Kabir

Overview

Kabir (flourished 15th century) was an Indian devotional mystic poet and saint whose verses became influential across multiple religious traditions. He was born in the city of Varanasi, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, and is traditionally regarded as a disciple of Ramananda, the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya.

Kabir's compositions shaped the Bhakti movement within Hinduism and were later incorporated into the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. His verses also appear in the Satguru Granth Sahib associated with Saint Garib Das, and in the Kabir Sagar of Dharamdas. Today, Kabir is regarded as an important figure in Hinduism, Sikhism and Sufism.

He is known for being critical of organised religion, questioning what he regarded as meaningless and unethical practices, particularly those he considered to be wrong within Hinduism and Islam. During his lifetime, he is said to have faced opposition from sections of both Hindus and Muslims for his views. After his death, both communities, including those he had inspired, claimed him as their own.

Kabir's teachings emphasised that "truth" lies with the person who walks the path of righteousness, who regards all things, living and non-living, as divine, and who remains passively detached from worldly affairs. To realise the truth, he suggested, one must drop the "I", or the ego. His legacy continues through the Kabir Panth ("Path of Kabir"), a Sant Mat sect that recognises him as its founder; its followers are known as Kabir Panthis.

References

• English Wikipedia page for Kabir