Assam SCERT Class 8 History and Political Science Chapter 4 The Rise of Neo-Religious Thoughts Question Answer Solutions
Assam SCERT Board Class 8 History and Political Science Chapter 4 The Rise of Neo-Religious Thoughts all Question’s easy Solutions by expert teachers.
Board |
Assam SCERT |
Class |
8 |
Book |
History and Political Science |
Topic |
Question answer |
EXERCISES-
1.) Answer the following questions-
a.) What does the term Bhaktism mean?
Ans. The term Bhaktism means to worship, to express loyalty, faith or love. The word ‘Bhakti’ is derived from the Sanskrit word’ Bhaj’ means deep devotion and faith to God.
b.) What are the two reasons that gave rise to the Bhakti Movement?
Ans. The strict rules and rituals of the Hindu religion, discrimination on the basis of high and low caste, rich and poor etc were causing many problems in the life of common people who wanted freedom from the atrocities of the Hindu religion. The Bhakti movement also wanted to bring transformation in religion and society.
c.) What is the Divya Prabandham?
Ans. The songs and compositions of the Alvars were in the oral form and later on published as texts. The collection of these songs and compositions were known as Divya Prabandham.
d.) Write the names of four persons who led the Bhakti Movement in North India?
Ans. The names of four persons who led the Bhakti Movement in North India were Ramananda, Kabir, Surdas and Tulsidas.
e.) According to Sankaradeva how can one achieve salvation?
Ans. According to Sankardeva one can achieve salvation through immense devotion towards the God, prayers and loyalty.
2.) Fill up the blanks by referring to your lesson.
a.) Sankaracharya believed in Advaitabad.
b.) From the 9th century A.D., the Muslim Turks and Afghans had begun to migrate to India.
c.) Ramananda was the worshipper of Lord Vishnu.
d.) Tulsidas was regarded as incarnation of Valmiki.
e.) The religious poems composed by Kabir are called Dohas.
3.) Write short notes on –
a.) Sankaracharya – Sankaracharya was a great religious leader of south India. During 11th century, a religious movement started in Kerala under Sankaracharya. He believed in Advaitabad which meant to be one with the Almighty or the unity of God and the human soul. Sankaracharya believed that God could be found within man and the salvation can be attained through good deeds and noble thoughts.
b.) Gyandev – During 13th century A.D a new type of Bhaktism began in Maharashtra of North -West India under the religious teacher named as Gyaneshwar or Gyandev. Hespread his teachings through songs and compositions and advocated a society which did not distinguished between rich and poor, high or low caste and was formed with equality, friendshipand simplicity. He believed that God was present in every man. His teachings were spread to many regions of North West India by his disciples like Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram, Ramdas etc.
c.) Ramananda – Ramananda was the devout of Bhakti movement and spreadhis belief in Bhaktism in North India. He was worshipped Ram, the incarnation of Vishnu. The followers of Ramananda belonged to both high and low caste. He also composed devotional poems in Hindi language to spread his faith. Kabir was the most prominent disciple of Ramananda.
d.) Nanak –During 15th and 16th century rise of Sikhism took place which was founded by Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak was influenced by Kabir and also did not believe in the idol worship and casteism of the Hindus. He worshipped a formless god. He developed a new path of faith known as Sikhism which was based on human love and service towards the humanity. Slowly Sikhs became a warrior race under the leaderships of various gurus. The religious messages of Guru Nanak were coded inthe Guru Granth Sahib.
e.) Meerabai-The religious movement which started in Gujarat and Rajasthan by Ravidas, Dadu Dayal and Meerabai was devoted to Shri Krishna and sang bhajans on Sri Krishna which were very popular among the people. She was the wife of crown prince of Mewar but she rejected all worldly pleasure for her love and devotion for Lord Krishna.
4.) Who were the Alvars? What was their main religious belief?
Ans. In 7th century, two communities in South India grew as a result of the social and religious changes that were taking place through the Bhakti movement. The Alvars were Vaishnavs and were devoted to Lord Vishnu and prayed through songs. They preached that God and salvation can be achieved through devotion and included people from all caste and creed.
5.) What was the fundamental tenet of Sufism? Write the names of two preachers who popularized Sufism in India.
Ans. In Islam, just like Hinduism, many religious preachers have renounced the religious orthodoxy and bigotry and paved the path to worship peace and liberalism. This new religious approach was known as Sufism. They worshipped God with joy and music and disregarded the earthly pleasures. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer and Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi.
6.) Why was Kabir popular among both the Hindus and the Muslims?
Ans. Kabir was brought up by a Muslim family of weavers but due to the influence of his guru Ramananda he was not affected by both Hinduism and Islam practices. He spread Bhaktism and questioned the rigid policies of Hinduism and Islamism. Kabir was popular among both the Hindus and Muslims because people from both communities were able to join his religious sermons. Kabir did not discriminate between the rich and poor, people from different castes and creed were enlightened through his sermons. People from both Hinduism and Islam found the path of devotion from Kabir.
