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Sant Kabir Das Seminar Project
Sant Kabir Das Seminar Project
Introduction
Many legends, inconsistent in their details, exist about his birth family
and early life. Kabir was picked up and then raised by a Muslim family.
However, modern scholarship has abandoned these legends for lack of
historical evidence, and Kabir is widely accepted to have brought up in a
family of Muslim weavers.
Some scholars state that Kabir's parents may have been recent converts
to Islam, they and Kabir were likely unaware of Islamic orthodox
tradition, and are likely to have been following the Nath (Shaiva Yogi)
school of Hinduism. This view, while contested by other scholars, has
been summarized by Charlotte Vaudeville as follows:
Some legends assert that Kabir never married and led a celibate's life.
Most scholars conclude from historical literature that this legend is also
untrue, that Kabir was likely married, his wife probably was
named Dhania, they had at least one son named Kamal and a daughter
named Kamali.
Later Years
Major Works
Kabir was a saint and a poet who firmly believed in the unity of God
and denounced the caste system. He preached a religion of love which aimed
at promoting unity amongst all castes and creeds, and verbally composed
many verses reflecting his beliefs. Many of his compositions were compiled
by his followers in the years following his death, the most notable of which
is the ‘Kabir Bijak’. Several of his verses are also included in the Adi Granth,
the holy scripture of Sikhism
Sant Kabir was prejudiced by the existing religious mood of that time like
Hinduism, Tantrism as well as the personal devotionalism mixed with the
imageless God of Islam. Kabir Das is the first Indian saint who has
coordinated the Hinduism and Islam by giving a universal path which could
be followed by both Hindus and Muslims. According to him every life has
relationship with two spiritual principles (Jivatma and Paramatma). His view
about the moksha that, it is the process of uniting these two divine
principles.
His great writing Bijak has huge a collection of poems which makes clear the
Kabir’s general view of the spirituality. Kabir’s Hindi was a dialect, simple
like his philosophies. He simply followed the oneness in the God. He has
always rejected the murti pujan in Hinduism and shown the clear
confidence in bhakti and Sufi ideas.
His Poetry
He had composed the poems in a concise and simple style resonating
the admire for factual guru. After being an illiterate he had written his
poems in Hindi mixing with Avadhi, Braj, and Bhojpuri. He was insulted by
some people but he never attended.
Kabir Das Teaching
It is considered that he got his spiritual training came from the
Ramananda, guru of the Sant Kabir. In the starting Ramananda was not
agreeing to accept Kabir Das as his disciple. Once upon a time, Sant Kabir
Das had lie down on the ladders of the pond and reading the mantra of
Rama-Rama, in the early morning Ramananda was going for taking bath
and Kabir come down below his feet. Ramananda felt guilty for that activity
and then Ramananda was forced to accept him as his disciple. It is believed
that Kabir’s family is still living in the Kabir Chaura in Varanasi.
It is the photo of the Saint Kabir Math in the Varanasi where saints are busy
in the singing Kabir Ke Dohe. It is the place of giving real education of life to
the people.
Historical well:
Once upon a time, the Kashi Naresh, Raja Virdev Singh Ju Dev came at to
the Kabir Math with his wife to get pardon by leaving his kingdom. The
history is: once, Kashi King called all the saints to his kingdom as he heard
much fame of the Kabir das. Kabir das reached there to the kingdom alone
with his small water bottle. He poured all the water of the small bottle on his
leg, the small amount water started flowing on the ground for long way. The
entire kingdom filled with water, so Kabir was asked about that. He said
that, a devotee panda, in Jagannathpui, was cooking food in his hut which
caught fire.
The water which I poured, was for protecting the hut from being fired. The
fire was serious so it was very necessary to get more water from the small
bottle. But the King and his followers never accepted that statement and
they want the real witness. They thought that the fire was caught in the
Orissa city and Kabir is pouring water here in the Kashi. The King sent one
of his followers for the investigation. The follower returned and told that all
the statement of Kabir was true. The king became very shamed and he and
his wife had decided to go to the Kabir math to get pardon. If they will not
get pardon, they will suicide there. They got pardon and from that time the
King was always united with the Kabirchaura Math.
