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Q. Briefly discuss the role of Kabir and GuruNanak in the development of medievalmysticism |
| Answer» <p>Probably, Nanak was the son of a village accountant and born and lived in Punjab region.</p><p>Nanak left his job and travelled across the country. Finally, he returned and settled down at Kartarpur now calledDera Baba Nanak.</p><p>Guru Nanak’s teachings (which available in the form of verses) are included in a scripture, named as theAdi Granth. Adi Granth was compiled by his fourth successor in the early 17thcentury.</p><p>Guru Nanak insisted that his followers must be willing to eat in a common kitchen i.e.langar. Likewise, he promoted unity irrespective of the caste.</p><p>Guru Nanak grouped his followers together and before his death, he appointed a guru to be their leader.</p><p>The followers of the tenth guru came to be known as the ‘Khalsa,’ which means "the pure".</p><p>In the seventeenth century, theKhalsahad become a strong military group. It was the time when the Sikhs distinguished themselves from other people by the means of five characteristics (popular as ‘5Ks’), namely −</p><p>Kesha(hair),</p><p>Kangha(comb),</p><p>Kara (iron bracelet),</p><p>Kripan (dagger), and</p><p>Kachchha(under-wear).</p><p>The bhakti movement was not only a religious movement, but rather it also influenced social ideas. The earlier bhakti teachers such as those of the Tamil devotional cult and saints such as Chaitanya were largely concerned with religion.</p><p>Kabir and Nanak, in particular, also had ideas on how society should be organized. They both objected to the division of society on the caste basis. They also refuted the low status given to women. They encouraged women to join their menfolk in various activities.</p><p>When the followers of Kabir and Nanak gathered together, women were included in the gathering.</p><p>Mirabai, who was a princess, from Rajasthan, had given up her life of luxury and became a devotee of Krishna.</p> <p>Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism and the first Guru of Sikhs. He is the last in the series of the greatest prophets born upon earth who were instrumental in establishing major world religions through their teachings and revelations. Guru Nanak led a simple but extraordinary life, preaching a straightforward way to find God in one's own heart through inner purity and social responsibility.</p> <p>He lived in troubled times, when religious practice in the Indian subcontinent was dogged by spiritual and moral crisis and the country was witnessing an intense conflict between Hindus and Muslims, aggravated by the religious zeal of Muslim rulers. It was also the time when Hinduism was undergoing an internal reform through the bhakti movement. Very few people in his life time would have thought that Guru Nanak's teachings would eventually culminate in the formation a new religion and attract millions of followers from various parts of the world.</p> | |