NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 8 – Devotional Paths to the Divine (Social Science), contains solutions to various questions in Exercise for Chapter 8. At the end of the Solutions, all the keywords and Notes which are important to understand From Devotional Paths to the Divine Class 7 History, have been explained in a simple and easy to understand manner. NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science help to check the concept you have learnt from detailed classroom sessions and application of your knowledge.
| Category | NCERT Solutions for Class 7 |
| Subject | History (Social Science) |
| Chapter | Chapter 8 – Devotional Paths to the Divine |
Download NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 8 – Devotional Paths to the Divine
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 8 – Devotional Paths to the Divine – NCERT Exercises
Question 1:-
Match the following
Answer 1:-
Question 2:-
Fill in the blanks
1.Shankara was an advocate of _____________.
2.Ramanuja was influenced by __________.
3.____________, ___________ and ___________ were advocates of Virashaivism.
4.__________ was an important center for Bhakti in Maharashtra.
Answer 2:-
1.Advaita
2.Alvars
3.Basavanna, Akkamahadevi, AllamaPrabhu
4.Pandharpur
Question 3:-
Describe the beliefs and practices of the Nathpantis, Siddhas and yogis.
Answer 3:-
- The nathpantis, siddhas and yogis challenged the orthodox practices of religions, rituals and social orders..
- They promoted renunciation of the world and encouraged salvation through the processes of meditation and coherence with the Ultimate Reality.
- This was attained through rigorous training of the mind and body through yogasanas and meditation.
Question 4:-
What were the major ideas expressed by Kabir? How did he express these?
Answer 4:-
- Kabir was a protuberant saint who lived in the fifteenth- sixteenth centuries.
- His teachings were based mainly on comprehensive rejection of religious traditions.
- He rejected both the concept of Brahminical Hinduism and Islam.
- He penned poetry in a spoken form of Hindi that was extensively understood by the common people.
- He composed numerous sakhis and pads which were sung prevalently. They have been preserved in the Bijak, Panch Vani and Guru Granth Sahib.
Question 5:-
What were the major beliefs and practices of the Sufis?
Answer 5:-
- The Sufis were Muslim mystics who were known for intense love and devotion to God and for their compassion towards all living beings.
- It also rejected idol worship and called for collective prayer through dance and music.
- They rejected codes of elaborate ritual and worship recommended in the Islamic Sharia.
- They established extra vagant methods of training using zikr, sama , raqsetc under the supervision of a Sufi master.
Question 6:-
Why do you think many teachers rejected prevalent religious beliefs and practices?
Answer 6:-
- The principal idea of bhakti was based on ultimate love and devotion to the Almighty.
- The predominant religious beliefs focused on the ideas of rituals and on the concept of noble birth.
- They path of religion and worship was open to those born in the upper caste of the society.
- The texts were codified and written in Sanskrit so as to keep it out of understanding of the common people.
- Bhakti evolved as a popular reaction where the path of divinity was open to all regardless of their status by birth.
Question 7:-
What were the major teachings of Guru Nanak?
Answer 7:-
- Guru Nanak emphasized on the worship of one God. According to him caste and creed and gender were did not play any role for attainment of
- Nam, dan and isnan were the concepts he used. These meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct.
- His teachings are reminisced as namjapna, vandchakhna and kiratkarna which also underline the importance of right belief and worship, honest living and helping others.
- Sikhism was thus fundamentally based on the principle of equality.
Question 8:-
For either the Virashaivas or the sants of Maharashtra, discuss their attitudes towards caste.
Answer 8:-
- The poet saints of Maharashtra like Tukaram and Eknath were followers of Vitthala, a form of Vishnu with temple in Pandharpur.
- The poets belonged to the Untouchable Mahar caste and prayed toVitthala.
- They prohibited notions of purity based on caste and even the outward notion of piety.
- They rejected the idea of celibacy and lived with their families earning like ordinary people.
Question 9:-
Why do you think ordinary people preserved the memory of Mirabai?
Answer 9:-
- Mirabai was a Rajput princess who became a follower of Ravidas, a saint from an untouchable caste.
- She sang and wrote bhajans that openly confronted prevalent caste norms.
- Her challenging of the caste made her popular among the common masses of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Question 10:-
Find out whether in your neighbourhood there are any dargahs, gurudwaras or temples associated with saints of the bhakti tradition in your neighbourhood. Visit any onr of these and describe what you see.
Answer 10:-
Creative answer can be modified by students accordingly.
A number of temples associated to the Bhakti saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhuare present in my vicinity. The temple emphases on the singing and dancing of bhajans and kirtans. The worship relies on love for the deity and involves service to the deity.
Question 11:-
For any of the saint poets whose compositions have been included in this chapter, find out more about their works, noting down their poems. Find out whether these are sung, how these are sung, and what the poets wrote.
Answer 11:-
One of the poets mentioned in the chapter is Kabir. Kabir wrote in a language which was in comparison to other languages eloquent for the people to understand his thoughts and ideas. His poems contribute a lot to literature and are sung like folk songs by his followers. Kabir penned down the cohesion and fluidity of God and how one should accept the might of the God’s will.
Question 12:-
There are several saints whose names have been mentioned but their works haven’t been included in the chapter. Find out more about the language in which they composed, whether their compositions were sung, and what their compositions were about.
Answer 12:-
Amongst the many saints whose works aren’t included in the chapter are those of the Nayanars and their saints. One of the Nayanarsant was Appar. Appar wrote in Tamil language and his poems continued to be sung in temples during rituals and otherwise. He wrote in Tamil and the poems displayed intense devotion to Shiva.
Topics Covered in Chapter 8 – Devotional Paths to the Divine Class 7 History (Social Science)
- The Idea of a Supreme God
- A New Kind of Bhakti in South India – Nayanars and Alvars
- Philosophy and Bhakti
- Basavanna’s Virashaivism
- The Saints of Maharashtra
- Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis
- Islam and Sufism
- New Religious Developments in North India
- A Closer Look: Kabir
- A Closer Look: Baba Guru Nanak
Important Terms Relevant for NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 8 – Devotional Paths to the Divine :
Virashaivism – A Bhakti movement from Karnataka led by Basavanna. The Virashaivas or the Lingayats rejected all caste and gender norms and encouraged intense love for Shiva.
Bhakti – A form of worship that doesn’t focus on rituals and is based on the worship of a deity with love and devotion.
Sufi- Sufis were a section of unorthodox Muslims who believed in love for God and attaining this love through sama.
Khanqah – The kanqah was the sanatorium of a Sufi saint, and refers to the place where he lived and taught.
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History (Social Science)