Bhakti & Sufi — Set 5

Correct Answer: C. Abhangs

• **Saint Tukaram** (1608–1650 CE) = 17th-century Maharashtra poet-saint; famous for **'Abhangs'** (devotional verses). • Varkari saint whose Abhangs are dedicated to **Lord Vithoba** of Pandharpur — written in simple Marathi. • Contemporaneous with Shivaji Maharaj; his Abhangs were compiled as **Gatha** — a spiritual treasure of Marathi literature. • 💡 Dohas = Kabir's couplets (Hindi); Vachanas = Basavanna's prose-poems (Kannada); Shabads = Sikh hymns (Punjabi/Gurmukhi) — Tukaram's devotional verse form = Abhangs.

Correct Answer: C. Akbar

• **Tulsidas** (1532–1623 CE) = contemporary of **Emperor Akbar**; composed Ramcharitmanas (~1574 CE) during Akbar's reign. • Stayed away from the Mughal court — focused on devotion at **Varanasi and Ayodhya**; composed in common man's Awadhi. • Akbar's era = time of cultural flourishing; Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas became the most widely read Hindu text in North India. • 💡 Babur = **1526**–**1530** (earlier era); Bahadur Shah Zafar = last Mughal (**1837**–**1857**, much later); Aurangzeb = **1658**–**1707** (after Tulsidas) — Tulsidas's contemporary Mughal = Akbar.

Correct Answer: C. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

• **Chaitanya Mahaprabhu** popularized **'Kirtan'** (Sankirtana) = congregational chanting of **Krishna's names** with music and dance. • Made Bhakti accessible to all — no need for Sanskrit, rituals, or high caste status; just devotion and chanting. • His Kirtan movement transformed **Bengal's religious culture** and later spread globally as ISKCON's Hare Krishna movement. • 💡 Ramanuja = Vishishtadvaita philosophy (Tamil, not Kirtan); Kabir = Dohas (more intellectual critique); Shankaracharya = Advaita Vedanta — Kirtan system popularizer in Bengal = Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Correct Answer: C. Malik Muhammad Jayasi

• **Malik Muhammad Jayasi** wrote **'Padmavat'** (1540 CE) in **Awadhi** language — a Sufi allegorical love poem. • Tells the story of the siege of **Chittor** by Alauddin Khilji and the valor of Queen **Padmavati**. • Sufi interpretation: Padmavati = the human soul; Khilji = worldly desires; Chittor = the body — allegory of divine love. • 💡 Abul Fazl = Akbar's historian (Akbarnama); Amir Khusrau = 'Tuti-e-Hind' Sufi poet; Baba Farid = Punjabi Chishti saint — Padmavat = Malik Muhammad Jayasi.

Correct Answer: C. Kabir

• **Kabir** (1440–1518 CE) = **weaver (Julaha)** by profession; lived in Varanasi (Kashi). • Preached **monotheism** (Nirguna Bhakti) — rejected caste hierarchy, idol worship, both Hindu rituals and Islamic orthodoxy. • His weaving profession is referenced in his verses — he often used loom/weaving metaphors to explain spiritual truths. • 💡 Surdas = blind poet (Vishnu devotion); Tulsidas = Brahmin scholar (Ramcharitmanas); Mirabai = Rajput princess (Krishna devotion) — weaver saint = Kabir.

Correct Answer: C. Chishti

• **Chishti order** = most popular and influential Sufi order in medieval India; founded in India by **Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti** (Ajmer). • Key feature: **rejected royal patronage** and state association; relied on unsolicited donations; welcomed all castes. • Major Chishti saints: Moinuddin Chishti → Bakhtiyar Kaki → Baba Farid → **Nizamuddin Auliya** → Nasiruddin Chiragh. • 💡 Qadiri = Miyan Mir's order (Punjab, less widespread); Suhrawardi = Punjab/Sindh (accepted royal patronage); Naqshbandi = Mughal-era order (Sirhindi) — most popular in India = Chishti.

Correct Answer: D. Samarth Ramdas

• **Samarth Ramdas** (1608–1681 CE) wrote **'Dasbodh'** — spiritual text combining devotion to Rama with worldly wisdom. • 17th-century Maharashtra saint; considered the **spiritual Guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj**. • Dasbodh = 20 chapters ('Dashaks') covering spiritual life, self-discipline, and social duties — written in Marathi. • 💡 Namdev = Varkari saint (wrote Abhangs for Vithoba); Eknath = translated Ramayana into Marathi; Tukaram = Abhangs (Varkari) — Dasbodh = Samarth Ramdas.

Correct Answer: A. Adi Shankaracharya

• **Adi Shankaracharya** established **4 Mathas** in four corners of India to unify and propagate Advaita Vedanta. • **Sringeri** (South/Karnataka), **Dwarka** (West/Gujarat), **Puri** (East/Odisha), **Joshimath/Badrinath** (North/Uttarakhand). • Each Matha headed by a **Shankaracharya** — the tradition continues unbroken to this day. • 💡 Madhvacharya = founded Udupi Math (Karnataka); Ramanuja = founded Srirangam Math; Vallabhacharya = Pushtimarg headquarters — 4 cardinal Mathas = Shankaracharya.

Correct Answer: A. Surdas

• **Surdas** = famous **blind poet-saint** (late 15th–16th century); devoted to **Lord Krishna**. • Best known for **'Sursagar'** — vivid descriptions of Krishna's childhood, Radha-Krishna love, and Bal Lila. • Despite blindness, his poetry is considered the most visually descriptive of all Bhakti poets — described Krishna's beauty in unmatched detail. • 💡 Tulsidas = devoted to Rama (Ramcharitmanas); Rahim = Akbar's court poet (Dohas); Kabir = weaver-saint (Nirguna Bhakti) — blind Krishna-devotee poet = Surdas.

Correct Answer: D. Fatehpur Sikri

• **Sheikh Salim Chishti's tomb** = located at **Fatehpur Sikri** (near Agra, UP); built by Emperor Akbar. • Akbar visited Salim Chishti who **predicted the birth of his son** — the boy was named **Salim (later Emperor Jahangir)**. • The tomb is a **masterpiece of Mughal white marble architecture** — fine lattice (jali) work and intricate carvings. • 💡 Ajmer = Moinuddin Chishti's dargah; Delhi = Nizamuddin Auliya's dargah; Agra = Taj Mahal area — Salim Chishti's tomb = Fatehpur Sikri.