Kabir : His mystical odes made him an iconic character
On June 20, Saint Kabir Jayanti is celebrated in honor of Sant Kabir Das, a mystical saint and poet predominant in North India. Kabir was born to Muslim parents in Benaras (erstwhile Varanasi) who turned to spirituality and religion at a very young age. Saint Kabir Jayanti is observed as an auspicious day dedicated to Kabir.
Following the teachings of Guru Ramananda, a 15th century Hindu mystical guru
who coined the name Kabir Das, his life took a major turn. Kabir’s love for all
religion, made the most difficult task for the thinkers to categorize him as Brahmin, Sufi or
Vaishnavite. Kabir Das used to describe himself as the child of
Allah sometimes and as child of Ram during other times.
Throughout his life, Kabir Das maintained such a unique distinction of
By not following any particular religion
throughout his life, Kabir Das maintained such a unique dissimilarity that it
has created a confusing state among people as to term him a Hindu or Muslim.
However, he is credited for his artistic keenness with which he used to express
divine feelings with beautiful arrangement of words. Professionally, Saint
Kabir Das was a weaver who used to spend most of his time at the loom, but the
way he had woven magic in traditional realms of Hindus and Muslims equally is
something that can never be ignored.
Saint Kabir Das reached the abode of God in Maghar
close to Gorakhpur in 1518. However, immediate dispute began regarding the way
in which his final rites must be performed. It is believed that both Hindus and
Muslims claimed the body to perform the funeral rites. To their utter surprise,
Kabir Das stood up and asked them to lift his body and view beneath. Lying
there was nothing but a beautiful array of flowers. Devotees and his followers
were speechless with Hindus along with some flowers leaving to Varanasi and the
rest of the flowers taken by Muslims to Maghar.
Kabir Das was influenced with various incidents
throughout his life that made him even more popular. In order to break his
spiritual path, a beautiful courtesan had been sent to him with no effective
results. Similarly, he was taken to the court of Sikander Lodi after having
been believed that he possessed some magical powers. Eventually, he was made to
leave the city of Varanasi in the year 1495 after which he never returned.
During this period of his life, Kabir toured entire North India spreading
oneness among people.
Frankly speaking, odes - a classical
poem of a kind originally meant to be sung written in varied or irregular metre
- from
Kabir Das made him an iconic character during the 15th century. Displaying a
mature way of thinking, he is best remembered for some of the one-liners he
uttered in response to various queries from people in his own inimitable style.
For instance, he expressed his feelings beautifully in words such as “The
Purana and The Koran are mere words” and God is “neither in Kaaba nor in
Kailash”. All over his life, Kabir actively denounced both temples and mosques
maintaining that God is in everyone and exists everywhere.
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