Kabir was a householder, a weaver by profession and a poet at heart. The name Kabir is derived from the Arabic language: Al Kabir, meaning ‘The Great’, going after the 37th Name of God in the Qur’an. (According to the Qur’an Allah has 99 names).
A free-thinker, Kabir was a deep philosopher and believed in the concept of: One God. His thoughts attracted not only the Hindus and Muslims, some of his verse was collected by the fifth guru, Guru Arjun Dev and can be found in the Sikh scripture: Guru Granth Sahib.
Born in India, Kabir was opposed to dogmas of blind-belief and caste system and raised his voice against those who encouraged unnecessary rituals. His poems resonate the urgency of acquiring a true guru, if we want to speed up our process of finding the path of salvation. Kabir is known to have been a keen disciple of Swami Ramananda.
Today, Kabir is a household name in India among villagers and town-folks, alike. His greatest work is Bijak (the seedling). He mostly expressed his poems orally in vernacular Hindi. Kabir was born in 1440, and he passed away in 1518.
SONGS
1. Hum Ka Na Bhavey Naiharva – I do not like my mother’s house (reference is to this world). I like my Lord’s house which is very lovely. Where once anyone goes, never returns. There is no moon, sun or air there. No one is there to carry my message of pain to this very special place. When I move forward, I am unable to see the path; and the past is also dragging me with accusations. How can I reach my Lover’s house? I am pining with loneliness and the poison (of the world) is making me dance. Except for my ‘Satguru’ there is no one else who can show me the way – says Kabir to his saintly clan.
2. Sahebaji Mohey Darshan Deejo Aye – My Lord, please grant me an audience. I have roamed from mountain to mountain. I’ve lost my eyes, crying. I have not been able to find that herb which will give me true (spiritual path) life. My Lord, please grant me an audience. My eyes are so strained finding my way that now a film has formed on them. My heart has developed blisters, calling Your Name. Show Yourself! Show Yourself! I am roaming with a vessel of Your yearning. My eyes have everything (in search of your vision). For you, my Lover (God) the same eyes cry all night. My Lord, please grant me an audience.
3. Janam Tero Baton Hi Beet Gayo – Your entire life is wasted. And you have never uttered Krishna’s name. First you were five years old and then you became twenty. By the age of twenty, you are off to a foreign place. By the time you are thirty years old, your greed is ever-increasing. You collect wealth in lakhs and crores, but, still you are unsatisfied. This world is selfish, living on false glory. Kabir tells his sadhu-companion. Why do we forget this?