UPSC Prelims 2019 Question:

Consider the following statements:

1. Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.
2. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.
   
   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation:

• Nimbarka was a Telugu brahmin, philosopher, theologian, and the chief proponent of Dvait-advait philosophy, i.e., duality and nonduality at the same time (dualistic non-dualism). He played a major role in spreading the worship of the Radha and Krishna and founded Nimbarka Sampradaya, a sect of Vaishnavism. He is believed to have lived around the 11th and 12th centuries in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The Mughal emperor Akbar lived from 1542 to 1605 AD. So, statement 1 is not correct.
  
  
• Saint Kabir was an Indian mystic poet and saint who lived from 1398 to 1518 AD. His writings influenced the Bhakti movement. His verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, and Kabir Sagar. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi was a South Asian Islamic scholar from Punjab who lived from 1564 to 1624 AD. He belonged to Naqshbandi Sufi order and opposed the religious ideas of Akbar. So, statement 2 is not correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (4) is the correct answer.

Subject: History | Religion and Philosophy