started from South India, by Alvaras and Nayanars.
Alvaras are the devotees of Lord Vishnu and Nayanars are devotees of
Lord Shiva. These devotees travelled to various places singing hymns in
praise of their Gods. Many temples were built that became sacred places of
pilgrimage.
Some of the causes of the rise in the Bhakti movement

• Evil practices in Hinduism
• Fear of spread of Islam
• Caste systems
• Complicated ritualism
• Need for fulfilling method of worship and salvation.
Bhakti movement was divided into two branches
A.Saguna
B. Nirguna
Some Saints in bhakti movement
Shankara
Integrated the essence of Buddhism in Hindu thought and interpreted the ancient
Vedic religion.
Consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.
Ramanuja
He was propounder of bhakti movement. Gave the concept of
vishishtdwaiwada. He was belive in saguna branches. He told about 5 kind of
brahma (the supreme power).
He also permitted the shudrasto enter the temples once in year.
Nimbaraka
born near nimbapur. He was called an incarvatuon of Sudarshan chakra. He was a
contemporary of Ramanuja.
He gave the philosophy of dwaitadwaitvada.
according to him, an individual gets moksha by worshiping radha-Krishna.
Ramanand
the first great bhakti saint of north india. Worshipper of lord rama. He had a diciples
from every caste. He was the guru of Kabir.
Ladies were also his disciples like padmavati, surseer.
Founded a sect known as Vairagi.
ramananda was the first Vaishnava saint, who preacted to the people in hindi.
Kabir
It is said that Kabir took Diksha from Sufi Shaikh Taqi. He was Social Reformer.
He was the follower of Nirguna Branch.
His followers are known as Kabir-Panthi.
Guru Nanak
The followers of Nanak are called Sikh.
He used both Hindu and Muslim nomenclature of God, Rama, Govinda, Hari, Murari
Rab, and Rahim.
Nanak was revolutionary reformer like Kabir.
Vallabhacharya
He was greatly influenced by Rudra Sampradaya (sect) of Vishnu Swami. At
vijaynagar court, he proved himself and got the title of ‘jagadguru mahaprabhu
shrimadacharya’. At last he took ‘Jal Samadhi’ at hanuman ghat.
His philosophy is known by the name of Pushti margi darshan. He started a
philosophical text based on shuddhawaitavada, that is anubhashya but died, then his
son Goswami Vitthaldasa completed Anubhashya.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
He had also a great saint. There been Vaishnavism in Bengal long before his birth
but Chaitanya accepted that Krishna alone is the most perfect God.
Kirtan System was given by Chaitanya.
Namdev
By profession, he was a tailor. Earliar, he belived in saguna stream but on diverted
toward the Nirguna Branch.
Ravidas
Contemporary of Kabir. He was a cobbler (charmer). Belived in Nirguna Stream.
Dadu Dayal
He was known earlier by the name of Mahabali, Follow the Nirguna Branch.
Mirabai
She was the follower of lord Krushna. Wrote some poetic stanzas on lord Krishna.
Surdas
Wrote always on lord Krushna’s Activities. Like the Sur Saraswati, the Sahitya
Lahari, the Sur Sagar etc.
Regarded as the outstanding devotional poet in Brajbhasha.
Tulsidas
worshipper or devotee of lord Rama. Wrote The Ramcharitramanas, the
geetawali, the kavitavali, and The Vinaya Patrika.
He also used Arabic and Persian words in his Writtings.
Eknath
He wrote commentary on verses of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Devotee of Vithoba.
Dnyanesvar
Wrote "Dnyanesvari", a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita.
Tukaram
Contemporary of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He is Devotee of Vithal and he
founded the Varkari sect.
His teachings are contained in Abhangas.
Ram Das
Author of Dasabodh.
His teachings inspired Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to establish an independent
kingdom in Maharashtra.
Effects of bhakti Movement
• Introduced Social giving like Seva.

