Bhakti & Sufi — Set 1

Correct Answer: B. Lord Vishnu

• **Alvars** = Tamil poet-saints devoted to Lord Vishnu; key figures in South Indian Bhakti movement. • **12 Alvars**, active **6th–9th centuries CE** — hymns compiled in **Nalayira Divya Prabandham** (4000 divine verses). • Andal = only female Alvar; Nammalvar = most celebrated; Alvars founded the Srivaishnava tradition. • 💡 Lord Brahma = not a Bhakti target; Lord Shiva = worshipped by Nayanars (not Alvars); Goddess Shakti = Shakta saints — Alvars exclusively devoted to Vishnu.

Correct Answer: C. Nayanars

• **Nayanars** = 63 Tamil Shaiva saints devoted to Lord Shiva; active **6th–8th centuries CE** in Tamil Nadu. • Compositions compiled in **Tevaram** (by Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnana Sambandhar) and broader **Tirumurai** anthology. • Most celebrated Nayanars: **Appar, Thirugnana Sambandhar, Sundarar** — called the 'Trinity of Nayanars'. • 💡 Sufis = Islamic mystics (not Tamil saints); Alvars = Vaishnava saints devoted to Vishnu; Tirthankaras = Jain teachers — Nayanars alone are Shaiva Tamil saints.

Correct Answer: C. Tulsidas

• **Tulsidas** authored **Ramcharitmanas** (c. 1574 CE) in **Awadhi** language — a retelling of Ramayana for common people. • Also wrote **Vinay Patrika, Kavitavali, Hanuman Chalisa** — total 12 works; considered greatest Hindi poet. • Ramcharitmanas divided into 7 Kandas; composed in **Doha-Chaupai** metre at Varanasi and Ayodhya. • 💡 Kabir = dohas in Sadhukkadi; Ramananda = Hindi Bhakti pioneer (Tulsidas's tradition); Surdas = Sursagar on Krishna — only Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi.

Correct Answer: C. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

• **Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti** founded the **Chishti Sufi order in India** at **Ajmer**, Rajasthan (late 12th century). • Arrived in India around **1192 CE** during Prithviraj Chauhan's reign; believed to have witnessed Battle of Tarain. • His **Dargah at Ajmer** (Ajmer Sharif) is India's most visited shrine — pilgrims of all faiths attend Urs festival. • 💡 Nizamuddin Auliya = Chishti master of Delhi (disciple lineage); Baba Farid = Chishti saint of Punjab; Bakhtiyar Kaki = Chishti Delhi saint — but Moinuddin Chishti alone founded the order in India.

Correct Answer: B. Punjab and Sindh

• **Suhrawardi Sufi order** was most popular in **Punjab and Sindh** in medieval India. • Unlike Chishtis, Suhrawardis **accepted royal patronage** and held government positions — key doctrinal difference. • **Sheikh Bahauddin Zakariya** of Multan = most prominent Suhrawardi saint; received patronage from Iltutmish. • 💡 Gujarat = Shattari order stronghold; Deccan = Chishti/Qadiri influence; Bengal/Orissa = Firdausi order — only Punjab and Sindh were Suhrawardi heartland.

Correct Answer: A. Advaita Vedanta

• **Adi Shankaracharya** propounded **Advaita Vedanta** (Non-dualism) — Atman and Brahman are identical. • Born **788 CE** in Kalady, Kerala; consolidated Vedic thought by age 32; wrote commentaries on Upanishads, Gita, Brahmasutras. • Established **4 Mathas**: Sringeri (South), Dwarka (West), Puri (East), Badrinath/Joshimath (North). • 💡 Shuddhadvaita = Vallabhacharya's philosophy; Dvaita = Madhvacharya's (soul ≠ Brahman); Vishishtadvaita = Ramanujacharya's — Shankaracharya alone taught pure Advaita (non-dualism).

Correct Answer: A. Ramananda

• **Ramananda** = Guru of Kabir; Vaishnava saint who broke caste barriers in Bhakti movement (15th century). • Ramananda preached in **Hindi** (not Sanskrit), making Bhakti accessible to masses regardless of caste or gender. • His disciples included Kabir (weaver), Raidas (cobbler), Dhanna (farmer) — cross-caste Bhakti lineage. • 💡 Vallabhacharya = Guru of Surdas (not Kabir); Chaitanya = Bengal Vaishnava saint (Kabir's contemporary); Namdev = Maharashtra Bhakti saint — only Ramananda was Kabir's Guru.

Correct Answer: D. Braj/Rajasthani

• **Mirabai** composed devotional songs in **Braj Bhasha** and **Rajasthani** dialects — accessible to common people. • A Rajput princess (married into Mewar royal family), she became an ardent devotee of **Lord Krishna**. • Her poems are called **'Padavali'** — expressing intense personal love (Madhurya Bhakti) for Krishna as husband. • 💡 Awadhi = Tulsidas (Ramcharitmanas); Tamil = Alvars/Nayanars; Persian = Sufi literature — Mirabai's dialect = Braj/Rajasthani.

Correct Answer: A. Talwandi (Nankana Sahib)

• **Guru Nanak Dev** was born in **1469 CE** at **Talwandi** — now called **Nankana Sahib** in modern Pakistan. • Founder of **Sikhism** and first of the **10 Sikh Gurus**; preached **'Ik Onkar'** (one God) and human equality. • Traveled extensively (**Udasis**) to Mecca, Baghdad, Sri Lanka, and across India spreading his message. • 💡 Patna = birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru); Amritsar = Golden Temple city (founded by 4th Guru); Anandpur Sahib = Guru Gobind Singh's city — Guru Nanak born = Talwandi.

Correct Answer: C. A hospice or rest house

• **Khanqah** = a Sufi **hospice/monastery** where saints lived, taught disciples, and provided community service. • Served as center for **spiritual training**, meditation, and Langar (free food) for all — irrespective of caste or religion. • The Khanqah system made Sufism a **mass movement** across medieval India; Chishti Khanqahs were the most influential. • 💡 Musical instrument = Rabab/Sarangi (used in Sufi music); Holy book = Quran; Prayer mat = Sajjadah — Khanqah = Sufi hospice/monastery.