Question

For either the Virashaivas or the saints of Maharashtra, discuss their attitude towards caste.

Answer 1

Hint:Virashaivas are members of Virashaivism, a movement in the Hindu Bhakti (devotional) tradition.
Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram are the saints of Maharashtra.

Complete answer:
Both Virashaivas and the saints of Maharashtra strongly argued against social inequality and caste differences.
The Virashaivas were against Brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women and believed in equality of all human beings.
They were also against all kinds of ritual and idol worship.
The saints of Maharashtra like Jnaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath and Tukaram- rejected all forms of ritualism, outward display of godliness and social differences on the basis of birth.
They chose to live with their families, earning their livelihood like any other person, while modestly serving fellow human beings in need.
They insisted that “Bhakti” was about sharing the pain of others.
A famous Gujarati saint, Narsi Mehta said, “They are Vaishnavas who understand the pain of others.”
They hoped for a society where people from all backgrounds could live in peace without any feelings of high and low, rich and poor.

Note:Many people believed for a long time that Lingayats and Veerashaivas were one and the same and that the words were interchangeable but they are actually quite different.
The major difference between the Lingayats and the Veerashaivas is that the former reject the Vedas and the caste system, but the latter doesn’t.
The Lingayats worship Shiva as a formless entity (Ishta linga), while the Veerashaivas worship the Vedic idol of Shiva with a snake around his neck.