• Introduced dana (charity).
• Community kitchens with free food.
• Believed in Non-violence (Ahimsa).
• Helping poor farmers and feeding poor people.
• Providing free hostels for poor people.
• Promoting folk culture.
Philosophy of Shankaracharya
Ultimate Reality, according to Shankara, is Atman or
Brahman which is Pure Consciousness (jnana-svarupa)
or Consciousness of the Pure Self (svarupa-jnana)
which is devoid of all attributes (nirguna) and all
categories of the intellect (nirvishesa). Brahman
associated with its potency (shakti) maya or mulvidya
appears as the qualified Brahman (saguna or savishesa
or apara Brahma) or the Lord (Ishvara) who is the
creator, preserver and destroyer of this world which is
His appearance.
Jïva or the individual self is a subject-object
complex. Its subject element is Pure Consciousness and
is called the Saksi.
Its object element is the internal organ called the antahkarana which is bhautika as it is
composed of all the five elements, with the predominance of tejas which makes it always
active except in deep sleep or states like swoon or trance. The source of the internal organ is
Avidya which causes individuality. In perception, the internal organ, when a sense-organ
comes into contact with an object, assumes the ‘form’ of that object. It is the vitti or the mode
of the internal organ. This vitti inspired by the Saksi takes the form of empirical knowledge.
In waking state, the internal organ is aided by the senses; in dream state, it functions by itself;
and in deep sleep it is lost in its cause Avidya. In this state too individuality persists because
the Saksi is associated with Avidya. In liberation, Avidya is destroyed by dynana and the
Saksi is realized as the Brahman which it always is.
Maya or Avidya is not pure illusion. It is not only absence of knowledge. It is also
positive wrong knowledge. It is a cross of the real and the unreal (satyanrte mithuni krtya).
In fact it is indescribable.
It is neither existent nor non-existent nor both. It is not existent for the existent is only the
Brahman. It is not non-existent for it is responsible for the appearance of the Brahman as the
world. It cannot be both existent and non-existent for this conception is self-contradictory. It
is called neither real nor unreal (sadasadvilaksana). It is false or mithya. But it is not a non-
entity like a hare's horn (tuchchhavanishes). It is positive (bhavarupa). It is potency (shakti).
It is also called superimposition (adhyasa). A shell is mistaken as silver.
The shell is the ground on which the silver is superimposed. When right knowledge (prama)
arises, this error (bhranti or bhrama) vanishes. The relation between the shell and the silver
is neither that of identity nor of difference nor of both. It unique and is known as non-
difference (tadatmya). Similarly, Brahman is the ground on which the world appears
through Maya. When right knowledge dawns and the essential unity of the jiva with the
Paramatman is realized, Maya or Avidya vanishes. Shankara emphasizes that from the
phenomenal point of view the world is quite real. It is not an illusion. It is a practical
reality. He distinguishes the dream state from the waking state. Things seen in a dream are
quite true as long as the dream lasts, they are sublated only when we are awake. Similarly,
the world is quite real so long as true knowledge does not dawn. But dreams are private.
They are creations of the jiva (jivasrsta). The world is public. It is the creation of Ishvara
(Ishvara-srsta). Jiva is ignorant of the essential unity and takes only diversity as true and
wrongly regards himself as agent and enjoyer. Avidya conceals the unity (avarapa) and
projects names and forms (viksepa). Ishvara never misses the unity. Maya has only its
viksepa aspect over him. The Highest Brahman (Para-Brahma) is both the locus (ashraya) and
the object (visaya) of Maya. When the jiva realizes through knowledge and knowledge
alone, karma being subsidiary, this essential unity, liberation is attained here and now
(jivan-mukti) and final release (videha-mukti) is obtained after the death of the body.

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BHAKTI

DIKSHA SIDDHESHWAR KAMBLE.

Some of the causes of the rise in the Bhakti movement

• Introduced Social giving like Seva.

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