Samadhi Mandir:
This place was the workplace as well as the sadhanasthal of the Kabir das.
This is the place where he had given the knowledge of Bhakti, Gyan, Karma
and Manavta to his disciples. The place was named Kabir Chabutara. Bijak
was the great work of the Kabir Das, that’s why the Kabir Chabutara was
named as Bijak Mandir.
In the fifteenth century, all the areas of life of people in the Varanasi were
strongly held by the Brahmin orthodoxy as well as learning centers. To
make free the people from, Kabir Das had to work hard to preach his
idealogy as he belonged to the low caste, Julaha. He never felt difference
among the people whether they are prostitutes, low caste or high caste. He
preached to all by gathering self and his followers. He was ridiculed by the
Brahmins for his preaching activities but he never criticizes them back and
that’s why he was much liked by the common people. He started reforming
the mind of common people towards the real truth through his couplets.
He opened the deep eyes of the people and taught them genuine lessen of
humanity, morality and spirituality. He was a follower and promoter of the
ahimsa. He had turned the people mind of his period through his
revolutionary preach. There is no real proof and clue about his birth and
family, some say he was from a Muslim family; some say he was from high
class Brahmin family. There was some disagreement among people related
to the Muslim and Hindu about the funeral system after his death. His life
history is legendary and still teaches the human beings a real humanity.
Religion of Kabir Das
According to the Kabir Das, real religion is a way of life the people live
it and not made by the people own. According to him the work is worship
and responsibility is like religion. He said that live your life, do
responsibilities and do hard work to make your life eternal. Never go away
from the responsibilities of the life like having Sanyasa. He appreciated and
valued the family life which is the real meaning of life. It is also mentioned in
the Vedas that living life by leaving home and responsibilities is not the real
dharma. Living as a householder is also a great and real Sanyasa. Just like,
Nirguna sadhus who live a family life, work hard for their daily routine
bread as well as chant the name of God.
He has given the people an authentic fact about what is the religion of
human beings the one should have. Such preaches of him has helped the
common people to understand the mystery of life very easily.
Kabir, Guru Nanak and the Guru Granth Sahib
Some scholars state Kabir's ideas were one of the many influence son Guru
Nanak, who went on to found Sikhism in the fifteenth century. Other Sikh
scholars disagree, stating there are differences between the views and
practices of Kabir and Nanak.
Harpreet Singh, quoting Hew McLeod, states, "In its earliest stage Sikhism
was clearly a movement within the Hindu tradition; Nanak was raised a
Hindu and eventually belonged to the Sant tradition of northern India, a
movement associated with the great poet and mystic Kabir." Surjit Singh
Gandhi disagrees, and writes "Guru Nanak in his thought pattern as well as
in action model was fundamentally different from Kabir and for that matter
McLeod places Nanak in the Sant tradition that included Kabir, and states
that their fundamental doctrines were reproduced by Nanak. JS Grewal
contests this view and states that McLeod's approach is limiting in its scope
because, "McLeod takes into account only concepts, ignores practices
altogether, he concentrates on similarities and ignores all differences
It is considered that after the death of Kabir Das, Hindus and Muslims
had claimed for getting the dead body of Kabir Das. Both of them wanted to
do the funeral of dead body of the Kabir Das according to their own customs
and traditions. Hindus stated that they want to burn the body as he was a
Hindu and Muslims said that they want to bury under the Mohammedan
rites as he was a Muslim.
But, when they removed the sheet from the dead body they found only some
flowers at that place. They distributed the flower between each other and
completed the funeral according to their own traditions and customs. It is
also considered that when they were fighting, the spirit of Kabir das came to
them and said that, “I was neither a Hindu nor a Mohammedan. I was both.
