Monday 26 October 2009

What Did Kabir Say?

Dear readers:

I am sure you have smelt with dismay, the foul stench on Chowq, which its producers think is equivalent to the fragrance of roses. Nothing could be farther than the truth.

Read what the real historic Kabir has to say about SLANDER.

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Keep the slanderer near you,
Build him a hut in your courtyard—
For , without soap or water,
He will scrub your character clean!

Do not keep the slanderer away,
Treat him with affection and honour:
Body and soul, he scours all clean,
Babbling about this and that

***

The wretched people slander,
For they have not found wisdom

***

Seeing the defects of others,
They just keep laughing and making fun:
They do not see their own faults
Have neither beginning nor end!

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Kabir is one of the most revered saints in India. Kabir was born a Shudra (lowest caste) and therefore never had access to Sanskrit and was most probably an illiterate. He was also born at a time when Hinduism and Muslim religion had been degraded to superstitions and mere rituals. As has been the tradition of Hinduism, whenever the religion looses its significance, great saints are born to put back the religion in the perspective. In fact Sikh religion was also founded at this time.

To Hindus Kabir was a Vaisnava or bhakta, to Muslims a pir, to Sikhs a bhagat and to the followers of Kabir (kabir-panthis) an avatar of the supreme Being.

His ideas are in the form of small poems which are still popular and sung in India. The best thing about the poems is the simplicity. Many of his poems are purely devotional and teach humility.

The above excerpts from poems are taken from KABIR [introduction and translation from Hindi and notes by Vaudeville Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1974].

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Read other ARTICLES by the author to find out why he is banned on Chowq's front page

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