Syncretism vs Hindu revivalism: Kabir vs Chaitanya
Page 1 of 1
Syncretism vs Hindu revivalism: Kabir vs Chaitanya
Chaitanya (1485–1533) of Bengal represents an aspect of the bhakti movement that is very different from that seen in the lives and teachings of Kabir and his successors. Chaitanya's concern, unlike that of Kabir, was not with bringing people to an understanding of a God beyond all creeds and formulations; it was to exalt the superiority of Krishna over all other deities./4/ It was, in other words, a revivalist, not a syncretic, movement, a return to a worship of Vishnu under one of his most appealing forms, the loving ecstatic Krishna.
The attitude [[130]] of Bengal Vaishnavites toward Islam was the antithesis of the attitude advocated by Kabir and Nanak. Conscious of the appeal being made by Islam, they did not try to reform Hinduism by adopting any of the attractive features of the rival faith. Instead, they emphasized precisely those features, such as devotion to Krishna, which were most antipathetic to the Islamic spirit.
Another difference between Chaitanya's movement and that of Kabir is the attitude toward caste. While it is true that Chaitanya made disciples from all classes, one does not find the same note of condemnation of caste as one does in Kabir. According to some students of the period, this indicates the essential difference between the two aspects of bhakti in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries: only where Hinduism was directly influenced by Islam was there evidence of concern for social inequities./5/
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/part1_09.html
The attitude [[130]] of Bengal Vaishnavites toward Islam was the antithesis of the attitude advocated by Kabir and Nanak. Conscious of the appeal being made by Islam, they did not try to reform Hinduism by adopting any of the attractive features of the rival faith. Instead, they emphasized precisely those features, such as devotion to Krishna, which were most antipathetic to the Islamic spirit.
Another difference between Chaitanya's movement and that of Kabir is the attitude toward caste. While it is true that Chaitanya made disciples from all classes, one does not find the same note of condemnation of caste as one does in Kabir. According to some students of the period, this indicates the essential difference between the two aspects of bhakti in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries: only where Hinduism was directly influenced by Islam was there evidence of concern for social inequities./5/
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/part1_09.html
Guest- Guest
Re: Syncretism vs Hindu revivalism: Kabir vs Chaitanya
Doggy vs Naayi:
SomeProfile- Posts : 1863
Join date : 2011-04-29
Similar topics
» Ho Sadho - A Song by Kabir | Kabir Jayanti | Five Elements - Sounds of Isha
» Who wants to be a Chaddi Hindu? Vishwa Hindu Parishad to create a new "Hindu Scripture" for Chaddi Hindus
» H-M synthesis: Kabir
» Ex-CJI Kabir the great
» Kabir and Vemana
» Who wants to be a Chaddi Hindu? Vishwa Hindu Parishad to create a new "Hindu Scripture" for Chaddi Hindus
» H-M synthesis: Kabir
» Ex-CJI Kabir the great
» Kabir and Vemana
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum