Celebrating the Fearlessness of Kabir

The mists covered the steps to the holy Ganges, and a young boy lay hidden in the Panch Ganga ghat in Benaras. He was waiting for the saint Ramananda to pass this way. The saint walked down the steps, unaware of this boy, and placed his legs on the boy’s chest. “Ram Ram,” chanted the saint in surprise, and this boy took it as his initiation mantra and melted away into the fog before the saint could stop him.

This is the story of how Saint Kabir managed to get initiated by Ramananda. Kabir was hesitant to ask him directly because he was supposed to be a Muslim boy from a lower caste. The details of Kabir’s birth are not clear. Some say he was not conceived in a womb and instead found on a lotus petal, while others say he was born to a Hindu widow and abandoned at birth. Some researchers claim he was born in a traditional Muslim family of weavers. However, everyone agrees that he had a very strong inclination for spirituality since childhood and loved being in the presence of saints and mystics.

One day Kabir was attending a spiritual talk by a disciple of Swami Ramananda. The topic of discussion was Vishnu Purana, and the student described how Lord Vishnu was the creator of the universe. After listening to the talk, Kabir requested permission to ask a question.

“The Shiva Purana talks about Shiva as the creator while the Devi Purana talks about Devi as the creator. Can you please clarify my doubt about who created the universe?” The disciple was stunned by the question and asked about Kabir’s identity. When the gathering told him Kabir was the son of a Muslim, the disciple asked him how he was wearing a “kanthi” around his neck since only Vishnu worshippers could wear it. Kabir told him that he was also a student of Ramananda. The student could not believe him, and Kabir was presented to Ramananda, who denied initiating him. When he asks Kabir to speak the truth about his identity, Kabir reveals to him how he considered the touch of Ramanandas feet and the utterance of the divine name of Rama as his initiation. Various texts differ on Ramananda’s reaction but agree that in the end, he accepted Kabir as his student and a spiritually evolved being.

What separated Kabir from any other saint of the era was his absolute fearless nature. Kabir did not rely on any single text or way of thought. Instead, he spoke of truth as it revealed itself to him. He worshiped Ram in a formless fashion. He often quoted the truth from the Upanishads and could be mistaken for an Advaitha follower, but he also spoke of Allah and called himself a child of Allah and Ram. His poems and songs attracted followers, and people flocked to him like bees to nectar. Since he criticized orthodoxy from both Hindu and Muslim sides, he made enemies everywhere. Many scholars could not accept that someone from the weaver community could become a preacher or speaker of truth. He was often waylaid and beaten for his blasphemous poetry. A saint went to King Sikandar Lodi and claimed that Kabir called himself a divine being and should be punished. When Kabir was presented, he refused to pay respects to the king. When pressed, he said, he only paid respects to God, who he considers to be the real emperor of this world. He then spoke the following lines.

The king was unhappy with this answer and spent more time debating with Kabir. He was impressed with his honesty and intellect and let Kabir go.

However, this did not sit well with people, and they fabricated stories about Kabir’s illicit relationship with a woman. The king ordered Kabir’s execution. He was chained to a boat filled with stones and thrown into the Ganges. It is said that the boat sunk, and Kabir was seen merrily swimming away. Next, they tried to burn him alive but were unsuccessful. He was then accused of being a magician who consorted with evil spirits and sentenced to death by being crushed under the feet of a mad elephant. The guards were about to execute the sentence when a lion appeared between Kabir and the elephant and saved Kabir.

Most saints see through the shallowness of everyday society and stay away from it. However, Kabir chose to remain within the mud and blossom like a lotus.

Here are a few other quotes that highlights his bravery.

Applying SD Wisdom At Work

I recently heard a fascinating and frankly fear-inducing interview between Tim Ferris and Eric Schmidt. They were discussing the potential consequences of a world that will be dominated by AI. Eric confirmed that as AI algorithms improve, it will be almost impossible to tell the difference between information and misinformation. AI has tremendous upsides, especially in medical research, drug development, managing climate change, and tackling other significant issues. However, using AI in warfare and cyber-attacks can cripple an entire nation in a matter of seconds. Several companies are racing to the finish line to offer AI-based products and services to governments, private enterprises, and wealthy individuals with scant regard for how the products and services would be used. The most intelligent people in the world are building the tools that will most like be used to cause significant harm to society.

The governments don’t want to get into regulating technology because they are worried that rogue states would encourage their players to keep investing in new technology. Organizations don’t want to slow down because they are concerned about being left behind. Employees don’t want to speak up beyond a point because they know other people would happily take up their cushy jobs while they would be left to fend for themselves.

Sometimes, I feel like Kabir as I look at the state of the world and worry while everyone else sleeps to wake up tomorrow and work again. Unless we speak the truth to people in positions of power and reflect on our current situation, we will create a disastrous world for future generations. This problem does not have easy answers, but we can take inspiration from Kabir when we search for a solution.

I have reflected deeply on how to create a better world for many years and come to the same solution as every other saint. The only way we can maximize human happiness is by elevating human consciousness. We need to revamp our entire education system. Instead of teaching children skills for employment, we need to explore the worlds within them. We need to educate them about how interconnected our entire ecosystem is and how animals and plants are as integral as us to this planet. We must help them conceive and create businesses that incentivize collective welfare versus selfish gain. We need to create a universal and globally acceptable system of education that includes meditation, Yoga, and books such as An Immense World and The Hidden Life of Trees. The human brain is a remarkably versatile tool. We can create the right incentives for people to go inwards and help create a more conscious world that Kabir eulogized.

Esoteric Meaning of Kabir’s Poetry

I have to thank my wife, Rashmi Sharma, for this section. She is a Nirguni at heart, and her research helped me significantly.

Dr. Kapil Tiwari of the Adivasi Lok Kala Akademi in Bhopal explains that if you read Kabir only as a poet, you are misreading his work since he never referred to himself as a poet all his life. Kabir was a seeker of the highest order, and we are simply trying to bind him in his words. While all the philosophers try to untangle his worlds, only seekers can genuinely relate to what Kabir is saying through his work.

This has led to so much division and pain in our society. Kabir unifies our differences by focusing on the formless divine and helps us find them within us.