What is called Shaivism in the Bhakti Movement? 

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RPF SI Previous Paper 3 (Held On: 5 Jan 2019 Shift 3)
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  1. Nayanar 
  2. Wali
  3. Bodhisattva
  4. Alwar 

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 1 : Nayanar 
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The correct answer is option 1, i.e Nayanar.

  • Nayanar is called Shaivism in the Bhakti Movement.

  • The seventh to ninth centuries saw the emergence of new religious movements, led by the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu).

  • They came from all castes including those considered “untouchable” like the Pulaiyar and the Panars.

  • They were sharply critical of the Buddhists and Jains and preached ardent love of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation.
  • They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the Sangam literature (the earliest example of Tamil literature, composed during the early centuries of the Common Era), and blended them with the values of bhakti.
  • There were 63 Nayanars, best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar.
  • There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal, Tondaradippodi Alvar and Nammalvar.
  • Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabandham.

Trick to remember - If you reverse "A" of Alvar, you get V or Vishnu. Hence Alvars are devotees of Vishnu. The other term would be for Shiva Devotees.

Bodhisattva:

  • An individual who is on the path of getting enlightenment to become a buddha is referred to as Bodhisattva.

Wali:

  • The terms Sufi, Wali, Darvesh, and Faqir are used for Muslim saints.
  • Wali was a Sufi who claimed proximity to Allah.
  • They are the saints who attempted to achieve the development of their intuitive faculties through ascetic exercises, contemplation, renunciation, and self-denial. 
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