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Early life of Ramanujacharya (1017-1137 C.E.): Ramanuja was the great exponent of Vishishtadvaita or qualified monoism. He was born in 1017 C.E. at Sri Perambadur near Chennai (T.N.). His parents were Keshva Somayaji and Kantimati. It is believed that Ramanuja was the incarnation of Adisesha. He studied in Kanchi under Yadhavaprakasha. As per the wishes of his mother, he married Tangamma at the age of 16. His married life was very unhappy. As his wife did not co-operate with him in his spiritual exercises, he left his family and became a sanyasi. He went to Srirangam. Later Ramanuja became the head of Srirangam mutt and popularized Vaishnavism. This was not liked by Kulottunga Chola, and Ramanuja left Srirangam and came to Karnataka.

Works of Ramanuja: Vcdanlha Saara, Vedantha Sangraha, Vedantha Sutra, Geetha Bhashya, Sree Bhashya, Sri Rangagadhya, Sharanagati Gadhya, Vykunta Gadhya, Nitya Gadhya etc., were the important works of Ramanujacharya.

Srivaishnava or Vishishtadvaita (qualified monoism) Philosophy: This was propounded by Ramanuja. lie differed from Shankaracharya’s views in many points. According to Ramanuja, the entire universe is divided into three parts. They are God‘(Brahma), individual Soul (Chit) and the world (Achit).

The universe was controlled by God.

• Vishnu is the supreme God, Sri Lakshmi is the mediator between God and humans. (Universal Soul) Vishnu may be called Brahma. 
• God is omniscient, permanent and possesses all the great qualities (God is Suguna) like mercy, beauty, justice etc. 
• God is the creator of all things in the world. The individual Soul and the world are controlled by God. 
• According to Ramanuja, the Soul does not have independent existence. The individual Soul has limited power and it can never become identical with God. All Souls are the creations of God. In a state of salvation, the individual Soul becomes free from birth and rebirth and enjoys eternal bliss in the presence of God.
• Ramanuja condemned the illusion (Maya vada) of Shankaracharya. For Ramanuja, the world is not an illusion but is real. 
• Ramanuja advocated Bhakti Marga as the only path for the attainment of Salvation. Through Bhakti, the individual Soul gets redemption and attains salvation.

Ramanuja advocated the worship of Vishnu accompanied by Lakshmi. His Philosophy is known as Srivaishnava or qualified monoism. There are two elements in Ramanuja’s Bhaktimarga. 1) Prapatthi – absolute surrender tq God. 2) Acharyabhimana – Subjugation to guru. Ramanuja preached that irrespective of one’s caste, the sure way to salvation was through Bhakti. He was an enlightened saint who tried to wipe out the evils of the caste system. He was able to equate all human beings at par, by breaking down the artificial barriers of the caste system.

Shakthivishjshtadvaita Philosophy was preached by Basaveshwara.

Shankaracharya was called as Shanmatha Sthapanacharya.

Kudalasangamadeva was the pen-name of Basaveshwara.

Sufism: The ‘Sufi’ saints wore woollen clothes from which the term sufi is derived. The other, meaning of Sufi is purity. The influence of Hinduism on Islam in medieval India resulted in the rise of Sufism. It inculcated many Hindu practices into Islamic practices.

The Sufi saints, like the other Hindu exponents of the Bhakti cult, propagated social equality, gender equality, religious harmony, devotion etc. Some of the practices were against Islamic principles, like music and singing as forms of devotion to God, worship of the tombs of the Sufi Saints (Darga), both men and women offering prayers together at the Dargah, etc., The sufi saints became popular by their socio-religious reforms and both Hindus and Muslims became their disciples.

The important Sufi orders are :

1. Chishti order was founded by Khwaja Abdul Chishti in 966 C.E. Moinuddin Chishti, Sheik Salim Chishti, Fariduddin Shakar and others were the important saints of this order. 

2. Suharawardi order was founded by Sheik Shahabuddin Suharawardi of Baghdad. Sheik Bahauddin Suharawardi was the famous saint among this order.

