Step 1: Split by the core distinction: The single defining line between the two branches is whether God is imagined WITH a personal form (Saguna) or WITHOUT any form (Nirguna).
Step 2: Saguna examples and practice: Surdas's devotion to Krishna and Tulsidas's devotion to Rama both center on a specific divine personality, expressed through poetry, temple ritual, and storytelling.
Step 3: Nirguna examples and practice: Kabir's dohas and Guru Nanak's hymns instead describe an unseen, formless divine reality, reject idol worship, and challenge both Hindu and Muslim orthodoxy equally.
Final Answer: Saguna = personal, embodied God (Rama/Krishna traditions); Nirguna = formless, abstract God (Kabir/Nanak traditions), with Nirguna saints being the more socially reformist voice.