Essays in brief about some Bhakti saints other than Ramananda, Kabir, Nanak and Sri Chaitanya

Essays in brief about some Bhakti saints other than Ramananda, Kabir, Nanak and Sri Chaitanya. What was the impact of the Bhakti movement?

a. Other Leaders:

Apart from the leaders of the Cult of Bhakti mentioned above there were others whose teachings made the cult more popular.

The Rajput Queen (wife of Rana Kumbha of Mewar) Mirabai devoted herself to the worship of Lord Krishna. She achieved poetic fame and felt the personal presence of God through her songs.

The songs of Surdas, the blind poet, have as their theme the love of Krishna. Attempts to bridge the gulf between the Hindus and the Muslims were also made by Namdeva, Eknath, Tukaram and other Bhakti saints of Maharashtra.

All of them admitted the Hindus and the Muslims as their disciples. And thereby the saints wanted to impress upon the people that salvation could be attained by all, irrespective of their caste and creed, through love of God.

Their preaching had enriched the Marathi language and literature.

b. Impact of the Bhakti Movement:

The Bhakti saints too, like the Sufis, paved the way for better understanding between the Hindus and the Muslims.

Their emphasis on love and devotion to God as well as on the basic equality of human beings helped to bring the Hindus and the Muslims closer.

Of the Bhakti teachers the contributions of Kabir and Nanak were possibly the greatest.

Their emphasis on simple living and absence of ritual in worship made strong appeal to the artisans and the cultivators who were their followers.