Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Religious Reformers of India from Class 9 Social Science. The period between the 8th century and the first half of the 13th century is very important in the socio religious history of India. It was during this period that the Acharyathrayas, Shankaracharya, Madwacharya, and Ramanujacharya, the pioneers of three vedic sects, lived in Karnataka. Three main branches of Vedanta, Adwaita, Dwaita, and Vishistadwaita philosophies, also came into prominence. Basaveshwara of Kalyana declared a social revolution against caste and gender based discrimination. The principles they preached were not only spiritual doctrines, but also reformed society and religion ideologically. In order to achieve this ideal situation, the three Acharyas and Basaveshwara preached to all people to surrender to God, irrespective of caste, creed, and gender. They revived society and Dharma through the Bhakthi Marga. Let us begin with the first reformer.
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Shankaracharya was born in the village Kaladi in Kerala in a Namboodari Brahmin family. His father was Shivaguru and his mother was Aryamba. Shankara was very intelligent. At the age of seven, he had mastered all the Scriptures. He learnt the Vedas and the Puranas from his teacher, Govinda Bhagavatpada. Shankaracharya studied the Upanishads and Brahmasutras in depth and propagated the Advaitha philosophy. According to this philosophy, Brahma is the absolute truth, the rest of the world is false. The soul is one with Brahma, and life is not separate from Brahma. The world is maya, an illusion. Brahma is the absolute truth. People are ignorant. They are not aware of the illusionary nature of the world. They are also not aware that Brahma is the only Truth. Hence we should go on the path of knowledge, and realize the nature of the world. Ultimately, we should merge our atma, or soul, with the absolute truth, Brahma. Only then can we attain moksha, which means liberation. In this manner, Shankaracharya taught the path of knowledge. The human soul has no separate existence, and he expressed this fact in the phrase Aham Brahmasmi. He declared that Brahma is Truth. It has no qualities, no features, and no shape. This is described as nirguna, nirakara, and nirvikara.
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Shankaracharya gave a new direction and spirit to Indian thought. His works include Shankarabhasya, Anandalahari, Soundaryalahari, Shivanandalahari, Vivekachoodamani, Prabuddasudhakara, and Dakshinamurthy stotra. His hymn Bhajagovindam is very famous. Shankaracharya travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on foot and propagated his Advaitha philosophy. In order to spread the message of his philosophy, he established peethas, or institutions, in all four directions. Note this for your exams. The four mutts or peethas are: first, Badarinath, known as Jyotirpeeth. Second, Dwaraka, known as Kalikapeeth. Third, Puri, known as Govardhan Peeth. Fourth, Sringeri, known as Sharadapeeth. Now let us move on to the next great reformer. Ramanujacharya was born in Sriperumbadur near Chennai. His father was Keshavasomayaji and his mother was Kantimati. He learnt the Vedas and Upanishads from Yadavaprakasha in Kanchi, which was a famous educational center in South India. Subsequently, he travelled to Srirangam and became the Peethadheesha of that mutt.
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The Shaivite Chola king troubled Ramanujacharya repeatedly. At that time, the Hoysala king of Karnataka, Vishnuvardhan, invited him to Karnataka. Ramanujacharya travelled to Melukote and established the Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple. Ramanujacharya showed keen interest in teaching the mukti marga to common people. After settling down at Sriranga, he studied the Scriptures and wrote many books. He wrote Vedanta Sangraha, Vedantasara, Vedanta Deepika, and Shribhasya. In his famous work Geethabhashya, he emphasized the importance of devotion. Ramanujacharya’s philosophy is called Vishitadvaita, and the religion he propagated is called Shrivaishnavism. Hence, his followers are called Shrivaishnavites. Ramanujacharya taught that life and nature were controlled by Brahma. Atma and Paramatma cannot exist at the same time. Devotion and surrender, known as prapatti, were essential for attaining moksha. Ramanujacharya condemned casteism and taught the path of devotion to people of all castes. He advised that we should give up our desires and surrender to God. He advocated attainment of nirvana through the path of devotion.