Early life of Basavcshwara (1132-1168 C.E.): Basavcshwara was born in 1132 C.E. in Ingaleshwara (Bagewadi Taluk). His parents were Madarasa and Madalambike. Basaveshwara was taught Vedas, Grammar and Logic in Sanskrit and Kannada. When he came of proper age, his father performed his upanayana ceremony. But he revolted against the existing socio-religious setup, discarded his sacred thread and went to Kudalasangama, where he studied under Jatavedamuni and attained spiritual and intellectual maturity.

Service under Bijjala : From Kudalasangama. he went to Mangalavede. Kalachuri King Bijjala, appointed Basaveshwara as accountant (Karanika). He rose to the position of chief treasurer (Bhandari). He married Neelambike and Gangambike. Without getting influenced by power, wealth and worldly life, he earned out his responsibilities through honest service. After the death of Siddarasa, Bijjala appointed Basaveshwara as his Prime Minister. As a Prime Minister, he introduced several reforms in administration. He spent his spare time in the propagation of Veerashaiva religion. After the overthrow of Bijjala (1162 C.E), he went to Kalyana, and Kalyana became the centre of his movement.

Shaktivishishtadvaitha Philosophy of Basaveshwara: (Nonduality) : Basaveshwara propounded Shaktivishistadvaitha Philosophy. He gave an opportunity for all to wear Ishtalinga, irrespective of caste and gender. Religions give equal opportunities to every Body for the worship of Shiva. Linga (God) and Anga (Individual Soul) are two halves of the |ame thing. Moksha (salvation) is to attain oneness with Linga. The merger of Shiva (Purusha) with Shakti (Prakruti) forms the basis of Basaveshwara’s Philosophy. Shiva and Shakti are individually incomplete without the merger with each other and this is called Shakthiv is his htadvaitha Philosophy. Basaveshwara propagated Veerashaivism.

which had the following fundamental principles.

1. Believe in one God that is Shiva: Basaveshwara believed in the oneness of the supreme God Shiva, who is associated with Shakti. Shakti and Shiva are inseparable. 

2. He opposed the worship of several Gods. Final aim of the Soul is to merge with the Linga. He advocated the six divisions – Shatthalagalu namely Bhaktha, Maheshwara, Pfasadhi, Pranalingi, Sharana and Aikya.

3. Ashtavaranas: He gave eight rules called Ashtavaranas to be followed by the veerashaivas. They are: 1) Obedience to Guru, 2) Worship of Linga, 3) Reverence for Jangama 4) Smearing of vibhuti (sacred ash) on the forehead, 5) Wearing of Rudraksha (sacred beads), 6) Sipping the padodaka of the Jangama, 7) Offering food to God and – partaking prasada, 8) Chanting of Panchakshari mantra.

4. Basaveshwara opposed all blind beliefs. He condemned the worship of images of God. e.g., Worshipping the idols of God was like chewing the bamboo leaf which had no juice and churning water which gives no butter.

5. Basaveshwara preached the dignity of labour. According to him ‘work is worship (Kayakave Kailasa).

6. Moral taught to the people: He preached moral rituals like compassion, humanity, toleration, and love. Good conduct is heaven and bad conduct is hell.

7. He stood for a casteless and classless society. Veerashaiva ideal society was based on equality among all lingayats irrespective of caste, race, creed and sex. Basaveshwara popularised his Philosophy through a new style of literature in Kannada known as the ‘Vachana Sahitya’. A man’s status is decided by his competency and not by his caste, and all are equal before Shiva: He gave importance to the inner purity rather than the outer image projected.

Anubhava Mantapa: Basaveshwara established Anubhava Mantapa at Kalyana to spread his Philosophy. This is called Shi vanubhava Mantapa or Vachana Mantapa. It was an academy where religious discourses were held and social and religious problems were discussed. Allamaprabhu presided over these religious discourses. It’s main purpose was to bring together the Veerashiva Saints, Scholars and Shiva Sharanas to share the religious experience. All were welcome in Anubhavamantapa without discrimination of race, religion or gender.

It was the first step to reform and reorganise society on the basis of equality of religion, status and move towards a classless society. Allamaprabhu, Akkamahadevi, Madi val Machaiah, Ambigara Chowdaiah, Siddarama, Channabasava, Kinnari Bommaiah, Lakkamma, Nagambika, Mukthayakka and other Shivasharanas took part in the religious discussions at the Dharmasabha or Anubhava Mantapa.

