According to the historians of religion, ‘Saguna bhakti’ included which type of traditions?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Worship of gods often conceptualised in anthropomorphic forms
Historians of religion divide the bhakti traditions into two groups. Saguna bhakti (with attributes) focused on the worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars, and forms of the goddess or Devi, all often imagined in human form (anthropomorphic). Nirguna bhakti (without attributes) was the worship of an abstract form of god.
Option (1) Worship of an abstract form of god — Incorrect. This is nirguna bhakti, the other group.
Option (2) Worship of non-specific deities — Incorrect. Saguna traditions worshipped specific deities, each with a name and form.
Option (3) Worship of gods often conceptualised in anthropomorphic forms — Correct. Giving the god a human form is what “with attributes” means.
Option (4) No worship of any form of god — Incorrect. Both saguna and nirguna are forms of bhakti, devotion to god; neither rejects worship.
NCERT (2025-26): “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.…” |