Kabir

Kabir: Kabir Das was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib. His early life was in a Muslim family, but he was strongly influenced by his teacher, the Hindu bhakti leader Ramananda.

Sant Kabir was one of the greatest saint-poet of the Bhakti movement who preached the nirguna form of worship . He was born at Kashi (now Varanasi) .It is believed that his mother was a Brahmin widow who abondoned him. He was adopted by a childless Muslim Couple Neeru and Neema ,who were weavers profession. They taught him the weavers 's trade.

Teachings of Kabir:

Kabir spent much of his time in the company of Hindu ascetics, saints and Muslim sufis. So he imbibed the tenets of both the religions and realized the best of both. Allah and Ram were but names of the same God. He was to be found neither in temples nor in mosques, neither in Benares nor in Mecca but only in the heart of a true devotee.

Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement, rejection of the major religious traditions. 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. The language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people. He also sometimes used cryptic language, which is difficult to follow.

Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion. Kabir drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims.

Thus Kabir deliberately abandoned the two faiths and taught a middle path. He spread the simplest message of love and fraternity among all. Presence of a single God was the central point of his teachings. God is unlimited, endless, pure, omniscient and omnipotent.

Kabir's Philosophy:

Kabir believed that God is one. Even though people of different faiths and religion called God By different names, Kabir believed in the unity God. He was the disciple of the Bhakti saints Ramananda . He was also influenced by the Hindu saints,sufi saints and Buddha too.Kabir did not believe in idol-worship ,performing rituals going on pilgrimages, bathing in holy river and other forms of worship .He attacked the supersitions prevalent in society and stresses or purity of character and conduct .

Through his sakhis and dohas (saying in two lines, or couplets) and bhajans, he preached to the world a life of devotion, dispassion and love for all. As he grew up he absorbed teachings from the Hindu scriptures and the Quran. But he was drawn by the teachings of the leading Bhakti and Sufi saints of the time and become a devotee of the Bhakti saint Ramanand. Kabir did not believe in the distinctions of religion. He taught that love for god was the basis of all religions. By saying this, Kabir struck at the apparent differences between Hinduism and Islam and brought out the essential similarity between all religions. Kabir was equally revered by the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Several of this sayings have been included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. But because he attacked all orthodoxy, whether of the Hindus or the Muslims, he was not accepted by the religious leaders of either religion.

Sample Questions

(More Questions for each concept available in Login)

Question : 1

Kabir expressed his ideas in a vast collection of verses known as ________________ .
A. Myths and legends		B. Sakhis and pads
C. Bhajan and pads		D. All of these
Right Option : B
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Question : 2

Kabir was brought up by the family of ________________ .
A. Carpenters	B. Weavers	C. Farmers	D. Traders
Right Option : B
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Question : 3

Kabir probably lived in the __________________________
A. 11th and 13th centuries		B. 13th and 15th centuries
C. 15th and 16th centuries		D. 14th and 15th centuries
Right Option : C
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