Kabir (1398-1518 C.E.): Kabir was brought up by a Muslim weaver couple Niru and Neema at Varnasi. Since his childhood, Kabir was inclined towards spiritual life, and he became a disciple of Ramananda. He preached equality and a religion of love aimed at promoting unity among all castes and creeds. He tried to develop a sense of unity and brotherhood between the Hindus and the Muslims. He quoted that there was no difference between Rama and Rahim, Krishna and Karim or the Puranas and the Quran. They are one and the same. God could be neither found in a Temple nor in a Mosque, but only in the heart of his devotees. He preached brotherhood, oneness of God, religion and true devotion to God.

Kabir condemned casteism, idol worship, supremacy of the Brahmins and Ulemas, baseless ceremonies, rituals, pilgrimage to holy places and practice of participating in formal prayers like Namaz. He preached that ‘Hindus and Muslims are pots made out of the same clay’. He said that Kabir was the child of Allah and Rama. True devotion and true love towards God alone can help people to proceed on the path which leads to Salvation. God could be attained only through Bhakti.

He was a spontaneous poet and his poems are in the form of ‘Dohas’. His dohas or couplets in Hindi became popular. His followers came to be known as Kabirpanthis. He was one of the enlightened socio-religious reformers in India.

Gurunanak (1469-1539 C.E.): Gurunanak was a great socioreligious reformer. He is the founder of the Sikh religion (Sikhism). He was influenced by the teachings of Kabir. He preached the brotherhood of Mankind. He was bom in 1469 at Talwandi (Banks of Ravi). His parents were Mehta Kaulchand and Tripta. Since his childhood, Nanak was inclined towards spiritual life and believed in a life of purity. He condemned caste system, idol worship, polytheism, sati, superstitions, useless rituals and costly ceremonies. He advised people to speak the truth. He tried to achieve Hindu – Muslim unity, religious tolerance and unity of God and paid respect to all religions. He believed in the theory of Karma.

He gave importance to Meditaition, Bhakti and repetition of God’s name (Sat Nam) as the means towards the salvation of the Soul from the chains of the flesh. God loved those who did hard work. He advised his followers to give up selfishness and falsehood.His disciples were called ‘Sikhs’. ‘Guru Granth Sahib or ‘Adi Granth’ is the holy book of Sikhs. Gurudhwara (at Amritsar) is the holy place of Sikhs. Gurunanak wanted to reorganize the Indian society on the principles of equality and aimed at the establishment of a caste less society

Advaitha means monoism or non-duality.

Vachana Sahitya.

Shankaracharya established the four Advaitha mathas in the four directions.

Ramanuja was bom in 1017C.E. atSri Perambadur near Chennai (T.N.).

Viveka Chudamani, Shivananda Lahari, Ananda Lahari, Soundarya Lahari, Bhajagovindam, Badaramayana Sutra etc.

Govinda Bhagawathpada was the teacher of Shankaracharya.

Madhwacharya was born at Pajaka near Udupi in 1238 C.E.

Madhwacharya installed the idol of Krishna at Udupi and the Balarama idol at Malpe.

Shankaracharya was the exponent of the Advaitha Philosophy.

Khwaja Abdul Chishti, Moinuddin Chishti, Fariduddin Shakar, Sheik Nizamuddin Auliya, Sheik Salim Chishti are some well known saints.

Early life of Madhwacharya: (1238-1317 C.E.): Madhwacharya was the great exponent of Dwaita (or dualism) Philosophy. He was born in 1238 C.E. at Pajakanear Udupi. His parents were Madhyageha Narayana Bhatta and Vedavati. His early name was Vasudeva. lie was also known as Pooma Prajna and Ananda Teertha. He studied the Vedas and the Upanishads under the Advaitha teacher Achyuthapreksha. Madhwacharya began to have . difference of opinion with his teacher. He developed his own (Dwaita) Philosophy.

Madhwacharya toured north India extensively and visited Kashi, Badari, Kedara, Haridwara, Gaya etc., While on tour, he defeated many scholars in religious debates. While returning to Udupi, he brought the idols of Krishna and Balarama and installed Krishna at Udupi anti Balarama atMalpe. He established Asthamathas in Udupi. They are 1) Sodey Matha, 2) Sirur Matha (3) Kaniyur Matha (4) Pejawar Matha (5) Palimaru Matha (6) Adamaru Matha (7) Krishnapura Matha (8) PuttigeMatha.