7.) Why did the preachers of Bhakti Movement try to introduce social reforms along with their religious precepts?
Ans. The preachers of Bhakti Movement tried to introduce social reforms along with their religious precepts because religion is the essential part of human civilization. Both Hinduism and Islam were filled with strict rules and rituals, discrimination of people on the basis of high and low caste, rich and poor etc during middle age. Both the religions were full with evils and made the life of common people disturbing. Thus, the preachers of Bhakti movement like Sankaracharya, Ramanauj, Gyandev, Kabir, Guru Nanak etc tried to remove caste discrimination and prejudices and introduce social reforms. The new thoughts and approaches of Bhakti movement influenced the society and culture of Bhakti movement.
8.) Why do you think are the reasons behind the popularity of the Bhakti Movement in India?
Ans. The term Bhaktism means to worship, to express loyalty, faith or love. The word ‘Bhakti’ is derived from the Sanskrit word’ Bhaj’ means deep devotion and faith to God.The preachers of Bhakti Movement introduced social reforms through their sermons, philosophies and methods of worshipping. In India, both Hinduism and Islam were filled with strict rules and rituals, discrimination of people on the basis of high and low caste, rich and poor etc during middle age. Both the religions were full with evils and made the life of common people disturbing. The preachers of Bhakti movement like Sankaracharya, Ramanauj, Gyandev, Kabir, Guru Nanak etc tried to remove caste discrimination and prejudices and introduce social reforms. The new thoughts and approaches of Bhakti movement influenced the society and culture of the nation. Bhakti movement regenerated the society of medieval India, became process of analyzing the religious, cultural and traditions of the Indian society. The Bhakti movement became very popular and played an important role creating the national identity of the country. It also created a feeling of national unity among the Indians.
9.) Write within fifty words the contribution made by Srimanta Sankardeva to the Assamese society.
Ans. The Bhakti movement spread through Assam with Srimanta Sankardeva. He was a scholar, a religious philosopher, composer, writer and religious guru and founder of new society of Assam. The 15th century A.D. Hinduism in Assam was very strict and rigid, there were too many conservative rules and various forms of discrimination which created a number of prejudices. Srimanta Sankaradeva came to know about the Bhakti movement during his travels. He got influenced by the religious and social transformation and started to make different changes in the religion and society. He is known as the pioneer of Assamese language, culture and race.
EXTRA QUESTIONS:
1.) What message is given in Bhagavad Gita which has become very popular?
Ans. ‘Absolute devotion to God is the only way to attain salvation’ is given in Bhagavad Gita which became very popular.
2.) When did the Bhakti and Sufi movements started in India?
Ans. The Bhakti and Sufi movements started in 8th century A.D.
3.) Which natural things were worshipped before Mauryan dynasty?
Ans. Trees, animals, different gods and goddesses etc were worshipped before Mauryan dynasty.
4.) Name the two parts of Bhakti movement divided by historians.
Ans. The two parts of Bhakti movement divided by historians are Saguna and Nirguna.
5.) What is Neo-Bhaktism?
Ans. The Bhakti movement which has come into existence during the 13th and 16th century and started many social and religious reforms by removing caste-discrimination and prejudices by many social reformers came to be known as Neo-Bhaktism.
6.) What are Dohas?
Ans. Dohas were religious poems written by Kabir through which he used to question the rigid rules of different religion like Hinduism and Islamism. They were written in hindi language and made the language rich in culture. Some parts of the Dohas are included in the Guru Granth Sahib which is the holy book of the Sikhs.
7.) Who was Chaitanyadev?
Ans. Chaitanyadev was a religious preacher who gave shape to the Geet Govinda during the Bhakti Movement in Bengal during the end of 12th century A.D. Chaitnyadev started to do pilgrimage to various places of India like Pandharpur, Somnath, Vrindavan, Dwarka, Mathura and Puri.
8.) What contribution has taken place in field of regional languages by the Bhakti movement?
Ans. The religious teachers and preachers during the Bhakti movement used regional languages like Hindi, Bengali, Maithali, Assamese, Brajawali etc to preach their languages which enriched these languages and developing them.
9.) Name some founders of the Bhakti movement.
Ans. Some founders of the Bhakti movement were Ramananda, Tulsidas, Kabir, Surdas, Tulsi Das, Nanak, Srimanta Sankaradeva etc.
10.) What was the fundamental concept of Bhaktism?
Ans. The fundamental concept of Bhaktism was that there is one God and the worship of the God can be done through complete devotion towards the Almighty and there is no need for elaborate rituals only abandonment of worldly pleasures