The story of Sant Kabir

SANT KABIR (1398 - 1518)

 

Kabir Das ( Kabir in Arabic means "great" and Das or Dasa in Sanskrit means

'slave or 'servant' ) was born in

India in the year 1398 AD, about 71 years before Guru Nanak.

 

A weaver by profession, Kabir lived in Benares for 120 years and is said to have

relinquished his body in 1518. Kabir ranks among the world's greatest poets,

especially in

India, where he is perhaps the most quoted author.

Kabir was one of the medieval Indian saints of the Bhakti and Sufi movement and

an important influence on the Hindus and Muslims (then called Mohammedans) of

his time and also a profound influence on Nanak Shah, the founder of the Sikh

religion.

Sant Kabir

 

Many poems of Kabir can be found in the sacred scriptures, the Guru Granth

Sahib. The Sikh community in particular and others, who follow the Holy Granth,

hold Kabir in the same reverence as the other ten Gurus.

 

Miraculous legends surround the birth of Kabir. His mother was said to be a

virgin widow who conceived through a blessing given by the great teacher of

South India, Ramanand, on a visit to the spiritual guide. Ramanand, while

blessing her, offered her the usual wish that she might conceive a son, not

knowing her state of widowhood.

 

The sequel is variously reported. While one version states that the mother

abandoned the child to escape disgrace, another relates that Ramanand contrived

that the child should be miraculously born from his mother's hand.

Nevertheless, all stories agree that the child was brought up by a weaver named

Niru and his wife Nima.

 

As a young boy Kabir showed great spiritual abilities but he yearned to make the

famous Guru Ramanand his master. For a Muslim to get initiation from a Hindu was

out of the question so he took recourse to a trick.

 

He lay down on the steps of the bathing ghat where Ramanand was in the habit of

going down for his predawn ritual ablutions. In the dark he stepped on the

young boy and aghast that he had trampled underfoot a human being he uttered

the Divine Name, "Rama! Rama!"

 

An elated Kabir let the entire city know that the great Ramanand had initiated

him. It was a terrific scandal and a bewildered guru called this impossible lad

to enquire why he was making their lives difficult.

 

Whereupon Kabir launched the first of his devastatingly unanswerable questions.

'Do you teach anything higher than God's name? I have learnt that from

you, what else makes a disciple?'

 

Ramanand was not made of ordinary clay either and he was enchanted by this

perception of the life spiritual. He began teaching the Muslim boy and so

fierce was his erudition and reputation that all protestors against this

'sacrilege' fled from his wrath.

 

The most important theological position that he taught Kabir was the

Impersonal Aspect of God (Nirguna), which was Kabir's real objection to idol

worship later in life, not because he was a Muslim.

 

The details of Kabir's life are mixed with legends - some say he married one

Loi and brought up two adopted children Kamal and Kamali.

 

 

Throughout his life Kabir preached and worked as a weaver in the neighbourhood

of Benares. Owing to his teachings he was an object of dislike both to Hindus

and to Mohammedans, and it is said that he was denounced to Sikandar Lodi, king

of Delhi, as laying claim to divine attributes, but escaped by his ready tongue.

 

Kabir strove for the One Truth. He described himself as the son of both Ram and

Allah. The basic religious principles he espoused were simple. According to

him, all life is an interplay of two spiritual principles:

 

One is the personal soul (Jivatma) and the other is God (Paramatma). It was

Kabir's view that salvation is the process of bringing into union these two

divine principles.

 

The social and practical manifestation of Kabir's philosophy has rung

through the ages. It represented a synthesis of Hindu and Muslim concepts. From

Hinduism he accepts the concept of reincarnation and the law of Karma. From

Islam he takes the affirmation of the single god and the rejection of caste

system and idolatry. Not only did Kabir influence the Muslims and Hindus but he

is one of the major inspirations behind Sikhism as well.

 

Kabir says: "No act of devotion can equal truth; no crime is as heinous as

falsehood; in the heart where truth abides there is God's abode."

 

The hall mark of Kabir's poetry is that he conveys in his two line poems

(Doha), what others may not be able to do in many pages. Another beauty of

Kabir's poetry is that he picked up situations that surround our daily

lives. Thus, even today, Kabir's poetry is relevant and helpful in guiding

and regulating our lives, in both social and spiritual context.

 

It is estimated that Kabir wrote approximately two thousand songs and fifteen hundred couplets.

 

Kabir died at Maghar near Gorakbpur, and it has been suggested that Emperor

Sikandar Lodi, angered by Kabir's refusal to salute him tried to get him

killed by drowning, burning and other means of torture.

 

When he died, a dispute at once arose as to the disposal of his remains, which

were claimed, by both Hindus and Mohammedans, the former desiring to cremate

and the latter to bury them. While they wrangled, Kabir himself appeared and

bade them raise the cloth which covered the corpse.

