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
Statement 1 is incorrect: Saint Nimbarka, the philosopher-theologian who propounded the Dvaitadvaita (dualistic non-dualism) school of Vedanta, lived around the 12th to 13th century CE, whereas Mughal Emperor Akbar reigned much later from 1556 to 1605 CE. They were not contemporaries.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Saint Kabir lived during the 15th century CE (circa 1398–1448 or 1440–1518 CE) and adhered to the Nirguna Bhakti tradition. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (Mujaddid Alf-i Thani), an orthodox Naqshbandi Islamic reformist scholar, lived much later (1564–1624 CE) during the reigns of Akbar and Jahangir. Therefore, Kabir could not have been influenced by Sirhindi.
Therefore, neither statement is correct — Option D.