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Kabir

by David Courtney working tools

Kabir is a very impor­tant figure in In­dian his­tory.  He is unusual in that he is spiritually sig­ni­fi­cant to Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims alike.

We do not know much about the birth of Kabir.  The most rea­sonable guess places his birth around 1440.  Ac­cor­ding to one legend he was of a virgin birth.  It is said that his mother be­comes pregnant after visiting a Hindu shrine.  Upon delivery the child is given up for adoption.

His early upbringing is much clearer.  Kabir was raised among a Muslim com­mu­nity of weavers.  He was never formally ed­uca­ted and was al­most comp­letely illiterate.  I emphasise the word “almost” be­cause, ac­cor­ding to legend, the only word that he ever learned how to write was “Rama”.

The basic re­li­gious principles he espouses are simple.  Ac­cor­ding to Kabir, all life is an interplay of two spiritual principles.  One is the per­sonal soul (Jivatma) and the other is God (Paramatma).  It is 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 has Kabir influenced Muslims and Hindus but he is one of the major inspirations be­hind Sikhism as well.

Kabir has writ­ten much poetry and song.  His lyrics are cha­rac­terised by a free use of the vernacular, and is unfettered by the grammatical bonds of his day.  It is this quality which has made his phi­lo­sophy ac­cessible to ge­nera­tions of In­dians.


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