Q. With reference to the two ideological streams within the North Indian Bhakti Movement, Saguna Bhakti and Nirguna Bhakti, consider the following statements:
1.Saguna Bhaktas advocated devotion to a God with attributes and form, often centering on the Avatars of Vishnu, such as Rama or Krishna.
2.Nirguna Bhakti saints rejected the path of jnana (knowledge) and karma (action), emphasizing only the path of Bhakti (devotion) for salvation.
3.The nirguna tradition was a syncretic stream, synthesizing the Vaishnava concept of devotion with the non-theistic, anti-caste philosophy of the Nathpanthi movement and the monotheism of Sufism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1: Correct. Saguna (with attributes) devotion focuses on an incarnate God with definite qualities, such as Lord Rama (Tulsidas) or Lord Krishna (Surdas, Mirabai).
- Statement 2: Incorrect. The Nirguna path, while emphasizing devotion, was also characterized by its stress on the acquisition of knowledge (jnana) as the means to realizing the formless God. The followers often rejected external rituals (karma), but not the broader paths to enlightenment.
- Statement 3: Correct. The Nirguna concept of God (formless, non-incarnate) resulted from the profound intellectual and spiritual exchange between various traditions prevalent in North India, notably the Vaishnavism, the Nathpanthi yogis, and the Sufis.
