Question:
What were the major teachings of Baba Guru Nanak?
Answer:
- Baba Guru Nanak emphasised the importance of the worship of one God.
- He insisted that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation. His idea of liberation was based on the pursuit of active life with a strong sense of social commitment.
- He used the terms nam, dan and isnan for the essence of his teaching, which actually meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.
- He gave importance to right-belief and worship, honest living and helping others.
- Guru Nanak, thus, promoted the idea of equality.
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.
Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?
Q 5.
What was known as dharmsal?
Q 6.
Who was Ramanuja? What are the main points of his preachings?
Q 7.
Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?
Q 8.
The songs are as much a creation of the saints as of generations of people who sang them.' Explain.
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.
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 11.
Name any two great Sufis of Central Asia .
Q 12.
What did the terms nam', dan' and isnan' mean? [V. Imp.]
Q 13.
What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?
Q 14.
Who was Kabir? How do we know about him?
Q 15.
Who compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 16.
For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.
Q 17.
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 18.
What is Guru Granth Sahib?
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.
Who were the followers of Baba Guru Nanak?
Q 25.
What did Ramanuja propound?
Q 26.
Why did the Mughal emperor Jahangir order the execution of Guru Aijan in 1606?
Q 27.
To whom did Baba Guru Nanak appoint as his successor?
Q 28.
Name the set of compilation of Alvars' songs.
Q 29.
Write a brief note on new religious developments in north India. [V. Imp.]
Q 30.
Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.
Q 31.
What did the Puranic stories consist of? [V. Imp.]
Q 33.
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 34.
Write in brief about the ideas of Shankara and Ramanuja.
Q 35.
What do you mean by Khanqahs? What purpose did it serve?
Q 36.
Who were the Nayanars and Alvars? Write about them in brief. [V. Imp.]
Q 37.
What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?
Q 38.
Why was the Mughal emperor Jahangir hostile to the Sikh community? How did the Sikh movement gain momentum? [V. Imp.]