 

When this was done, it was found that the body had vanished, but a heap of

flowers occupied its place. Half of these were burnt after the Hindu custom at

a spot now known as Kabir Chaura in Benares, and the rest were buried at

Maghar, which became the headquarters of the Mohammedan portion of the sect

that still follows Kabir. They are named Kabirpanthis. A tomb was built there

which was subsequently repaired about 1867 by a Mohammedan officer of the

Mughal army.

 

Since, like many saints, his life has been wrapped in a cloak of legend, of

miracles and of stories, it is best to approach a true understanding of Kabir

through his own words:

 

Are you looking for me?

 

I am in the next seat. My shoulder is against yours.

 

You will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, nor synagogues,

nor in the cathedrals, not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding around

your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables.

 

When you really look for me, you will see me instantly... you will find me in

the tiniest house of time.

 

Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?

 

He is the breath inside the breath.

 

I said to the wanting-creature inside me: What is this river you want to cross?

There are no travellers on the river-road, and no road.

 

Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or nesting?

 

There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.

There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.

There is no ground, no sky, no time and no bank!

And there is no body, and no mind!

 

Do you believe there is some place that will make the soul less thirsty?

In that great absence you will find nothing,

 

Be strong then, and enter into your own body; there you have a solid place for your feet.

 

Think about it carefully! Don't go off somewhere else!

 

Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things, and stand

firm in that which you are.

 

 

Sathya Sai Baba speaks on Kabir:

 

Mysterious are the ways of the Divine. It is difficult to comprehend how the

Divine grace works. There are innumerable instances of God coming to the rescue

of His devotees in times of need. Saint Kabir was a weaver by profession. One

day he fell seriously ill and was unable to attend to his duties. The

all-merciful Lord, in the form of Kabir, wove yarn and thus came to his rescue.

 

Divine Discourse, 23 Nov 99

 

Be attached only to the ideal, that is the sign of the sage. Kabir was weaving a

pitambara for the Lord, for his Rama. He had to work the loom alone, by hand. He

recited Rama Rama Rama Rama and went on weaving ceaselessly. The cloth had

become twenty yards long, but Kabir did not stop; his tapas continued unabated;

the pitambara was becoming longer. The ananda of the craft, devotion to his

Lord, was enough food and drink for his sustenance. When he gave it to the

temple priest for clothing the idol of Rama, the pitambara was just the length

and breadth, not a finger breadth more! Such men are the mainsprings of the joy

that spiritual persons fill themselves with in India.

PN 8-2-63

 

If you are master of your feelings and impulses, you can be anywhere, engaged in

any profession. You will have peace. Some one visited Kabir in his home and

asked him whether the householder's life promoted spiritual development.

Kabir did not answer. He called out to his wife and asked her to bring a lamp

so that he may fix a broken piece of yarn. It was about midday and the room was

well lit. The wife did not question or doubt or disobey. She brought the lamp

well lit, and held it for Kabir to repair the yarn. Then, he asked her to

leave. Kabir then turned his questioner and said, "When you have a wife like

this woman, adhering strictly to her Dharma, the householder's life will be

the best training ground for spiritual development." Malleswaram 5-2-65

 

 

Compiled from personal information as well as:

http://www.indiayogi.com/content/indsaints/kabir.asp

http://www.boloji.com/kabir/intro.htm

http://www.storytellingmonk.org

http://chandrakantha.com

Sathya Sai Discourses

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Sairam Madhvi,

 

Beautiful.Thanks for sharing.....

 

Here's my favourite Kabir Doha :

 

 

" Benares is to the East, Mecca is to the West,

 

but explore your own heart,

 

for there you will find both Rama and Allah "

 

 

Love and Light,

 

Ragu.

Dear Brother Ragu,Sai Ram.

 

In fact your favourite Kabir Doha perfectly summarises what he stood

for.......ie if we were to truly explore our heart, we would find that the God

that lives ithin encapsulates all the faiths of the world.

Remain Blessed!

 

With love & light,Madhvi Duty is God, Work is Worship

Om Sairam Madhavi,

 

I have really enjoyed reading your articles on the Sants Surdas, Purandas and now Kabir.

Please do continue these series they are really interesting - maybe Tulsidas,

Tukaram Mirabai etc.etc.

 

In fact I am always reminded of Mirabai whose devotion to Krishna is reflected

in your bhajans to our Swami.

 

Please keep up your good work.

 

Your brother in Sai,

 

P Reddy

 

(Portugal)

Meaning:Everyone remembers GOD in difficult times but none in times of ease If

you remember GOD then, why would difficulties ever arise?

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Dearest Sister Madhvi,

 

your 3 stories on the Saints of India are awesome. I had copied them

to our Balvikas gurus and they all want to include them in their

lesson plans.

 

Kindly send more of these as and when possible.

 

Sairam and thanks,

 

Vina Morjaria

I love this story of Kabir