RAS question
Dadu Dayal, known as the 'Kabir of Rajasthan', promoted which form of devotion?
Correct answer: (C) Nirgun Bhakti (worship of formless God).
Dadu Dayal promoted Nirgun Bhakti, the devotion to a formless God rather than worship through idols or elaborate external rituals.
Explanation
Dadu Dayal is placed in the Nirgun Bhakti tradition because his teaching centred on devotion to a formless God. Like Kabir and Guru Nanak, he emphasised devotion to a formless God and rejected idol worship and external religious practices. Dadu Dayal, born in 1544 and later associated strongly with Rajasthan, taught inner purity, honesty, compassion and morally disciplined living rather than elaborate ritual observance. His followers organised these teachings through the Dadupanth, which became a significant movement in Rajasthan and carried forward his message of devotion, equality and simplicity.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Vaishnavism is not the best answer because the question asks for Dadu Dayal's distinctive mode of devotion, which was formless Nirgun Bhakti rather than Vaishnava bhakti.
- (B) Shaivism is wrong because Dadu Dayal was not a Shaivite saint; he is placed in the Nirgun Bhakti tradition.
- (D) Saguna Bhakti is wrong because it involves devotion to God with form, while Dadu Dayal rejected idol worship and taught devotion to a formless God.
Concept
This tests the Rajasthan art and culture theme of Bhakti saints, especially how saint traditions are classified by their idea of God and worship. RAS repeatedly asks this because figures such as Dadu Dayal connect Rajasthan's religious history with wider medieval Bhakti currents.