Kabir-Part V

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For some inexplicable reason, Kabir left Kashi in 1518 for a nearby town, Maghar, at the ripe old age of 120. Here came his end.

At the time of death he sang in joy about God, his Beloved:

"A Sweet song of blessing, Sing, O bride handsome! Rama, my Beloved, has come to my home"

It is said that, just prior to his final departure, Kabir lay down covering himself with a wrapper and then breathed his last. Soon his Hindu and Muslim followers started arguing whether his body should be burnt or buried. Suddenly they heard the voice of Kabir asking them to lift the shroud and see. When they did so, they found to their astonishment a heap of flowers instead of Kabir's body! These relics were then partly buried and partly burnt by the two groups. The Master had, indeed, worked for the harmony between the two groups even after his death.

A denomination called Kabir Panth took shape after Kabir's death. However, it soon divided itself into 3 divisions: one, of Muslim followers at Maghar; second, of Hindu followers at Kabir Choura, Kashi (with a branch at Maghar); and a third, of Hindu followers again, in Chattisgarh district (M.P.). At present, the last group is said to be the most popular among the three.

Kabir's Precepts

Kabir had a message for the world. This is what he says: 'God wanted Kabir to teach through Sakhi the souls who were immersed in the "ocean of Samsara," so that they would be able to reach the "other shore".

Kabir's teachings were given through inspired poetry. Besides Sakhi, he also employed other metres like Doha, Chaupai, Rameini, and Sabda. Experts have named Kabir's language as Santa-bhasa, a saints' language, or Sadhukkadi, a Sadhus' language. Unlike common Hindi, this language contains many words from other Indian languages and is happily free from grammatical stringency. The power and simplicity of Kabir's language, it is said, swept grammar off its feet! The rules of grammar had to yield to cater for the profundity and power of Kabir's ideas.

Though there are quite a few compilations of Kabir's teachings — like Sukha-nidan and Amarul — those recorded in the books Bijak (lit.'The Account Book') and in the Adi Granth of the Sikhs are considered the most authentic.

To be continued

About the author

Swami Gautamananda Maharaj is the President of Ramakrishna Math Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India