Consider the following statements:
- ‘Bijak’ is a composition of the teachings of Saint Dadu Dayal.
- The Philosophy of Pushti Marg was propounded by Madhvacharya.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect
- The Bijak is not a composition of Saint Dadu Dayal. It is a collection of the teachings of Saint Kabir.
- Kabir was a disciple of Ramananda. He is one of the greatest Bhakti saints and his ideas percolated to every section of the society.
- He was a Nirguna saint and openly criticised the orthodox ideas of major religions like Hinduism and Islam.
- His poems are called Banis (utterances). He wrote in Hindi and borrowed words from Avadhi, Braj and Bhojpuri. His works are also included in the sacred Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib.
- Dadu Dayal was a follower of Kabir, and he believed that God does not belong to any particular religion or sect. He was a contemporary of the Mughal emperor, Akbar and it is said that Akbar respected him.
Statement 2 is incorrect
- Vallabhacharya (1479-1531 AD) was the founder of Suddhadvaita (Pure Non dualism) and his philosophy is known as ‘Pushti Marg’. This sect was Krishna-centred, especially his child manifestation, and is enriched with the use of traditions, music and festivals.
- He also founded a school called Rudra Sampradaya. He identified Brahman with Sri Krishna, characterised by Sat (Being), Chit (consciousness) and Ananda (bliss). According to him, salvation is possible through Sneha (deep-rooted love for God).
- He was the author of a number of scholarly works in Sanskrit and Braj bhasa, the important ones being Subodhini and Siddhant Rahasya
- Madhvacharya (1238-1317 AD) is the founder of Dvaitavada (ie dualism) school of Vedanta.
- He was a critic of Adi Shankaracharya’s philosophy of Advaitavada and said that the Atman (individual soul) and Brahman (ultimate reality, i.e., Lord Vishnu) are fundamentally different, and the individual soul is dependent on the Brahman and can never be identical. According to him, salvation can be achieved only through the grace of God. His philosophy of ‘dualism’ had a profound influence on the Bhakti movement
