Q. Consider the following statements:
- Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.
- Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Notes:
Saint Nimbarka:
- He was the preacher of Vaishnavite Bhakti in the Telangana region.
- Saint Nimbarka was not a contemporary of Akbar. Saint Nimbarka belongs to the 13th or 14th century while Akbar reigned during the 16th century.
- He was the disciple of Ramanujacharya.
- He was the first to introduce Radhamadhav cult which was centered n the worship of Radha and Madhav
- He founded the philosophy called Dwita Advaita. It was centered on the balance between Advaita and Visishtadvaita.
- He wrote Dashasloki and Vedanta
- He was also a prominent astronomer
- Its philosophy held that men were trapped in physical bodies constricted by prakrti(matter) and that only by surrender to Radha-Krishna (not through their own efforts) could they attain the grace necessary for liberation from rebirth; then, at death, the physical body would drop away.
Saint Kabir:
- Kabir was the disciple of Ramananda.
- Saint Kabir was the follower of Nirguna Bhakti who lived in the 15th century while Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi was the Islamic scholar of Naqshbandi Silsilah who lived during the 16th century.