Question:
Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.
Answer:
- They advocated renunciation of the world.
- They believed that the path to salvation lay in meditation on the formless God and the realisation of oneness with it.
- To achieve this they advocated intense training of the mind and body through practices like yogasansas, breathing exercises and meditation.
- They did not believe in the ritual and oilier aspects of conventional religion and the social order.
Devotional Paths to the Divine
Q 1.
Name the two sets of compilations of Nayanar's songs.
Q 2.
How many Alvars were there?
Q 4.
What was known as dharmsal?
Q 5.
Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?
Q 6.
The songs are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them.' Explain.
Q 7.
Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?
Q 8.
Who was Ramanuja? What are the main points of his preachings?
Q 9.
Match the following:
The Buddha – namghar
Shankaradeva – worship of Vishnu
Nizamuddin Auliya – questioned social differences
Nayanars – Sufi saint
Alvars – worship of Shiva
Q 10.
Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia .
Q 11.
There are severed saint-poets whose names have been mentioned but their works have not been included in the chapter. Find out more about the language in which they composed, whether their compositions were sung and what their compositions were about.
Q 12.
Who compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 13.
Who was Kabir? How do we know about him?
Q 14.
What did the terms nam', dan' and isnan' mean? [V. Imp.]
Q 15.
For any of the saint-poets whose compositions have been included in this chapter, find out more about their works, noting down other poems. Find out whether these are sung, how they are sung, and what the poets wrote about
Q 16.
What is Guru Granth Sahib?
Q 17.
What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?
Q 19.
For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.
Q 20.
Who were the Pulaiyar and the Panars?
Q 21.
Name any two saints of Maharashtra.
Q 22.
Fill in the blanks:
(a) Shankara was an advocate of…………..
(b) Ramanuja was influenced by the ………….
(c) , ……….. and ………. were advocates of Virashaivism.
(d) ….. was an important centre of the Bhakti tradition in Maharashtra.
Q 23.
What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 24.
What did Ramanuja propound?
Q 25.
Who were the followers of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 26.
Why did the Mughal emperor Jahangir order the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606?
Q 27.
Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.
Q 28.
To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?
Q 29.
What did the Puranic stories consist of? [V. Imp.]
Q 30.
Write a brief note on new religious developments in north India. [V. Imp.]
Q 31.
Name the set of compilation of Alvars' songs.
Q 33.
What do you mean by Khanqahs? What purpose did it serve?
Q 34.
Find out whether in your neighbourhood there are any dargahs, gurudwaras or temples associated with saints of the Bhakti tradition in your neighbourhood. Visit any one of these and describe what you see and hear.
Q 35.
Write in brief about the ideas of Shankara and Ramanuja.
Q 36.
What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?
Q 37.
Who were the Nayanars and Alvars? Write about them in brief. [V. Imp.]
Q 38.
Why was the Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community? How did the Sikh movement gain momentum? [V. Imp.]
