DEVOTION

IN THE MEDIEVAL AGES WHEN AGE OLD CASTE SYSTEM HAD BECOME STAGNANT AND EXPLOITATIVE AND PEOPLE BORN IN LOW CASTE HAD NO SOLUTION THEY WERE CONVERTING TO ISLAM IN LARGE NUMBER.. THEN THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT CAME LIKE  SOLUTION. IN BHAKTI [DEVOTION] NOTHING COMES BETWEEN GOD AND HIS DEVOTEE. A DEVOTEE HAS NO CASTE, RELIGION, NATIONALITY. HE/SHE HAS ONLY ONE IDENTITY THAT HE/SHE IS A DEVOTEE OF GOD.

BHAKTI [DEVOTION] MEANS TO SERVE GOD. IT IS A FEELING THAT WE BELONG TO GOD AND HE IS OUR ONLY WELL WISHER. BHAKTI [DEVOTION] IS UNFLINCHING FAITH, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE SHOWN TOWARDS GOD. A BHAKTA [DEVOTEE] SEES GOD IN EVERY BEING. HE/SHE LOVES ALL HATES NONE.

THE  BHAKTI  MOVEMENT ORIGINATED I N ANCIENT TAMILNADU. THE NAYANMARS AND ALVARS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN BHAKTI MOVEMENTS. IT BEGAN TO SPREAD TO NORTH DURING LATE MEDIEVAL AGES.

UNLIKE SOUTH WHERE BHAKTI WAS CENTERED ON BOTH SHIVA AND VISHNU THE NORTHERN BHAKTI MOVEMENT WAS CENTERED ON RAMA AND KRISHNA. BHAKTI MOVEMENT CO-EXISTED PEACEFULLY WITH OTHER MOVEMENTS.

BHAKTI MOVEMENT REBELLED AGAINST CASTE DISTINCTION AND OPPOSED BRAHMANIC RITUALS. BHAKTI SAINTS STRESSED UPON EQUALITY OF ALL BEINGS. THEY TAUGHT THAT PEOPLE SHOULD CAST ASIDE THE HEAVY BURDEN OF CASTE, RITUALS AND SUBTLE COMPLEXITIES OF PHILOSOPHY AND EXPRESS THEIR OVERWHELMING LOVE FOR GOD.

THE SAINTS OF BHAKTI MOVEMENTS WHO LEADED THIS MOVEMENT ARE RAMANDA, RAVIDAS, SRIMANT SANKARDEV,CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU, VALLABHACHARYA, SURDAS, TULASIDAS, KABIRDAS, NAMDEV, TUKARAM, MIRABAI. MANY OF THESE SAINNTS BELONGED TO LOW CASTE.

BHAKTI MOVEMENT HAD FAR-REACHING EFFECT ON COMMON PEOPLE.

1.  IT FREED PEOPLE FROM HOLLOW RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND RITUALS
2. IT REMOVED BITTERNESS BETWEEN HINDUS AND MUSLIMS.
3. THE SAINTS PREACHED IN LANGUAGE OF COMMON PEOPLE WHICH HELPED THEM TO UNDERSTAND.