Question

Here is a composition attributed to Kabir: Tell me, brother, how can there be No one lord of the world but two? Who led you so astray? God is called by many names: Names like Allah, Ram, Karim, Keshav, Hari, and Hazrat. Gold may be shaped into rings and bangles. Isn’t it gold all the same? Distinctions are only words we invent … Kabir says they are both mistaken. Neither can find the only Ram. One kills the goat, the other cows. They waste their lives in disputation.

What is Kabir’s argument against the distinction made between gods of different communities?

Answer 1

1. Universal Monotheism: He emphasises that there cannot be multiple lords of the world, asking, “How can there be / No one lord of the world but two?”
2. Unity of Diverse Names: He states that different religious communities call the same God by various names, such as Allah, Ram, Karim, Keshav, Hari, and Hazrat.
3. The Analogy of Gold: He uses the metaphor of gold shaped into diverse ornaments like rings and bangles to show that while the outward forms differ, the underlying essence is identical (“Isn’t it gold all the same?”).
4. Artificial Labelling: He asserts that religious distinctions are merely linguistic boundaries created by human ignorance (“Distinctions are only words we invent...”).
5. Hypocrisy of Ritual Slaughter: He critiques both major communities for failing to find true spirituality, highlighting how one community kills goats while the other kills cows.
6. Futility of Sectarian Conflict: He laments that people waste their entire lives in meaningless disputations and arguments over superficial religious labels instead of recognising the singular divine truth.