In 1440 a boy was born to an unwed Brahmin girl in India. Rather than bring shame to herself and her family she chose to abandon the baby. A Muslim weaver called Niru found the boy and took him home to his wife Nima. Since the couple was childless they joyfully adopted him. They soon named the boy Kabir.
Niru and Nima were poor weavers and Kabir was raised in poverty. What made things even more difficult was that Kabir was not a normal child and had strong spiritual tendencies. It is said that even in his childhood he would sing devotional songs and that people in the neighborhood were perplexed at this strange phenomenon. Niru passed away when Kabir was ten and the responsibility to keep the household going fell on his shoulders. Things were not easy for Nima as Kabir would routinely give away the money he collected from the sale of cloth to the poor. While weaving cloth he would go in a spiritual trance and stop weaving and sit in meditation for hours.
As Kabir grew up his spiritual hunger increased and he began looking for a guru. In those days there was a renowned teacher called Ramanand. Unfortunately for Kabir he was an orthodox Brahmin and would not take a Muslim as his disciple. To get around this problem Kabir devised a clever plan. He knew that Ramanand went to the banks of the river Ganges for a bath everyday before dawn. He then slept on the stairs so that Ramanand would not see him in the dark and would step on him. Kabir’s plan worked. When Ramanand stepped on him he was so startled that he cried, “Ram! Ram!” (Equivalent to exclaiming “Oh God!”) Kabir immediately leapt up and touched Ramanand’s feet claiming that he had just been initiated as a disciple. When Ramanand protested Kabir responded, “Is there anything more powerful than the name of God when initiating a disciple?” Ramanand immediately saw that this was no ordinary boy and accepted him as his disciple. Kabir made spectacular spiritual progress under the guidance of his guru and in a few years even surpassed his guru.
Kabir was a householder saint and when his first wife passed away he married again to a beautiful girl named Loi. They had two children, a boy (Kamal) and a girl (Kamali). Loi had a very difficult time managing the household with such an otherworldly husband in charge. They had a constant stream of visitors, as many passing wandering ascetics would stroll in to have a chat with Kabir. The fact that they were completely destitute and would not have enough to feed the visitors did not in the least deter Kabir or the guests.
As Kabir’s spirituality increased he found it difficult to house it under traditional religious structures. He found that his spirituality did not conform to either Hindu or Muslim dogma. He soon began to express his spirituality in poetry in the language of the common man. Kabir was a working poet-saint. His poetry was composed while weaving cloth and the meter of his poetry reflects this. When you listen to Kabir’s poems you can almost hear the beat of the weaving shuttle in the background.
Soon Kabir’s popularity spread and his poems began to have mass appeal. But his poems were critical of both Hindus and Muslims:
“O Seeker, where do you seek Me?
Lo! I am beside you.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque:
I am neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash:
Neither am I in rites and ceremonies,
nor in superficial Yoga and false renunciation.
If you are a true seeker, you shall at once see Me:
you shall meet Me in a moment’s time.
Kabir says, “O Seeker! God is the breath of all breath.”
Kabir’s rising popularity and unorthodox views were not winning him any friends. His words seemed rebellious and blasphemous and soon he was asked to appear in the court of the ruler of that time Sikandar Lodi. Kabir was not exactly an obedient subject. He was late in coming to court and neglected to bow before the king. But Sikandar saw in him merely an eccentric saint and simply banished him from the city.
Kabir now began wandering from city to city and his fame spread even further. After many years of wandering, in 1518 at the age of 78, he felt that his end was near. He packed up his belonging and headed for the cit of Maghar. In those days it was considered extremely inauspicious to die in Maghar and Kabir wanted to put an end to this nonsense. Soon it became clear to his followers that Kabir had no intention to leave and would spend his last days here. Alarmed they beseeched him to leave this city to no avail. As word spread that the end was near, both his Hindu and Muslim followers gathered for a showdown. Hindus wanted to cremate him while Muslims wished to bury him. Kabir was aware of this looming confrontation, and he indicated to his son that he would show a final miracle in his passing. When he passed away his body was placed under a shroud and brought before his followers. Soon Hindus and Muslims began arguing and to their utter astonishment Kabir himself appeared before them and asked them to lift the shroud. He then immediately disappeared. When the shroud was lifted they found that in place of the body there was a heap of flowers. Hindus took half of them and cremated them and the Muslims took the other half and buried them.
Kabir has had a profound impact on Indian and world spirituality. He bought profound mystical insights to the masses in a language that spoke directly to their heart. He spoke against dogma and mocked mindless ritual and religiosity. Even today his words echo in our hearts:
“Kabir stands in the market, flaming torch in hand.
Burn down your dogmatic-beliefs, and walk with me!”
Related:
Kabir Dohas
The Songs Of Kabir
A documentary on Kabir and noted singer Kumar Gandharva.
Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.