Devotional Path to the Divine

Kabir's teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement and rejection of the major religious traditions.

1. His teachings openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam, the pre-eminence of the priestly classes and the caste system.
2. The language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people. He also sometimes used cryptic language, which was difficult to follow.
3. Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion.
4. He drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims.
5. His teachings reflect the secular values of life.

The ideas of Guru Nanak had a huge impact on people from the very beginning. He emphasized the importance of worship of one God. He insisted that caste, creed or gender was irrelevant for attaining liberation. He himself used the terms nam, dan and isnan for the essence of his teaching, which actually meant right worship, welfare of others and purity of conduct. His teachings are now remembered as nam-japna, kirt-karna and vand-chhakna, which also underline the importance of right belief and worship, honest living, and helping others.

The saints of Maharashtra were strong and outspoken drawn from all social classes. They focused on the Vitthala (a form of Vishnu) in temple in Pandharpur whom they identified with Lord Krishna. They stressed on the notion that personal god is residing in the hearts of all people, the efficacy of gods name, professed love and brotherhood. They condemned the idea of all forms of ritualism and social differences based on birth. They even rejected the idea of renunciation and preferred to live with their families like other persons and serve human beings.