← GPSC syllabus
GPSC (Gujarat)Stage 2: Main Examination
The Bhakti Movement
What the official syllabus says
GPSC Main Examination, Paper IV: General Studies-I, (A) History.
- The Bhakti Movement.
Topics in detail
Study the movement as a whole (origins, ideas, social message) and then its regional streams. Gujarat's own saint-poets are an essential part of the answer in this exam.
Origins and ideas
- Roots in the Bhagavad Gita and the Puranas; the Alvars (Vaishnava) and Nayanars (Shaiva) of Tamil country
- Philosophers: Shankaracharya (Advaita, the four mathas including Dwarka), Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita), Madhva (Dvaita), Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya (Shuddhadvaita, Pushtimarg)
- Saguna and nirguna bhakti; devotion over ritual; use of the people's languages
- Social message: questioning caste and ritual, equality before God, place of women saints
Regional streams
- North India: Ramananda, Kabir, Ravidas, Tulsidas, Surdas, Guru Nanak
- Maharashtra: Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram (the Varkari tradition)
- Bengal and Odisha: Chaitanya and Gaudiya Vaishnavism
- Karnataka: Basavanna and the Virashaivas; the Haridasas
- Rajasthan and Gujarat: Mirabai and her association with Dwarka
Bhakti in Gujarat
- Narsinh Mehta of Junagadh (15th century): prabhatiyas and padas; 'Vaishnav Jan To'
- Bhalan and Premanand: the akhyana form; Premanand's Okhaharan and Sudama Charit
- Akho: chhappa verses mocking hypocrisy and ritual
- Dayaram: garbis of Krishna devotion
- Other saint-poets: Pritam, Dhiro, Bhojo Bhagat
- Pushtimarg of Vallabhacharya and its strong following among Gujarat's merchant communities
- Swaminarayan Sampradaya: Sahajanand Swami (early 19th century), its temples at Ahmedabad, Vadtal and Gadhada
- Jalaram Bapa of Virpur and the tradition of sadavrat (free food)
- Sant-vani and bhajan traditions of Saurashtra and Kachchh
Sufism alongside Bhakti
- Chishti and Suhrawardi orders; the shared idiom of devotion
- Sufi centres in Gujarat such as Sarkhej Roza (Shaikh Ahmad Khattu)
- Kabir and the Sant tradition as a bridge between Bhakti and Sufi ideas
Impact
- Growth of regional languages and literatures
- Challenge to caste hierarchy and its limits
- Influence on later reformers and on Gandhi, who made Narsinh Mehta's 'Vaishnav Jan To' part of his prayer meetings
Saint-poets of Gujarat
| Saint | Period | Remembered for |
|---|---|---|
| Narsinh Mehta | 15th century | Prabhatiyas; 'Vaishnav Jan To'; first great Gujarati poet |
| Mirabai | 16th century | Krishna bhakti; associated with Dwarka |
| Premanand | 17th century | Akhyanas such as Okhaharan and Sudama Charit |
| Akho | 17th century | Chhappa verses against hypocrisy |
| Dayaram | 18th to 19th century | Garbis of Krishna devotion |
| Jalaram Bapa | 19th century | Service and free food at Virpur |
Other sects and traditions of Gujarat
- Pranami sect of Devchandra and Prannath (Jamnagar)
- Kabirpanth followers in Gujarat
- Santram Mandir, Nadiad
- Shakti worship at Ambaji, Pavagadh and Bahucharaji alongside Vaishnava devotion
Overlaps
- Prelims General Studies has 'The Bhakti Movement and Sufism' and the saintly tradition of India and Gujarat.
- Gujarat's saint-poets are also Gujarati literature: see Gujarat: Art, Literature, Architecture, Music and Theatre.