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The Bhakti Movement an Interpretation
... This shift was accompanied by internal conflicts among feudal lords, rebellions by vassal chieftains, and growing discontent among the peasant class, which undermined the authority of the Sultanate. 2 Rekha Pande noted that the Bhakti movement, with its saints mainly from lower society, actively responded to societal changes. They were not mere philosophers but included individuals like Raidas, a cobbler; Dharna, an untouchable Jat peasant; Kabir, a low-caste weaver; and others. ...
Language plays a critical role in conferring power, and it is essential to consider who benefits from this power. Bhakti, a form of devotion in Indian religious traditions, can reinforce existing social norms while empowering non-normative or counter-normative individuals or groups. Bhakti is a symbolic system that requires a set of interlocutors and has a dictionary, and its social component is vital to its classification as a language. The paper discusses the role of Bhakti in challenging Brahminical cultural hegemony and promoting the Marathi language and identity, contributing to the emergence of nationalism in seventeenth-century Maharashtra. It also examines Bhakti’s transformative potential in creating a political and nationalist movement transcending caste, class, and gender divisions.
This study aims to demonstrate the contribution of Akka Mahadevi and Mirabai to the Bhakti literature. This paper will explore the contribution of two classical female Hindu poet-saints by analyzing their selected poetry, a comparative analysis of Mahadevi’s devotion to Lord Shiva, and Mirabai’s devotion to Lord Krishna. These two famous women poets in the Middle Ages acted like social reformers and radical change makers in society; breaking the patriarchal norms, and erasing the distinction of caste, class, and language barriers to democratize spirituality through their artistic emotion of devotion and lyrical composition. The only possibility of self-expression available to women in a patriarchal society remained through spirituality. The spiritual imagery used in rebel saints' music reflects their societal estrangement. The argument in this study is divided into two parts, while Akka Mahadevi is aimed to define and describe the nature of devotion to Siva; and Mirabai is concerned with a woman’s ability to speak authoritatively by the nature of devotion to Lord Krishna. This study will emphasize how these two poets overcame the caste, class, and social disparity women faced in the Middle Ages by contextualizing the history and literary point of view by analyzing their poetry.
Spiritual leaders and social reformers have contributed greatly toward creating positive experiences, positive individual traits, and in building positive institutions that have supported healthy and thriving life for the self and others. Social well-being, which encompasses the extent to which individuals view society as meaningful and just, experience of a sense of social belonging, and positive attitudes toward others facilitates healthy functioning of society. However, India’s history is marked by grips of the social inequalities arising from religious dogmas, caste system, grossly unequal distribution of land rights, inferior status of women, and inequalities in access to education that hindered flourishing of the society. The social stratification, as well as the contempt, deprivation, discrimination, prejudice, rejection affected the self-esteem, quality of life, intellectual growth, and overall well-being of the oppressed and hindered the peace and harmony of the society. With the rise of the socio-spiritual awakening, Indian society saw a beginning of a powerful social change movement that worked toward empowering each member of the society, especially the underprivileged. This chapter discusses the implicit connections between some of the most prominent spiritual as well as social reforms, positive psychological practices, and their role in enhancing social well-being. The chapter ends by highlighting the unexplored connecting links between the socio-spiritual awakenings, social upliftment, and social well-being.KeywordsSocial reformsSpiritual movementsMental healthSocial well-beingSociocultural factor
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