APPENDICES Flashcards
Characteristics of Sufism?
- The Sufis tried to purify their inner self by rigid introspection and mental struggle so as to remove even the smallest sign of selfishness and attain ikhlas, absolute purity of intention and act.
- Sufism strictly follow the concept of pir-murshidie. Guru Shisya tradition. Sufis emphasise that Islamic knowledge should be learned from teachers and not exclusively from books.
- The ultimate goal of Sufism is Union with God.
- According to Sufism, Love of God meant love of humanity, they believe service to humanity equals service of God.
- Sufism inculcated a spirit of tolerance among its followers.
- They rejected elaborate rituals but didn’t promote strict asceticism like the Bhakti saints.
- Their religious outlook borrowed not only from Islam but Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism etc. Most of the Sufis in India conceived and preached divine unity in terms of idealistic monoism and many Hindus found the Sufi ideas very similar to those of Vedantic philosophy.
- They believed in the essential unity of all religions.
- They believed in the equality of all human beings and universal brotherhood of man.
- The early Sufis were not only ascetics but also lived a life of voluntary poverty shunning all types of worldly pleasures.
- Most Sufis use the vocabulary of love and intimate affection while describing their experience with god. It was a badge of honor for the Sufi to be known as the lover of god or of their Sufi masters. They were even called ahl-Ldil or master of the heart’.
Essential characteristics of Sufism?
- Fana: Spiritual merger of devotee with Allah.
- Insan-e-kamil: Perfect human with all good virtues.
- Zikr-tauba: remembrance of god all the time (zikr).
- Wahadatul-wazudi: one god for entire universe; unity of god and being.
- Sama: spiritual dance and music to promote their concepts, though music is un- Islamic.
The Sufi saints were Fakirs (poor man) or Dervishes (___________).
Standing by the door for alms.
Stages of Sufism?
1.First stage: Khanqah– 10th century, also called the age of Golden Mysticism.
2. Second stage: Tariqa– 11-14th century, when Sufism was being institutionalized and traditions and symbols started being attached to it.
3. Third stage: Tarifa– 15th century, the stage when Sufism became a popular movement.
Dara Shikoh was associated with which Silsilah?
Qadariya Silsilah.
Aurangzeb was follower of which Silsilah?
Naqshbandi Silsilah.
Tansen was follower of which Silsilah?
Shattari Silsilah.
Main features of Bhakti Movement?
- Intense love and devotion as the means of salvation.
- Unity of God (Universalism) and repeating the one true name again and again.
- Rejection of rituals and ceremonies.
- No caste discrimination and keeping an open mind on religious and gender issues.
- They allowed both men and women to seek salvation. They even took their meals together from the common kitchen.
- Using local and regional languages to spread their messages.
- They stressed on the idea of a personal God.
- Need of a true Guru (teacher) to realize God.
- They propagated equality and spirit of brotherhood like the Sufis.
- They despised priests who they thought were middlemen and instead focused on establishing a personal connection with God.
Prominent figures of Nirguna school?
Kabir, Guru Nanak and Dadu Dayal.
Prominent figures of Saguna school?
Ramanuja, Ramananda and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Who is also known as the Meera of the South?
Andal.
Alvars composed hymns in praise of Vishnu and his wife and his avatars which are compiled in the ‘Divya Prabandha’. They also praised the ________ which refer to the 108 abodes of the Vaishnavite deities.
Divya Deshams.
What is Dravida Veda?
Tevaram by Nayanars is also called Dravida Veda.
On the request of the Chola King Raja Raja 1, his priest, started collecting the hymns composed by the Nayyanars into a series of volume called?
Tirumurai.
Teachings of Ramanuja (1060-1118 AD)?
- He was a Tamil Brahmin and one of the most important exponents of Vaishnavism.
- He was the founder of Vishist Advaita philosophy i.e., qualified monoism.
- According to him, salvation can be attained through Karma, Gyan or Bhakti.
- He wrote Sri Bhasya and Gita Bhasya. His disciple Ramananda spread his guru’s message in the northern parts of India.
Teachings of Nimbaraka (13th century)?
- He was the founder of Dvaitadvaita i.e., dualistic monoism).
- He wrote Vedanta-Parijata- Saurabha, a commentary on Brahmasutras.
- He was a Radha-Krishna devotee and settled down in Mathura.
- He referred to the five methods of salvation- Karma, Vidya (Not an independent factor), Dhyana (meditation), Prapatti (devotion) and Gurupasatti devotion and self-surrender to guru).
Teachings of Madhvacharya?
- He is the founder of Dvaitavada (ie dualism) school of Vedanta.
- He was a critic of Adi Shankaracharva’s philosophy of Advaitavada and said that the Atman (individual soul) and Brahman (ultimate reality ie Lord Vishnu) are fundamentally different and the individual soul is dependent on the Brahman and can never be identical.
_____ has been described as the bridge between the Bhakti movement of the South and the North.
Ramananda.
Teachings of Vallabhacharya?
- He was the founder of Suddhadvaita (Pure Non dualism) and his philosophy is known as Pushti Marg’.
- This sect was Krishna centered, especially his child manifestation, and is enriched with the use of traditions, music and festivals.
- He also founded a school called Rudra Sampradaya.
- He identified Brahman with Sri Krishna, characterised by Sat (Being), Chit (consciousness) and Ananda (bliss). According to him, salvation is possible through Sneha (deep rooted love for God).
- He was the author of a number of scholarly works in Sanskrit and Braj bhasa, the important ones being Subodhini and Siddhant Rahasya.
Sikhism is an extension of Bhakti movement.
True/false?
False.
Teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
- He was an ardent Krishna devotee and popularized the chanting of “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna”.
- He made famous the practice of worshipping Radha and Krishna together.
- He gave the Achintaya Bheda Abheda philosophy.
- He was a Saguna and popularized “Kirtans” (religious songs) as a form of worshipping God.
- He is the inspiration behind the world renowned ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), that was founded in the 20th century.
- He was very popular in Eastern India and lived most of his life in Puri, Odisha.
- He wrote “Siksastakam”, a text in Sanskrit, where he elaborated his philosophy.