Kabir Das

Why in news?

• On June 5, 2022, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre and Swadesh Darshan Yojana at Maghar in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

About Kabir:

• Sant Kabir Das was a very renowned saint, poet and social reformer of India who lived during the 15th century.
• His esteemed works and poems describe the greatness and oneness of the Supreme Being.
• He was a proponent of the Bhakti Movement.
• He did not believe in any religious discrimination and readily accepted all the religions.
• His verses are found in Guru Granth Sahib.
• The major part of his work was collected by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev.
• The hallmark of Sant Kabirdas’ work consists of his two line couplets, popularly known as ‘Kabir Ke Dohe’.

Kabir Panth

• A religious community known as ‘Kabir Panth’ was founded by him and the members of this forum are referred to as ‘Kabir Panthis’.

Nirguni tradition:

• One school within the Bhakti movement was the Nirguni tradition and Sant Kabir was a prominent member of it. In this tradition, God was understood to be a universal and formless being.

Social reformer:

• Kabir’s revolt against the caste system also sought to do away with the complex rituals and ceremonies performed by the Brahmins.
• He, like the other prominent saints of his time, argued that it was only through bhakti, intense love or devotion to God could one attain salvation.
• He sought to eradicate caste distinctions and attempted to create an egalitarian society.

Add ons:

• Kabir Das’ ideologies were greatly influenced by Vaishnava saint Swami Ramananda who accepted Kabir as his disciple.
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PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding Bhakti saint Kabir Das:

1.  His verses are found in Guru Granth Sahib

2. Kabir’s ideologies were greatly influenced by Vaishnava saint Swami Ramananda

3. He was a contemporary of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

                     D

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