Question

The Bhakti literature by the Nyanmars and Alvars________.
A)Stressed the rigidities of traditional rituals
B)Opposed the practices of image worship
C)Preached personal devotion of God as a means of salvation
D)Advocated the austerities preached by the Buddhists and Jains

Answer 1

Hint: The Bhakti Movement originated in eighth century south India and spread Northwards, it acted as the catalyst to the formation of Sikhism. The movement can be referred to the theistic devotional trend emerged in Medieval Hinduism.

Complete answer: The Bhakti movement emerged intending to reform Hinduism and developed around various sub-sects of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism i.e. followers of goddess Shakti. The Bhakti movement was initiated by Sankara, who preached monism i.e. the denial of a transcendent deity. The Alvars (followers of Lord Vishnu) and the devotees of Shiva ( Nyanmars) led Bhakti movements in the sixth century, where the movement focused on an individual approach to attain spirituality without considering one’s birth, caste or gender, thus the movement gave freedom of choice to ordinary people. The Alvars and Nyanmars were against the rigid rituals of Hinduism and thus openly opposed the idea of worship according to Jains and Buddhists since they preached unalterable ways of attaining salvation. The movement was a reworking of the Ancient Vedic traditions as it was the product of people’s struggle and retaliation to free the religion from control and authority of the priests.
The main preaching of Bhakti movement under Alvars and Nyanmars was the fluidity of the norms and ideals of Hinduism, where a person was Independent to select his ways and means to worship a god. Bhakti means passion, hence pure and passionate devotion to a deity was the most imperative aspect of the movement. Few scriptures of the prime importance of the Bhakti movement included the Bhagavad Gita and the Padma Purana, both of these texts are Hindu scriptures.
Options A, B, and D can be eliminated.
Therefore, Option C is correct.

Note: Mostly, the Bhakti Saints belonged to the lower castes like Sant ram, Sant Kabir, hence the movement gained momentum because it challenged the superiority of Brahmans as the disciples and followers of the saints could belong to any caste or diverse social backgrounds