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Saint Ramananda and Raidas of the North were influenced by his philosophy. As a result, the path of devotion, or Bhakti marga, became popular in North India too. The Tuluva kings of Vijayanagar and the Araveedu kings became the followers of Srivaishnavism. Here is a special note for your revision. The famous Amnaya mutts of Srivaishnavism in South India are: first, Yatiraja mutt located at Melukote and Sriperumbadur. Second, Parakala, also known as Brahmatantra mutt, located at Mysuru. Third, Ahobala mutt located at Ahobala in the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh. Fourth, Aandavan mutt located at Srirangam. Fifth, Vamaimalai mutt located at Suchindram. Let us now study the third Acharya. Madhwacharya was born in Pajaka village near Udupi in Karnataka. His father was Madhyageha Narayana Bhatta and his mother was Vedavati. Lord Vishnu was their family deity.
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It is said that at a very tender age, he displayed abundant knowledge. He had his education in the Vedas and Upanishads from Achyutapreksha. The same teacher later inducted Madhwacharya into sanyasa. While studying under his guru, Madhwacharya independently gained great knowledge about the religious scriptures and defeated his guru in debate. He advocated the Dwaitha philosophy. According to this philosophy, the human soul and the Divine soul are separate. In order to propagate his philosophy, Madhwacharya took to travelling to various places and participated in debates. He installed the idol of Lord Sri Krishna in Udupi. Further, to enable regular worship of Lord Sri Krishna, he nominated eight Yathis, and later eight mutts called the Ashthamaths were formed. According to Madhwacharya, the world is not maya or illusion. It is as true as Paramatma, or the Divine Soul. Between these, the Divine soul is independent and the rest of the world is illusionary. The Divine soul and the human soul have a Lord and Servant relation. Lord Vishnu or Narayana alone is supreme. Worship of Lord Vishnu can elevate the human soul and thus enable it to attain moksha.
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The works of Madhwacharya include Geetabhashya, Geetatatparya nirnaya, Mahabharata tatparya nirnaya, Vishnutatva nirnaya, Bhagawata tatparya nirnaya, Sutrabhashya, and Mayavadakhandana. Prominent among the disciples of Madhwacharya who propagated the Dwaitha philosophy are Padmanabhateertha, Narahariteertha, Vijayendrateertha, and Vadirajateertha. Now let us turn our attention to a great social and religious reformer. Basavanna is the most prominent religious, social, political, economical, and cultural reformer of the 12th century in Karnataka. His father was Madarasa and his mother was Madalambike. He was born at Basavanabagewadi in the present district of Vijayapura. He opposed the caste system. Having meditated at Kudalasangama, he composed Vachanas keeping Kudalasangama Deva as his penname. He was the Finance Minister under the King Bijjala of Mangalawade. Later he became the Prime Minister of Kalyana state owing to his honesty, dedication, dutifulness, farsightedness, and concern for the public.
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He condemned the rituals, superstition, and blind beliefs which were in practice then. He was instrumental in bringing economic, social, and religious reforms in society. He established Anubhava Mantapa, known as the world’s first parliament, at Basava Kalyana of the present Bidar district. Basavanna worked for the reformation of the soul along with the reformation of society. Basavanna propounded the idea of one God in the form of Istalinga with the concept of body as temple, and Awareness as Guru. He believed that compassion, or daya, is the base of Dharma and stressed non-violence. He brought out new concepts like work, known as Kayaka, charity, known as Dasoha, and Istalinga. Through these concepts, Basavanna established an equal and secular society devoid of discrimination of gender and caste in Kalyana. He said, The eternal shall perish, the transient will stay on. He also said, Body is abode of Lord Shiva, which is Kayave Kailasa. Thus, he stressed on Kaya and upheld the principle of work culture. He also declared there is no superiority or inferiority in work. He always wished good to all human beings as he believed that there is no one younger to him and no one elder to Shivabhaktas. He removed hoarding culture through the principle of Dasoha. His socio-religious thoughts and the way he brought them into practice were unique. He propagated women’s freedom and equality. Basavanna proclaimed that the people of the entire world are equal and no one is untouchable by birth.
