Meera, a research scholar in Chennai, is studying religious life in the subcontinent between the eighth and eighteenth centuries. She has gathered three kinds of material. The first is a collection of songs once sung by a poet-saint in a regional language, now printed from manuscripts kept for centuries in a monastery. The second is a life story of the same saint, written long after his death by followers of his sect. The third is a set of temple sculptures carved during the same centuries. Her supervisor asks her to judge each kind of source with care.
Meera's supervisor tells her that the poet-saint's songs pose a challenge to historians. Which of the following best explains why?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Generations of devotees elaborated on the message and sometimes modified or dropped some ideas.
Option (1) The saint wrote the songs down himself, so they reflect one person's private view of devotion. — Incorrect. The songs were mostly expressed orally. Disciples or devotees compiled them, generally after the saint's death.
Option (2) Generations of devotees elaborated on the message and sometimes modified or dropped some ideas. — Correct. These traditions were fluid. Later devotees added to, changed or dropped ideas, so the historian cannot be sure which words are the saint's own.
Option (3) Court poets composed the songs for royal patrons, and these were later credited to the saint. — Incorrect. The songs are attributed to poet-saints, who used the regional languages of ordinary people.
Option (4) Royal scribes recorded the songs selectively, keeping those that praised the ruling dynasty. — Incorrect. The songs were gathered by disciples or devotees. The difficulty comes from changes made by later devotees.
NCERT (2026-27): “Bhakti- Sufi Traditions Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts . eighth to eighteenth century) … |