CDS History · Medieval India
Sufis and Schools of Thought
The Sufi silsilas and the Chishtis, the Sufi books CDS names, and the Indian schools of philosophy from Mimamsa and Vedanta to Kashmir Shaivism and the Sahajiyas.
Why this matters
Nine CDS questions, five of them HARD. The Sufi ones ask what a word means or who wrote a book; the philosophy ones ask which school a teacher belonged to. Each answer is a pairing, so learn the names in twos.
Concept 1 of 2: Sufi silsilas and the Chishtis
A Sufi learnt from a master, who had learnt from his master, and so on back to the Prophet. That chain is a silsila, and each order of Sufis is named after its founder or the town it began in.
Definition
- Silsila means a chain. Around the 12th century silsilas took shape across the Islamic world. A silsila was the continuous link between master and disciple, an unbroken spiritual line back to the Prophet Muhammad, and the path by which spiritual power and blessings reached devotees.
- The Chishti silsila is named after Chisht, a town in central Afghanistan. Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti brought it to India and settled at Ajmer.
- Jahanara, Shah Jahan's daughter, wrote the Munis al-Arwah, a biography of Muinuddin Chishti. The Fawaid al-Fuad is a record of Nizamuddin Auliya's conversations.
- Al-Hujwiri (11th century, Lahore) wrote the Kashf al-Mahjub. He talked with yogis but was not impressed by their theory of the divisions of the human body. Al-Biruni compared Sufi ideas with the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, and the yogic text Amrita Kunda had a lasting effect on Sufism.
- The Khojas, a branch of the Ismailis, sang devotional poems called ginan (from the Sanskrit jnana, knowledge).
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Kashf al-Mahjub (11th century) | Al-Hujwiri's book on Sufism; he was not convinced by the yogis' theory of the bodyQ |
| Silsila | A chain: master to disciple, back to the Prophet; a channel of blessingsQ CDS 2018 (I): all three meanings were correct. |
| Chisht | Town in central Afghanistan that names the Chishti silsilaQ CDS 2021 (II): central Afghanistan. |
| Fawaid al-Fuad | Conversations of Nizamuddin Auliya |
| Munis al-Arwah (17th century) | Jahanara's biography of Muinuddin ChishtiQ CDS 2021 (II): Jahanara's book is the Munis al-Arwah. |
| Ginan | Devotional poems of the Khojas, an Ismaili branchQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2018 · CDS (I) 2018 — General Knowledge · Q61Moderate
Example 1 · Medieval India · Sufis and Schools of Thought
Around twelfth century, Sufi Silsilas began to crystallize in different parts of the Islamic world to signify
1. continuous link between the master and disciple
2. unbroken spiritual genealogy to the Prophet Muhammad
3. the transmission of spiritual power and blessings to devotees
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Munis al-Arwah, not Fawaid al-Fuad
Jahanara's biography of Muinuddin Chishti is the Munis al-Arwah. The Fawaid al-Fuad records Nizamuddin Auliya's talks and is the usual wrong option.
Hujwiri was not won over by the yogis
In a 'which is not correct' item on Sufis and yoga, the false statement is that Hujwiri was impressed by the yogis' theory of the body. The parallels drawn by Al-Biruni and the influence of the Amrita Kunda are both true.
Concept 2 of 2: Schools of philosophy
Indian thinkers argued over the Vedas in two halves: the ritual part and the knowledge part. Others built schools around Shiva, or within Buddhism. CDS names a teacher and asks for his school, so learn teacher and school together.
Definition
- Purva-Mimamsa studies the ritual part of the Vedas. Its two main teachers were Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara (7th to 8th century).
- Uttara-Mimamsa, or Vedanta, studies the Upanishads. Shankara (8th century) founded Advaita (non-dualism); Ramanuja taught Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism); Madhva elaborated Dvaita (dualism).
- Kashmir Shaivism (Trika) was founded by Vasugupta (9th century), to whom the Shiva Sutras are credited. Abhinavagupta was its greatest teacher, later.
- The Sahajiya cult of the 10th and 11th centuries grew out of tantric Buddhism; its songs survive as the Charyapadas. A Vaishnava Sahajiya movement came much later.
| School | Teacher | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Purva-Mimamsa | Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara | 7th to 8th centuryQ CDS 2022 (II): Purva-Mimamsa, not Uttara-Mimamsa. |
| Advaita Vedanta | Shankara | 8th centuryQ |
| Kashmir Shaivism | Vasugupta (founder); Abhinavagupta (later) | 9th century onwardQ CDS 2024 (I): Vasugupta propounded it. |
| Sahajiya | Buddhist siddhas; songs in the Charyapadas | 10th to 11th centuryQ |
| Vishishtadvaita Vedanta | Ramanuja | 11th to 12th century |
| Dvaita Vedanta | Madhva | 13th century |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2022 · CDS (II) 2022 — General Knowledge · Q37Hard
Example 2 · Medieval India · Sufis and Schools of Thought
To which one of the following schools of philosophy did Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara belong ?
Abhinavagupta explained, Vasugupta founded
Abhinavagupta is the most famous name in Kashmir Shaivism, but the founder is Vasugupta.
Early Sahajiyas were Buddhist
The Sahajiya cult of the 10th and 11th centuries is Buddhist. The Vaishnava Sahajiyas of Bengal came centuries later, so 'early Bhakti' is the trap option.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (2)
Sufi silsilas and the Chishtis6 rows
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Kashf al-Mahjub (11th century) | Al-Hujwiri's book on Sufism; he was not convinced by the yogis' theory of the bodyQ |
| Silsila | A chain: master to disciple, back to the Prophet; a channel of blessingsQ CDS 2018 (I): all three meanings were correct. |
| Chisht | Town in central Afghanistan that names the Chishti silsilaQ CDS 2021 (II): central Afghanistan. |
| Fawaid al-Fuad | Conversations of Nizamuddin Auliya |
| Munis al-Arwah (17th century) | Jahanara's biography of Muinuddin ChishtiQ CDS 2021 (II): Jahanara's book is the Munis al-Arwah. |
| Ginan | Devotional poems of the Khojas, an Ismaili branchQ |
Schools of philosophy6 rows
| School | Teacher | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Purva-Mimamsa | Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara | 7th to 8th centuryQ CDS 2022 (II): Purva-Mimamsa, not Uttara-Mimamsa. |
| Advaita Vedanta | Shankara | 8th centuryQ |
| Kashmir Shaivism | Vasugupta (founder); Abhinavagupta (later) | 9th century onwardQ CDS 2024 (I): Vasugupta propounded it. |
| Sahajiya | Buddhist siddhas; songs in the Charyapadas | 10th to 11th centuryQ |
| Vishishtadvaita Vedanta | Ramanuja | 11th to 12th century |
| Dvaita Vedanta | Madhva | 13th century |
Watch out for (4)
- Munis al-Arwah, not Fawaid al-Fuad→ Sufi silsilas and the Chishtis
- Hujwiri was not won over by the yogis→ Sufi silsilas and the Chishtis
- Abhinavagupta explained, Vasugupta founded→ Schools of philosophy
- Early Sahajiyas were Buddhist→ Schools of philosophy
Test yourself on Medieval India
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.