Kabir-Part IV

As Kabir intensified his spiritual practices he felt more and more the need to have a formal Guru. He had a great fascination to have Swami Ramananda of Kashi as his Guru. His Muslim background, he thought, might dissuade Ramananda from initiating him. So one early morning before sunrise he laid himself on the steps of a ghat on the Ganga where Swami Ramananda came for his daily bath. Unconsciously stepping upon the head of Kabir in the darkness, Ramananda uttered aloud the name of God as 'Rama'. Up rose Kabir, repeating the same Name as his mantra. Ramananda was overwhelmed when he saw ' the great yearning and devotion of this disciple. Kabir later said about this historic incident: 'When I got Ramananda as my Guru, my sorrows were destroyed, and my doubts disappeared. Such is the power and grace of the Guru!

As a principal disciple of Ramananda, Kabir accompanied him on pilgrimages throughout India. They visited several places like Puri, Rameswaram, Kanchi, Vijayanagar, Mathura, Vrindaban, Hardwar, Broach, Dwaraka, Chitrakoot and Prayag.

Kabir taught Nirguna Bhakti which included the concept of Sankara's Advaita — the oneness of Jiva with the Supreme Self — the Yoga practices of the Natha Yogis, the religion of love of the Sufis, and Islam's brotherhood of man and the concept of formless God. He stressed on God's grace as most essential for spiritual illumination. He emphasized the importance of cleaning the mind of its desires and living a life of truthfulness, simplicity, and self-control. Kabir called his God 'Nirguna', in the sense that He was free from the three Gunas and their derivatives: ego, mind, senses, etc. Though a Jnani by temperament, Kabir preached to the common man the love of God as the means for highest spiritual enlightenment.

Kabir did not accept either the Avataras of Hinduism or the 'last and best messiah-hood of Mohammed.' He preached against all exclusiveness, privileges and priestcraft in Hinduism as well as in Islam. He preached against the habits of meat-eating and consuming intoxicants, and spoke strongly against the evils of adultery. He laid greatest stress on faith in the Guru and serving him in every way. Listening to and serving holy men, he said, was a powerful force for spiritual upliftment.

The simple religion he taught on the authority of his direct realization of God, cut at the roots of all priestcraft of both Islam and Hinduism. Naturally priests complained against him to the Emperor in Delhi that Kabir was preaching contrary to the accepted religions of the day. When Kabir was summoned to the court of Sikandar Lodi he refused to salute the Emperor. There was no Emperor except Rama, felt Kabir. This and the priests' charges gave a long handle to the Emperor to punish him. On different occasions, he got Kabir tied to a stone, thrown into water, also into burning flames, and pushed under the feet of a doped elephant. From each trial Kabir came out unhurt! The Emperor had to submit and acknowledge at last the sainthood of Kabir.

To be continued

About the author

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