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Vachanas were written in the backdrop of spiritual growth and welfare of the world. These are his unique contributions to Kannada literature. In other words, Vachanas can be considered his contribution to the world as a constitution. Through vachanas, Vachanakaras tried to show the loopholes of society and created awareness among people. The Vachana movement united the followers of Basavanna irrespective of their caste, class, colour, and gender. Let me share one of his famous vachanas with you. It says: Do not steal, do not kill, do not lie. Do not rage, do not loathe the other. Do not brag of yourself, do not revile the opponent. This itself is inner purity, this itself is outer purity. This alone is the way to please our Koodala sangamadeva. Prominent Vachanakaras are Satyakka, Aydakki Lakkamma, Siddarama, Channa Basavanna, Molige Maraiah, Ambigara Chowdaiah, Madiwala Machaiah, Madara Chennaiah, Samagara Haralaiah, Kinnari Bommaiah, and others. The messages of Sri Basaveshwara to humanity are eternal. He has been the symbol of equality and inclusiveness. His messages have enhanced the cultural pride of Karnataka in India and beyond. Considering his invaluable contributions, the Government of Karnataka, while unveiling the portrait of Vishwaguru Basavanna on 13-02-2024, declared him as the Cultural Leader of Karnataka. Now, let us move to the exercises to consolidate your learning.
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Exercise One asks you to fill in the blanks with suitable words. Here are the complete answers. First, Shankaracharya was born at Kaladi in Kerala. Second, the statement The world is an illusion, Brahma alone is the Truth was propounded by Shankaracharya. Third, Ramanujacharya’s disciples are called Shrivaishnavites. Fourth, the proponent of Dwaita philosophy is Madhwacharya. Exercise Two asks you to answer questions by discussing with your group. I will provide the complete answers for your revision. Question five asks, who is the proponent of Advaita philosophy? The answer is Shankaracharya. Question six asks, which is the philosophy advocated by Ramanujacharya, and what is their sect called? The philosophy is Vishitadvaita, and the sect is called Shrivaishnavism. Question seven asks, name the books written by Ramanujacharya. The books are Vedanta Sangraha, Vedantasara, Vedanta Deepika, Shribhasya, and his famous work Geethabhashya. Question eight asks, which are the tenets advocated by Madhwacharya? The tenets are that the human soul and the Divine soul are separate, the world is not maya but is as true as Paramatma, the Divine soul is independent while the rest of the world is illusionary, the Divine soul and human soul have a Lord and Servant relation, Lord Vishnu or Narayana alone is supreme, and worship of Lord Vishnu elevates the human soul to attain moksha.
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Question nine asks, name the books written by Shankaracharya. The books are Shankarabhasya, Anandalahari, Soundaryalahari, Shivanandalahari, Vivekachoodamani, Prabuddasudhakara, and Dakshinamurthy stotra, along with his famous hymn Bhajagovindam. Question ten asks, what were the welfare measures of Basavanna? Basavanna established Anubhava Mantapa, the world’s first parliament, at Basava Kalyana. He introduced the concepts of Kayaka for work, Dasoha for charity, and Istalinga for worship. He condemned caste and gender discrimination, promoted women’s freedom and equality, removed hoarding culture, declared that all people are equal and no one is untouchable by birth, and stressed non-violence and compassion as the base of Dharma. Question eleven asks, which followers were with Basavanna during the Vachana movement? The prominent followers, or Vachanakaras, were Satyakka, Aydakki Lakkamma, Siddarama, Channa Basavanna, Molige Maraiah, Ambigara Chowdaiah, Madiwala Machaiah, Madara Chennaiah, Samagara Haralaiah, and Kinnari Bommaiah. Question twelve asks, what is the meaning of Kayave Kailasa propagated by Basavanna? It means the body is the abode of Lord Shiva. Basavanna stressed on Kaya, or work, and upheld the principle of work culture, declaring there is no superiority or inferiority in any work. Exercise Three lists activities for you. First, collect all Vachanas of the important vachanakaras, present them before a group, and comment on them. Second, collect the portraits of the contemporary Vachanakaras of Basavanna. Third, conduct a Vachana singing competition. Exercise Four lists projects. First, with the help of your teacher, write an essay on Dwaita and Adwaita philosophy. Second, invite local vachana singers and have them sing various vachanas. Make sure to complete these activities to deepen your understanding.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]