Minimalist IAS
Medieval India

Prelims · Medieval India · 4 questions

Bhakti & Sufi movements

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Bhakti & Sufi movements questions per year: 2016: 1, 2017: 0, 2018: 0, 2019: 1, 2020: 0, 2021: 0, 2022: 1, 2023: 0, 2024: 0, 2025: 0, 2026: 0 Asked in 3 of 11 years · most in 2022 (1)

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UPSC syllabus: “History of India and Indian National Movement.” Sub-topics in the detailed syllabus →

हाल ही में हैदराबाद में भारत के प्रधान मंत्री द्वारा रामानुज की आसन मुद्रा में विश्व की दूसरी सबसे ऊँची मूर्ति का उद्घाटन किया गया था । निम्नलिखित कथनों में कौन-सा एक, रामानुज की शिक्षाओं को सही निरूपित करता है ?

Read this question in English

The world's second tallest statue in sitting pose of Ramanuja was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India at Hyderabad recently. Which one of the following statements correctly represents the teachings of Ramanuja?

(a) The best means of salvation was devotion. · (b) Vedas are eternal, self-existent and wholly authoritative. · (c) Logical arguments were essential means for the highest bliss. · (d) Salvation was to be obtained through meditation.

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (a) मोक्ष प्राप्ति का सर्वोत्तम साधन भक्ति था ।

Ramanuja taught that devotion (bhakti) to Vishnu, with surrender to Him, is the best way to reach salvation. His school, vishishtadvaita, is a devotional form of Vedanta.

  • ✓ (a) NCERT: according to Ramanuja the best means of attaining salvation was intense devotion to Vishnu, whose grace lets the devotee reach the bliss of union with Him.
  • ✗ (c) The route of knowledge and reasoning about Brahman is Shankara's advaita, which Ramanuja challenged; his own path stressed bhakti and surrender.
  • ✗ (d) Ramanuja's texts as summarised in NCERT stress bhakti and surrender to the divine, not meditation, as the path to liberation.

Remember · Ramanuja (11th century, Tamil Nadu): vishishtadvaita, Vishnu-bhakti and surrender as the way to salvation, in contrast to Shankara's advaita and path of knowledge.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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  • HighBhakti saints & movements · 3 questions

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