I was nothing. I was all. I discern God in both. There is no Hindu and no
Mussalman. To him who is free from delusion, Hindu and Mussalman are
the same. Remove the shroud and behold the miracle!”
A temple of Kabir Das is made at the Kabir Chaura in the Kashi which has
now become the great pilgrimage place for the people all over India as well
as outside India. And a mosque of him was built by the Muslims over the
grave which has become the pilgrimage for Mohammedans.
God of Kabir Das
His Guru Ramanand has given him the name of Lord Rama as a guru-
mantra which he had interpreted in his own way. He was devoted to the
Nirguna Bhakti and not to the Saguna Bhakti like his Guru. His Rama was
an absolute pure Satchitananda, not the son of Dasharatha or king of
Ayodhya as he said “Dasaratha ke ghar na janmey, yee chal Maya keenha.”
He was greatly influenced by the Buddhas and the Siddhas over Islamic
tradition. According to him, “Nirguna Nama japahu rey Bhaiya, Avigati Ki
gati Lakhi Na Jaiya.”
Kabir Das died in Magahar instead of Kashi just because of breaking the
myths and superstitions of people. According to Hindu calendar in Vikram
Samvat 1575, he left the world in the Maghar in the month of Januanry in
the year 1518 at Magh Shukl Ekadashi. It is also believed that the one who
die in Kashi, go to the heaven directly that’s why Hindu people go to the
Kashi during their last time and wait for death in order to attain the
salvation. Kabir Das died out of the Kashi to demolish the myth. His one of
the famous saying related to this is “jo kabira Kashi mue to rame kaun
nihora” means if there is a simple way to go to heaven just by dying in Kashi
then what is the necessity of worshipping God.
The teachings of the Kabir Das are universal and equal to all as he never
differentiate among Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and others of different religions.
There is a mazar and samadhi of the Kabir Das in the Magahar. After his
death his followers of Hindu and Muslim religion fight for the funeral of his
body. But when they remove out the sheet from the dead body they only
found some flowers taking which they completed the funeral according to
their own customs and traditions.
There is cave few meters away from the Samadhi indicates his meditation
place before death. There is running trust named Kabir Shodh Sansthan
which works as a research foundation in order to promote the research on
Kabir Das works. There are running educational institutions as well which
includes the teachings of Kabir Das.
Kabir Das: A Mystic Poet
A great mystic poet, Kabir Das, is one of the leading spiritual poets in Indian
who has given his philosophical ideas to promote the lives of people. His
philosophy of oneness in God and Karma as a real Dharma has changed the
mind of people towards goodness. His love and devotion towards the God
fulfill the concept of both Hindu Bhakti and Muslim Sufi.
It is the great pond where Saint Kabir was found by the Neeru and Neema. It
is located at the Saint Kabir Math Lahartara in the Kashi.
It is the Saint Kabir Math located in the Lahartara Varanasi. What a great
building of the peace and real education. Saints from all over the world come
here to get the real education.
Like other mystic writers, Kabir often refers to himself as female (e.g. a
bride), and God as male (e.g. a bridegroom).[66] According to Bhupinder
Singh, "In [the devotees'] thinking, all human beings are bride and God is
sole bridegroom."[66] This can lead to confusion and Kabir has been
criticised for his depiction of women. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh states,
"Kabir's opinion of women is contemptuous and derogatory”. Wendy Doniger
concludes Kabir had a misogynist bias. For Kabir, states Schomer, woman is
"Kali nagini (a black cobra), kunda naraka ka (the pit of hell), juthani jagata
ki (the refuse of the world)". According to Kabir, a woman prevents man's
spiritual progress.
Website
www.google.com
www.santkabir_das.com
http//sant_kabirdas//
CHAPTER -1
Introduction
Childhood & Early Life
CHAPTER -2
CHAPTER-3
Conclusion
Bibliography