Question

'Kabir Das is one of the most outstanding examples of a Poet-saint who has given extensive views on social situation, institution and on ultimate reality.' Explain the statement.

Answer 1

Kabir (c. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) is perhaps one of the most outstanding examples of a poet-saint who emerged within this context.

1. Historians have painstakingly tried to reconstruct his life and times through a study of compositions attributed to him and later hagiographies.
2. Verses ascribed to Kabir have been compiled in three distinct but overlapping traditions.
   1. The Kabir Bijak is preserved by the Kabirpanth (the path or sect of Kabir) in Varanasi and elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.
   2. The Kabir Granthavali is associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan, and many of his compositions are found in the Adi Granth Sahib.
3. Kabir's poems have survived in several languages and dialects, and some are composed in the unique language of nirguna poets, the sant bhasha. Others, known as ulatbansi (upside-down sayings), are written in a form in which everyday meanings are inverted.
4. He was strongly opposed to the worship of idols, as well as to religious journeys, taking baths in sacred rivers, and attending formal religious services like namaz.
5. Despite being familiar with yogic techniques, he did not regard asceticism or book knowledge as crucial for obtaining actual knowledge.
6. He rejected the aspects of Hinduism and Islam that ran counter to this spirit and were unimportant for a person's spiritual welfare.
7. He emphasised the fundamental unity of man and harshly denounced the caste system, especially the practice of untouchability.
8. He supported the idea that all people are fundamentally the same and opposed any prejudice against them, whether based on caste, religion, race, family, or wealth.
9. His focus was on personal transformation under the direction of a genuine guru or teacher; he was not, however, a social reformer.