Kabir (1440-1510) was a
medieval saint who was more modern than our moderns. He was the most radical
disciple of Ramanand, the first great Bhakti saint of North India. A product of Bhakti cult of
eclecticism Kabir preached his messages in the 15th century.
Kabir was a great
humanist. At the root of his humanism which we may call a form of radicalism
can be seen in his love of God. He had the courage to repudiate all our
scriptures as worthless.
Nothing can be said with
certainty about Kabir’s birth. He grew up in a family of Muslim weavers.
A believer in simplicity,
Kabir disparaged ritualism and priest-craft. He disparaged even Sanskrit, the
language in which the externals of religion were described.
He writes, “O Kabir,
Sanskrit is water of the well, the vernacular is a flowing stream.
Kabir discarded idol-worship, fasting, alms-giving and pilgrimage. He spoke against asceticism which according to him means nothing if it is not accompanied by bhajan (devotional worship). Even yog was to him a form of ritual. For Kabir devotion was the only way to God. Opposing the institution of Sati, which was so popular during Kabir’s times, he disapproved the veiling of women.
There is some element of
Sufi influence on Kabir. This is natural because the foundation of his thought
is Vednata.
All these things raised
Kabir above all notions of community and sect. He contemplated a united India
of Hindus and Muslims.
While leading a religious
life, Kabir was married to a woman named Loi. His son was named Kamal who was
also a great thinker.
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