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UPPCS Mains 2014

History of the Bhakti Movement

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Select the correct chronological order of the Bhakti Saints from the following:

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept The Bhakti movement spanned several centuries, with different saints leading reformist and devotional trends across various regions of India.

Explanation Based on historical records: Kabir (1440-1518 CE), Guru Nanak (1469-1539 CE), Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534 CE), and Mirabai (1498-1547 CE).

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Option A is correct. Kabir is the earliest of this group, followed closely by Nanak and Chaitanya, with Mirabai being the youngest.
Logic 2: While Nanak and Chaitanya were contemporaries, Nanak's birth year is earlier. Kabir is definitively the predecessor to the others in this list.

Active Recall

Question

Which of these saints followed the Nirguna tradition?

Answer

Kabir and Guru Nanak followed the Nirguna tradition (worship of a formless God), while Chaitanya and Mirabai followed the Saguna tradition (worship of an incarnate God like Krishna).

Core Insight

The overlap in the lives of Nanak, Chaitanya, and Kabir highlights the 15th and 16th centuries as the golden age of spiritual revolution in India.

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