Sant Kabir Jayanti

Sant Kabir was an Indian mystic, poet, saint, and social reformer who lived in the 15th century and whose famous poetry and dohas continue to inspire generations. Sant Kabir Jayanti is considered to be Guru Kabir Das' birthday, and it will be observed on June 14, 2022. He was an unusual poet and all his teachings carried the pure essence of the truth.

A painting of Sant Kabir and his disciples with their names painted on tip from the early 19th century.. Source: Wikipedia

Sant Guru Kabir, an Indian mystic, poet, saint, and social reformer who lived in the 15th century, is revered by people all over the world. Generations have been inspired by Kabir's popular poetry and dohas. Sant Kabir Jayanti is considered to be Guru Kabir Das' birthday, and it will be observed on June 14, 2022. The Kabir Panth, a religious group that recognizes him as its founder, has carried on his legacy. His disciples commemorate his teachings and read his poetry together on this day. Many Kabirpanthis also organize Bhandaras all throughout India. Its followers come from a variety of religious backgrounds, since Kabir never called for the conversion of faiths, but rather emphasized their shortcomings.

His Bijak, or collection of dohas, exhorts readers to let go of their illusions and pretensions in favor of a direct encounter with reality. It mocks hypocrisy, greed, and violence, particularly among religious people. By all accounts, Kabir is an eccentric and unusual poet.

One account tells us a story of a young man called Ram Das who once begged the saint Kabir to help him see God. The saint Kabir couldn't resist and offered to show him God in two days. Ram Das sold his land and bought rice, sugar, butter, wheat, milk, etc. the following day. Saints from far and wide were invited to the feast, prepared as Ram Das meditated to see God. All the guests were informed that food would be served after God appeared in front of Ram Das. So they waited. God didn't appear at noon. By afternoon, some hungry guests were starting to get disappointed. Still, everyone awaited God's arrival, anxious and agitated.

Suddenly, they heard a disturbance in the kitchen. They didn't know how a buffalo got in and turned the kitchen upside down. The pots were overturned. All was chewed or soiled. His horns destroyed the oven and fireplaces. Hoofs and dung soiled the whole area. Seeing all the chaos, they were angry. Ram Das was furious. He rushed with a stick and beat him hard, wounding him seriously. They cursed Kabir for tricking them. Anger, excitement, and hunger aroused them. The injured buffalo, bleeding, and wailing, limped into Saint kabir's garden. Ram Das and other invitees chased Kabir to punish him and convey their anger.

Upon arriving there, the mob was shocked. They were astonished to find Kabir crying over the buffalo. 'My Lord, you have injuries you didn't have while battling Ravana or Kansa. O Lord, this pains me so greatly...' Seeing Kabir cry transformed the invitees' and watchers' hearts. Like matchsticks catching fire together, their hearts were filled with godliness. God appeared, in that all separation had vanished and the unity that was already present simply made itself visible. God was everywhere. All their sufferings, desires, expectations, etc. evaporated, and they saw everything as their own. They understood they were the Universal Self. Realizing God in everything is the true darshan of God.

These kinds of stories and philosophies are quintessential to Sant Kabir.