Works of Madhwacharya: Madhwacharya wrote Gita Bhashya, GitaTatparya Nirnaya, Bhagavata Tatparya Nirnaya, Mayavada Khandan, Vishnutatva Nirnaya, Brahma Sutra Bhashya, Anu Bhashya, Dwadasha Stotra etc.,

Dwaitha Philosophy of Madhwacharya: Madhwacharya was the great exponent of Dwaitha (or dualism) Philosophy. He taught that the individual Soul and God are two different entities and hence it is called Dwaitha Philosophy.

1. Vishnu is the supreme (Sarvottama) and Gods other than Vishnu, are Gods of lesser degree to him. 

2. Madhwacharya condemned the Mayavada of Shankaracharya. He said that world is not an illusion, it is real and eternal.

3. He recongnized 5 fundamental differences between the Soul, matter and God, They are:

a) God and Soul (Individual Soul) are not the same. They are different one from another. 

b) God (Universal Soul) and matter (Jada) are di fferent. 

c) Individual Soul (Jeevcitma) and matter (Jada) are different. 

d) A Soul does not merge with another Soul. 

e) A matter does not meige with another matter.

4. According to him, individual Soul and universal Soul are two different entities. God is independent and individual Soul (Jeevatma) is not independent. The relation between Jeevatma and Paramatluna is like the one between the servant and the master.

5. Madhwacharya stressed the Bhakti Marga. According to him, the path of pure love, absolute devotion and total self-surrender to the will of God are the true means to achieve God’s grace or Moksha. Individual Soul can attain salvation through Bhakthi.

Basaveshwara was born at Ingaieshwara (near Bagewadi) in Bijapur in the year 1132 C.E.

Bhakti movement gave importance to devotion, religious harmony, social equality and gender equality.

Kabir tried to develop a sense of unity and brotherhood among the Hindus and the Muslims. He condemned the evil practices in the society.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

At Kudalasangamaand Jathavedamuni was his teacher.

Kalachuri King Bijjala gave royal patronage to Basaveshwara.

The followers of Guru Nanak are called as Sikhs

Kudalasangama (The confluence of Krishna and Malaprabha rivers).

The Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana gave royal patronage to Ramanujacharya.

Sri Vaishnava or Vishistadvaitha Philosophy was expounded by Ramanujacharya.

Kabir’s poems are called Dohas (Devotional compositions).

The followers of Kabirdas were called as Kabirpanthis.

Name the Philosophy of Shankaracharya Advaitha.

Shankaracharya was bom at Kaladi in Kerala.

Gurudwara in Amritsar (Punjab).

Yadavaprakasha was the teacher of Ramanujacharya.

Vedantha Saara, Vedantha Sangraha, Vedantha Sutra, Geetha Bhashya, Sree Bhashya, Sri RangaGadhya.NityaGadhyaetc.,

KeshvaSomayaji and Kantimati were the parents of Ramanuja.

Madhawacharya was born at Pajaka near Udupi.

Achyuthapreksha was the teacher of Madhwacharya.

Khwaja Abdul Chisthi was the founder of the Chisti order, in 966 C.E.

Vasudeva was the earlier name of Madhwacharya.

Basaveshwara was bom at Ingaleshwara(Bagewadi-Bijapurdist).

Madhwacharya established the Asthamathas in Udupi.

Ramanujacharya took shelter at Melukote in Karnataka.

Sheik Shahabuddin Suharawardi of Baghdad.

Ramananda, Kabir, Gurunanak, Chaitanya, Mirabai, Namdeva, Vallabhacharya and others were the famous saints oftheBhakthi cult.

Madhwacharya brought the idols of Krishna and Balarama from Dwaraka (North India).

Madhwacharya preached the Dwaitha (dualism) Philosophy.

The aim of the socio-religious movement was eradicating blind beliefs and also achieving equality in the society.

At King Bijjala’s court Basaveshwara was a minister. Bijjala belonged to the Kalachuri dynasty.

Madarasa and Madalambike were the parents of Basaveshwara.