Bhakti movement

Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886), also called Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (; ; ), born Ramakrishna Chattopadhyay (his childhood nickname was Gadadhar), was an Indian Hindu mystic. He was a devotee of the goddess Kali, but adhered to various religious practices from the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism, Tantric Shaktism, and Advaita Vedanta, as well as Christianity and Sufi Islam. His parable-based teachings advocated the essential unity of religions and proclaimed that world religions are "so many paths to reach one and the same goal". He is regarded by his followers as an avatar (di

Vaishnavism (), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu religious traditions, that considers Vishnu as the supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, Mahavishnu. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas (), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively.

Rambola (; 11 August 1511 – 30 July 1623), popularly known as Goswami Tulsīdās (), was a Vaishnava (Ramanandi) Hindu saint, devotee (भक्त) and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. He wrote several popular works in Sanskrit, Awadhi, and Braj Bhasha, but is best known as the author of the Hanuman Chalisa and of the epic Ramcharitmanas, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana, based on Rama's life, in the vernacular Awadhi language.

15th century Indian Vaishnavite saint

Meera, better known as Mirabai, and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. She is mentioned in Bhaktamal, confirming that she was widely known and a cherished figure in the Bhakti movement by about 1600. In her poems, she expressed her surrender towards Krishna often referring to herself as his daasi (servant).

Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the Dvaita (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy Tattvavāda meaning "arguments from a realist viewpoint". Madhvacharya was born at Pajaka near Udupi on the west coast of Karnataka state in 13th-century India. As a teenager, he became a Sanyasi (monk) joining Brahma-sampradaya guru Achyutapreksha, of the Ekadandi order. Madhva studied the classics of Hindu philosophy, and wrote commentaries on the Principal Upanish

Bhakti (; Pali: bhatti) is a concept common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love. In Indian religions, it may refer to loving devotion for a personal God (like Krishna or Devi), a formless ultimate reality (like Nirguna Brahman or the Sikh God) or an enlightened being (like a Buddha, a bodhisattva, or a guru). Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion. A devotee is a bhakta or bhakt.

thumb|An image of the Buddha in samadhi from Gal Vihara, [[Sri Lanka]] thumb|Statue of a meditating Shiva, [[Rishikesh]]

Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem Gita Govinda which concentrates on Krishna's love with the gopi, Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presents the view that Radha is greater than Krishna, is considered an important text in the Bhakti movement of Hinduism.

Vishwaguru Basavanna (1131–1196), also called ' and ', was an Indian philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focused bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya and the Kalachuri Dynasty. Basava was active during the rule of both dynasties, but his influence peaked during the reign of King Bijjala II in Karnataka, India.

thumb|Bhajan in Coimbatore, [[Tamil Nadu, during Navratri Golu.]]

spiritual path in Hinduism focused on devotion

poem by Jayadeva

Kannada poet

Vallabha, also known as Vallabhācārya or Vallabha Dīkṣita (May 7, 1478 – July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Kr̥ṣṇa-centered Puṣṭimārga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of Śuddhādvaita.

thumb|Painting of Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindus performing kirtan in [[Bengal. Some traditions practice public kirtan.]] thumb|Sikhs|Sikh kirtan with [[Indian harmoniums and tabla drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s)]]

Srimanta Sankardev (, ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of the Bhakti movement in Assam. He is credited with building on past cultural relics and devising new forms of music (Borgeet), theatrical performance (Ankia Naat, Bhaona), dance (Sattriya), literary language (Brajavali). Besides, he has left a literary oeuvre of trans-created scriptures (Bhagavat of Sankardev), poetry and theological works written in Sanskrit,

The Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindu devotional hymn (stotra) in praise of Hanuman, and regularly recited by Hindus. It was written by Tulsidas in the Awadhi language and is the best known text from the Ramcharitmanas.

Jagadguru Swami Ramananda (IAST: Rāmānanda) or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya, the largest monastic Hindu renunciant community in modern times.

Surdas was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer, who was known for his works written in praise of Krishna. His compositions captured his devotion towards Krishna. Most of his poems were written in the Braj language, while some were also written in other dialects of medieval Hindi, like Awadhi.

Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Andal (ISO 15919: Āṇṭāḷ), also known as Kothai and Nachiyar is one of the 12 Alvars, who are Tamil saints who patronised Vaishnavism during the Bhakti movement. She is the only female Alvar. She is considered to be an avatar of the earth goddess Bhumi, who is an aspect of Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the consort of the preserver god Vishnu. The Alvars are affiliated with the Sri Vaishnavism tradition of Vaishnavism. As per Hindu mythology, she was raised by Periyalvar in Srivilliputhur, where she grew up as a devotee of Krishna.

religious movement during the Medieval period of the Indian Subcontinent

Namdev (Pronunciation: [naːmdeʋ]), also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, (traditionally, ) was a Marathi Vaishnava saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, Medieval India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He was a devotee of the deity Vithoba of Pandharpur.

Nimbarka, also known as Nimbarkacharya, Nimbaditya or Niyamananda, was a Hindu philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the theology of Dvaitādvaita (dvaita–advaita) or dualistic–non-dualistic sometimes known as Svābhāvika bhedābheda. He played a major role in spreading the worship of the divine couple Radha and Krishna, and founded the Nimbarka Sampradaya.

Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha, Marathi pronunciation: [eknath]) (c. 1533 – c. 1599), was an Indian Hindu Vaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of Vitthal, a Hindu deity. He is a major figure of the Warkari tradition. He is often viewed as a spiritual successor to prominent Hindu Marathi saints Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.

Lalon (; 1772 – 17 October 1890), also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir and Shahji, was a Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Born in what is now Khulna Division in Bangladesh, Lalon is regarded as an icon of Bengali culture, as he inspired and influenced many philosophers, poets and social thinkers including Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Allen Ginsberg. Lalon's philosophy of humanity rejects all distinctions of caste, class, and creed and takes a stand against theological conflicts and racism. It denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul

Gaudīya Vaisnava Hindu guru and instructor (1874–1937)

The Alvars (), are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu through their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the Ultimate Reality.

Sant Dnyaneshwar (Marathi pronunciation: [d̪ɲaːn̪eʃʋəɾ]), (Devanagari : सन्त ज्ञानेश्वर), also referred to as Jñāneśvara, Jñānadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyandev Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296 (living samadhi)), was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath and Varkari tradition. In his short life of 21 years, he authored Dnyaneshwari (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita) and Amrutanubhav. These are the oldest surviving literary works in the Marathi language, and considered to be milestones in Marathi literature. Sant Dnyaneshwar's ideas reflect the non-dualistic

Krishnaism is a term used in scholarly circles to describe large group of independent Hindu traditions—sampradayas related to Vaishnavism—that center on the devotion to Krishna as Svayam Bhagavan, Ishvara, Para Brahman, who is the source of all reality, not simply an avatar of Vishnu. This is its difference from such Vaishnavite groupings as Sri Vaishnavism, Sadh Vaishnavism, Ramaism, Radhaism, and Sitaism. There is also a personal Krishnaism, that is devotion to Krishna outside of any tradition and community, as in the case of the saint-poet Mirabai. Leading scholars do not define Krishnaism

oldest form of Shaivism

poet-saint of Gujarat

Shakta poet of eighteenth century Bengal

Tallapaka Annamacharya (; 9 May 1408 – 23 February 1503), also known as Annamayya, was a Telugu composer and Hindu saint. Born in Thallapaka, he composed devotional songs known as saṁkīrtanas in praise of Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. He is the earliest known Indian musician to utilize this song form.

Sri Vaishnava religious leader

Malayalam devotional poet

Hindu devotional song

Manikkavacakar was a 3rd-century Tamil saint and poet who wrote Thiruvasagam and Thirukkovaiyar, books of Shaiva hymns. Tamil scholars and researchers share that he was a minister to the Pandya king Nedunjeliyan II (3rd Century CE) and lived in Madurai (or) he was a minister to the Pandya king Arikesari (6th Century CE).

denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism

Indian philosopher, musician and poet

school of Vedanta representing the philosophy of inconceivable one-ness and difference

Indian spiritual leader (1838–1914)

Syed Ibrahim Khan (1548-1628) was an Indian Sufi Muslim poet who became a devotee of the Hindu deity Krishna. He was either born in Pihani (Hardoi) or Amroha, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India. His original name was Saiyad Ibrahim and Raskhan was his takhallus (pen name) in Hindi. In his early years, he became a follower of Krishna, learned the bhakti marga from Vitthalanatha and began living in Vrindavan, where he spent the rest of his life. He accepted Krishna as the supreme god (Svayam Bhagavan) and became a Vaishnava. He died in 1628 AD. His samadhi is at Mahaban, about six miles east of

Indian philosopher

Sanskrit stotra composed by Adi Shankara

Bhedābheda refers to a tradition in Vedānta, which teaches that the individual self (jīvātman) is both different and not different from Brahman (Ultimate Reality). It encompasses sub-schools such as Shuddhadvaita and Acintya-bhedabheda.

Indian saint

thumb|200px|A Tibetan thangka or scroll painting of [[Saraha surrounded by other mahasiddhas; probably 18th century and now in the British Museum]]

x216px|thumb|right|Vallabhacharya, who propounded the philosophy of Shuddadvaita

thumb|right|290px|The four foremost Nayanars with Manikkavaasakar - collectively called the நால்வர்: (from left) Sambandar, [[Appar, Sundarar, Manikkavachakar.]]

Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. The new religion was officially announced on 29 January 2010 by the Dera Sachkhand Ballan. Its scripture is the Amritbani Satguru Ravidas Maharaj Ji. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain mainstream Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of the Guru Granth Sahib as their focal religious text, wearing Sikh articles of faith (5Ks), and appending Singh or Kaur to their names.

Indian devotional Poet from Odisha

'''''''''' is a Sanskrit term which means "a thousand names". It is also a genre of stotra literature, usually found as a title of the text named after a deity, such as Vishnu Sahasranāma, wherein the deity is remembered by 1,000 names, attributes or epithets.

sutra in Hinduism

hindu concept

Bengali writer 18th Century.

medieval period poet of Gujarati literature

Gangasati was a medieval saint poet of bhakti tradition of western India who composed several devotional songs in Gujarati language.