Choose the correct options out of the following statements.
(A) 'Saguna' is the type of worship based on the form of god and goddess.
(B) Alvars were the devotees of Shiva.
(C) 'Nirguna' is the type of worship based on the abstract form of god.
(D) Nayanars were the devotees of Vishnu.
(E) Compositions of 12 Alvars were compiled in the 'Nalayira Divyaprabandham'.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (C), (E) only
(A) ‘Saguna’ is the type of worship based on the form of god and goddess. Correct. Saguna (with attributes) bhakti focused on the worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars and forms of the goddess, all often conceptualised in anthropomorphic forms.
(B) Alvars were the devotees of Shiva. Incorrect. The Alvars were literally “those who are immersed” in devotion to Vishnu. The devotees of Shiva were the Nayanars.
(C) ‘Nirguna’ is the type of worship based on the abstract form of god. Correct. Nirguna (without attributes) bhakti was worship of an abstract form of god.
(D) Nayanars were the devotees of Vishnu. Incorrect. The Nayanars were literally leaders who were devotees of Shiva; it was the Alvars who were devoted to Vishnu.
(E) Compositions of 12 Alvars were compiled in the ‘Nalayira Divyaprabandham’. Correct. By the tenth century the compositions of the 12 Alvars were compiled in an anthology known as the Nalayira Divyaprabandham (“Four Thousand Sacred Compositions”).
NCERT (2026-27): “2. Poems of Prayer Early Traditions of Bhakti … At a different level, historians of religion often classify bhakti traditions into two broad categories: saguna (with attributes) and nirguna (without attributes). The former included traditions that focused on the worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars (incarnations) and forms of the goddess or Devi, all often conceptualised in anthropomorphic forms. Nirguna bhakti on the other hand was worship of an abstract form of god.… 2.1 The Alvars and Nayanars of Tamil Nadu … Some of the earliest bhakti movements (c. sixth century) were led by the Alvars (literally, those who are ‘immersed’ in devotion to Vishnu) and Nayanars (literally, leaders who were devotees of Shiva). They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods.…”
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