Sant Kabir Jayanti

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Recently, the Prime Minister has paid tribute to Sant Kabir Das ji on his Jayanti on 24th June.

About

Kabirdas Jayanti also known as Kabir Prakat Diwas is celebrated once a year on the full moon day in the Hindu month Jyeshtha.
On his birth anniversary, Sant Kabirdas’ followers remember him by reciting his poems and teachings.

About Sant Kabirdas

He was a 15th-century Indian mystic, social reformer, poet and saint who had a significant role among the people in India.
- He was one of the most influential saints.
He was brought up in a family of Muslim julahas orweavers settled in or near the city of Benares (Varanasi).
- Recently, the UP Tourism department has initiated to promote Maghar as a tourist destination where Hindus have built a temple in memory of Kabir, while Muslims have constructed a mausoleum in his memory.
He was best known for his two-line couplets, known as ‘Kabir Ke Dohe’.
He is a widely revered poet whose works had a tremendous influence on the Bhakti movement.
Kabir’s legacy is still going on through a sect known as Panth of Kabir, a religious community that considers him as the founder.

His Teaching:

Kabir’s teachings were based on a complete, indeed vehement, rejection of the major religious traditions.
His teachings openly ridiculed all forms of external worship of both Brahmanical Hinduism and Islam,the pre-eminence of the priestly classes and the caste system.
- Kabir believed in a formless Supreme God and preached that the only path to salvation was through bhakti or devotion. Kabir drew his followers from among both Hindus and Muslims
The language of his poetry was a form of spoken Hindi widely understood by ordinary people.
According to him every life has a relationship with two spiritual principles (Jivatma and Paramatma). His view about the moksha is that it is the process of uniting these two divine principles.
He also sometimes used cryptic language, which is difficult to follow.
His popular verses and dohas continue to inspire generations even in the 21st century.

Writings/Works:

Kabir Das’ writings had a great influence on the Bhakti movement and includes titles like Kabir Granthawali, Anurag Sagar, Bijak, and Sakhi Granth,Panch Vani
- The major part of his work was collected by the fifth Sikh guru–Guru Arjan Dev.
He fought against social evils and taught the lesson of humanity and love to the world.

Bhakti Movement

An important landmark in the cultural history of medieval India was the silent revolution in society brought about by socio-religious reformers, a revolution known as the Bhakti Movement.
This movement was responsible for many rites and rituals associated with the worship of God by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of Indian subcontinent.
- For example, Kirtan at a Hindu Temple, Qawwali at a Dargah (by Muslims), and singing of Gurbani at a Gurdwara are all derived from the Bhakti movement of medieval India (800-1700).
The leader of this Hindu revivalist movement was Shankaracharya, a great thinker and a distinguished philosopher.
- This movement was propounded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Namadeva, Tukaram, Jayadeva.
The movement’s major achievement was its abolition of idol worship.
The leader of the bhakti movement focusing on the Lord as Rama was Ramananda.

Followers of Bhakti movement in 12th and 13th Century included saints such as Bhagat Namdev, and Saint Kabir Das, who insisted on the devotional singing of praises of lord through their own compositions.
Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism, too was a Nirguna Bhakti Saint and social reformer.
- He was opposed to all distinctions of caste as well as the religious rivalries and rituals. He preached the unity of God and condemned formalism and ritualism of both Islam and Hinduism. Guru Nanak’s gospel was for all men. He proclaimed their equality in all respects.

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