RAS question
Kabir, the Bhakti saint, was a disciple of:
Correct answer: (C) Ramananda.
Kabir, the Bhakti saint, was a disciple of Ramananda.
Explanation
Kabir (1398-1518), a saint of the Bhakti tradition, was Ramananda's most famous disciple. Ramananda was a saint of the 14th-15th century who challenged caste divisions and traditional religious rituals and preached in the vernacular. He had 12 principal disciples, of whom Kabir was the most famous. Kabir used his dohas to promote religious harmony between Hindus and Muslims. His teachings, compiled in the Bijak, combine the essence of Sufi and Bhakti traditions and criticize ritualism and superstition while emphasizing religious tolerance and human equality. eGyanKosh (IGNOU), Unit 1, describes this relationship. The decisive point is the guru-disciple association: Ramananda, not another prominent Bhakti figure, was Kabir's guru.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Chaitanya was a distinct Bhakti saint from Bengal; he was not Kabir's guru. Kabir's guru was Ramananda.
- (B) Vallabhacharya is regarded as a contemporary of Kabir and belongs to the wider Bhakti tradition, but he was not Kabir's guru. Kabir's guru was Ramananda.
- (D) Ramanuja lived in the 11th-12th century, long before Kabir (1398-1518), so he does not fit this guru-disciple relationship.
Concept
This topic tests knowledge of saint-guru associations and social-religious ideas in the medieval Bhakti movement. It recurs in RAS because the Kabir-Ramananda association brings together Bhakti, Sufi influence, religious tolerance, social reform and human equality.