Tara Chand Bhagat
Many saints born during the period of ‘Bhakti Movement’ which started from 14th to 17th century. The names of the prominent saints of this movement were Ramamand, Namdev, Sur Dass, Meera Bai, Guru Ravi Dass, Guru Nanak Dev, Among all these great saints, the appearance and disappearance of Kabir ji was a great mystery. It is said that he appeared on a lotus flower in a pond called Lehar Tara Talab in 1398,Varanasi and left this world in Maghar now in Gorakhpur without leaving his body. He was brought up by Neeru and Neema, the Muslim weaver of Varanasi. Among all saints Kabir ji is regarded as the most revolutionary saint of the Bhakti movement. Kabirji was also a great mystic poet and he preached his philosophy and ideology through his poetry. The language used or spoken by him in his poetry was straightforward and understandable by the common people. His verses or dohas were direct revelation of truth and full of spiritual landscape. He always believed in simple life full of purity. He was totally against false rituals and superstitions beliefs. He satirically denounced Brahmin pandits and Mullahs and thus won the hearts of the poor who had fallen prey to exploitation. He preached that the Salvation cannot be attained by mere performing of the rituals. And it is possible by following the path of truth and spirituality. He had condemned and criticized the idol worship. He had beautifully said in his couplet, Taana Baana Tajeo Kabir Raam Naam Likh Liyo Shareer. Neend Nishani Mout Ki Uth Kabira Jaag Aur Rasagyan Shandi Ki ‘Naam’ Rasayan Laag.
Being a julaha, he shuttled the thread of cloth by his big hands and every time he worshipped shabad(Naam) barambaar. He also raised his bold voice against inequality, injustice and low and high. He advocated for equality, justice, humanity, truth, peace and love.
Those who dared to walk the spiritual path fearlessly have always been intrigued by the maverick mystic Kabir’s life as well as his revolutionary and succinct expression of truth. Simple,yet mysteriously profound, soft, yet hard hitting, Kabir’s teachings are in common dialect but their esoteric meanings are way beyond common perception. It was Kabir ji who chanted Naam Shabad with his mind and soon attained spirituality during his whole life. He considered the guru to be higher than the status of God. About the status of guru, he has said nicely , Sab Dharti Kagad Karon Lekhani Karon Sab Vanrai, Saat Sumandar Massi Karon Guru Gun Likha Na Jaaye.
The English version follows:
“of whom to pay his solutions God or Guru,preferred Guru because Guru is the refuge,if God is unhappy.But if Guru is annoyed,there is no place left for him,”said Kabir ji.
Guru Gobind Dou Khare Kake Lagon Paamb
Balihari Guru Apne Gobind Diyo Batlaab.”
Kabirji coined an exquisite(extreme beautiful) term Avadhoo to call upon the Guru. There was a time when the word ‘Guru’ used to be spoken with immense reverence and honour but slowly and gradually the beauty and depth of this pristine word Guru got eroded and guru began to be called pseudo Gurus. Kabir ji calls Guru as Avadhoo which means infinite, vast, expansive, unfathomable and boundary less. Kabir ji boldly proclaimed that what we ignorantly believe to be our real home-‘this body’ is not our true abode. The body is ephemeral(short-lived) and so are its relationships, which we mistakenly consider to be real. Only the ‘Self’ is real truth consciousness ,bliss and all pervasive. Those who have forgotten this true identity are guided back by Avadhoo, and such a one is most dear to me, for it is he who brings the wandering ones home, says Kabir. It is a fallacy(deception) to assume that external pleasures can ever truly satisfy, but that is exactly what everyone is doing-running after scraps of sensory gratification, be it via husband or wife, job bank account, food, wealth and the like. One even travels far and wide to exotic locations seeking this very pleasure, which is like the eternal mirage in the desert that can never quench one’s spiritual thirst of a traveller. Whereas the irony is that the ‘Ocean of bliss’ is ever present within. It is the only the Avadhoo, the true master-who can inspire the turning within and initiate the ‘inward journey’. It is then we realize that this ‘bliss’ is our own ‘Swarupa’. Now I would like to describe some important differences between the three-Teacher, Guru and Sadhguru. A teacher is one who helps his students to acquire knowledge and skills that helps him live well in the “Physical World’. So,a teacher may be someone who teaches you a language, Mathematics, Science or a vocational skill like lathe operation, carpentry or perhaps the use kinds of machine used in turnery and pottery. A teacher’s role has no spiritual angle at all. A guru is one who has attained a spiritual goal and has realized his true self. He can share his experiences and the path he believes that can lead disciples to the same spiritual goal that he has attained. However, he cannot ensure that his disciples will attain the spiritual goal of self-realisation. In that sense, he is like an electric bulb that can give out light but cannot light up ‘another bulb.’ A Sadhguru, however, is one who, in addition to being a Self-realized person, has ability to lead disciples to “Self-realisation”. In fact, a Sadhguru once he accepts someone as his disciple, makes sure that the disciple will attain self-realization, even if it takes him more than one life to help him do so. A Sadhguru is like an already “burning Wick lamp (a strip or thread feeding the flame of lamp or candle)” that can light up another one. Kabir ji had got suchlike power of spirituality about self-realisation that being a burning wick lamp he lighted up another lamp to the name of Dharam Dass who was Kabir’s dear disciple attained that throne(gaddi) held by Kabir ji who left for heaven with his corporeal body leaving behind a basket of flowers there to which his followers both Hindus and Muslims distributed amongst them. Who was Dharam Dass? Dharam Dass was a very rich person of that time who had surrendered to Kabir Dass as a disciple. So Teacher or Guru has been given paramount respect and been compared to God.
Guru Paaras Baro Antro Aisa Hi Jaan
Paras Loha Kanchan Kare,Guru Kare Aap Smaan.
Kabir Dass was a true Saint of his times. He also disapproved the belief that if a person dies at Kashi he will get a seat in paradise and if one dies in Maghar now Gorakhpur he will go to hell after death. He himself moved to Maghar during his last days of life to prove the futility of this belief.
Though Kabir was an unlettered personality, yet his Literary work and his life is a subject matter of research of several scholars. His compositions figure in the most Holy book of Sikhism “Guru Granth Sahib.”. This scripture contains the hymns of many saints of Bhakti and sufi movement but Kabir’s contribution is the largest one.Kabir ji was such and spiritual saint who had the spiritual power to sift through the past, present and future! Kabir Bijak,Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar are some of his most revered work. In his writings the illustrations of moral and spiritual truth are found in incidents of everyday life. Sant Kabir ji played a pivotal role in awakening the people of all walks of life from the shackles of ignorance and superstitions prevailed upon the society.
Once Guru Gaurakhnath asked Kabir, “When did you become ascetic?” Kabir ji replied, “When He who has many forms had not yet begun his play and the world was not spread out, when there was no guru and no disciple and the Supreme one was alone.
The legacy of Kabir is being forwarded by Kabir panthies whose Spiritual seat is at Varanasi and whose number is estimated at over one crore. His teachings are also being preached by spiritual sects like Sant Mat, Radha Soami and Sahib Bandagi and many others as his teachings are much more relevant today when the common man is generally into trouble due to his materialistic approach.
In the concluding lines I would like to sum up my article with a couplet wherein SadhGuru Kabir ji had said beautifully,
“Sura Tahi Sarahye Laddi Dhani ke Het
Purja Purjai Ho Rahe Tau Na Shaande Khet.”
Despite numberless challenges of difficulties during His remembrance ,one should never refrain from chanting His name even if one’s body may get cut into pieces, even then one may not get deviated from one’s field of Bhakti. Sadhguru Kabir’s teachings and ideals of his scholarly nature of philosophy about spirituality not only influenced the people of all walks of life centuries ago in the past but also continue to impact all religious sects such as Radha Swami, Nirankari, Sahib Bandgi and their satsang remains get incomplete unless and until his sweet, attractive language of dohaas are included to be recited. His thoughts’ expression is as high as vast his evergreen baani even to this present time. Thus Kabir ji has put the whole water of seven oceans into a one ghaghar(pitcher). This was the height of his spirituality. In the Concluding lines I would like to appeal all the various so-called Sabhas such as Bhagat Maha Sabha, Megh Sabha, Sadhguru Kabir Sabha and all other their Sub-Sabhas to be united at one platform for the well-being of our biradari to be acted upon the philosophy preached by the Samrat Saint Sadhguru Kabir Dass ji.
