* The major religious movements were brought about by the mystics. They contributed to the religious ideas and beliefs. Bhakti saints like Vallabhacharya, Ramanuja, Nimbaraka brought about new philosophical thinking which had its origin in Shankaracharya’s advaita (non-dualism) philosophy.
Vishistadvaita of Ramanujacharya:
* Vïshistadvaita means modified monism. The ultimate reality according to this philosophy is Brahman (God) and matter and soul are his qualities.
Sivadvaita of Srikanthacharya:
* According to this philosophy the ultimate Brahman is Shiva, endowed with Shakti. Shiva exists in this world as well as beyond it.
Dvaita of Madhavacharya:
* The literal meaning of dvaita is dualism which stands in opposition to non-dualism and monism of Shankaracharya. He believed that the world is not an illusion (maya) but a reality full of differences.
Dvaitadvaita of Nimbaraka:
* Dvaitadvaita means dualistic monism. According to this philosophy God transformed himself into world and soul. This world and soul are different from God (Brahman). They could survive with the support of God only. They are separate but dependent.
Suddhadvaita of Vallabhacharya:
* Vallabhacharya wrote commentaries on Vedanta Sutra and Bhagavad Gita. For him. Brahman (God) was Sri Krishna who manifested himself as souls and matter. God and soul are not distinct, but one. The stress was on pure non-dualism. His philosophy came to be known as Pushtimarga (the path of grace) and the school was called Rudrasampradaya.
Contribution of the Bhakti Movement
- The Saints of the Bhakti Movement put before the people a way of life which could be followed by them without much difficulty. By showing a path of direct communion with God, they struck at the exploitation of the masses by the priestly class.
- The saints paved the way for equality based on solid foundations of amity and brotherhood. Some of the saints put emphasis on removing the causes of misunderstanding between the Hindus and Muslims.
- It tried to reform the existing social conditions. The attacks on polytheism and pilgrimages helped to check expensive rituals and ceremonies. Also the condemnation of the caste system created a new consciousness among the masses, particularly the people belonging to the lower castes. Bhakth Movement created a ray of hope for raising their status in society.
- Bhakthi Movement helped in the development and enrichment of the languages of the people. The saints of the Bhakti Movement helped the growth of Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Telegu, Kannada, Tamil etc.
- Thus the Bhakti cult recognised the dignity of man and denounced all class and caste distinctions and caste tyranny in the name of religion.
