Read the passage and answer the questions:
Early Traditions of Bhakti
In course of evolution of these forms of worship, poet-saints emerged as leaders around whom there developed community of devotees in many instances. Further, while Brahmanas remained important intermediaries between gods and devotees in several forms of bhakti, these traditions also accommodated and acknowledged women and “lower castes,” categories considered ineligible for liberation within orthodox Brahmanical framework. What also characterized traditions of bhakti, was remarkable diversity. At 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 worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu, and his avatars and forms of goddess or Devi, all often conceptualized in anthropomorphic forms. Nirguna bhakti, on other hand, was worship of an abstract form of god. Some of earliest bhakti movements (c. sixth century) were led by 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 praise of their gods.
The composition of Karaikkal Ammaiyar is preserved within which tradition?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Nayanar
Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a woman devotee of Shiva who chose the path of extreme asceticism. The Nayanars were the Tamil saints devoted to Shiva, so her compositions were preserved within the Nayanar tradition. The Alvars, by contrast, were devotees of Vishnu; a woman Alvar, Andal, belonged to that tradition.
Note: This passage is taken from the NCERT chapter ‘Bhakti-Sufi Traditions’, almost word for word. Read the chapter thoroughly; the passages of the paper come from its pages.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.3 Women devotees … Perhaps one of the most striking features of these traditions was the presence of women. For instance, the compositions of Andal, a woman Alvar, were widely sung (and continue to be sung to date). Andal saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu; her verses express her love for the deity. Another woman, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a devotee of Shiva, adopted the path of extreme asceticism in order to attain her goal. Her compositions were preserved within the Nayanar tradition. These women renounced their social obligations, but did not join an alternative order or become nuns.…” |