Sant Kabirdas:

GS Paper 1:

Syllabus: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Context:

President Ram Nath Kovind recently inaugurated the Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre under Swadesh Darshan Yojana at Maghar (Uttar Pradesh).

About Kabir:

• Sant Kabir Das was a very renowned saint, poet and social reformer of India who lived during the 15th century. His esteemed works and poems describe the greatness and oneness of the Supreme Being.
• He was a proponent of the Bhakti Movement.
• He did not believe in any religious discrimination and readily accepted all the religions.
• A religious community known as ‘Kabir Panth’ was founded by him and the members of this forum are referred to as ‘Kabir Panthis’.
• Swami Ramananda influence: Kabir Das’ ideologies were greatly influenced by Vaishnava saint Swami Ramananda who accepted Kabir as his disciple.

Nirguni tradition:

One school within the Bhakti movement was the Nirguni tradition and Sant Kabir was a prominent member of it. In this tradition, God was understood to be a universal and formless being.

His famous literary works:

• Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar.
• His verses are found in Sikhism’s scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
• The major part of his work was collected by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev.

The hallmark of Sant Kabirdas’ work consists of his two line couplets, popularly known as ‘Kabir Ke Dohe’.

Against caste:

• Kabir’s revolt against the caste system also sought to do away with the complex rituals and ceremonies performed by the Brahmins.
• He, like the other prominent saints of his time, argued that it was only through bhakti, intense love or devotion to God could one attain salvation.
• He sought to eradicate caste distinctions and attempted to create an egalitarian society.

Insta Curious:

Did you know that The Alvars and the Nayanars were considered as the founders of the Bhakti movement in southern India? Who were Alvars and Nayanars? Read this

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About Kabir Das.
2. His literary works.
3. Bhakti movement.
4. Key reformers of Bhakti movement.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of Bhakti movement.

Q .1) Which of the following are the literary works of Sant Kabir?

1. Bijak
2. Sakhi Granth
3. Anurag Sagar

Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1 only.
2. 2 only.
3. 2 and 3 only.
4. All of the above.

Sources: Indian Express.