The Vision Of Kabir

The Bhakti saint-poet Kabir's sakhis or couplets are expressions of his love for God, his insights into the principles for living a good life and signposts on the simple path to the Almighty. Popular for over five hundred years, these dohas are Kabir's conversations with God, with himself and with us in everyday but colourful tongue that leave their mark on readers of all ages. They speak to us of God, humility, truth, maya and much more.

Songs of Kabir Rabindranath Tagore - Kabir lived in the 15th Century (1440-1518); born to Mohammadan parents; he came under the influence of the famous Hindu saint; Sri Ramananda and delved deep into the mysteries of Hindu mysticism. A true worshipper of God; he emphasized the purity of mind and selfless devotion to God. He openly opposed the weaknesses of both Hinduism and Islam.During his life time he composed many poems. They are usually two line couplets; known as dohas; recited by many scholars even today to denote some deep philosophical truths.All these songs of Kabir were translated into English by none other than Rabindranath Tagore; the mystic poet and the Noble Laureate; the first edition; published by The Macmillan Company; 1915; New York.This book shall prove to be an asset for the Kabir lovers who can't enjoy his writings in Hindi.

Kabir is definitely one among the sages, saints, poets, writers and thinkers who have shaped, molded and refined the inner self and influenced the life of both the Hindus and Muslims. With the clarity in vision, simple and balanced philosophy, practical ideas for a healthy, happy and pleasant life, strong opposition to everything unworthy for human beings Sant Kabir became a legend and a common familiar name for poor and rich, literate and illiterate, and foolish, wise or enlightened during his life-time. The life of Kabir is both worldly and spiritual. He saw, felt, experienced, conjured up and boldly expressed all that happened around him. He meditated on the eternal truth, devoted himself to the Brahman, got revelation, collected these spiritual experiences and expressed all that happened in the divine world of his inner self. Kabir is treated as a Mystic of the highest order; a perfect living saint, as a great preceptor capable of initiating others to spiritual world. Without any doubt he is the greatest and most outstanding devotee, mystic poet and singer sant of India. ‘Knowing Sant Kabir’ presents everything that Kabir is known for Dohe, Sakhi and Ulatvani; his social consciousness and spiritual awakening and his positive ways and Sahaja Yoga.

This book represents the first systematic collection and analysis of the principal legends about Kabir Das, a fifteenth-century poet-saint. It focuses on the ways in which the legends embody and reflect the often changing social and religious needs of those who created and listened to them. Particular attention is paid to the earliest known collection of legends, Ananta-das's Kabir Parachai. This book makes available for the first time an English translation of this text, with detailed notes on its variant readings, as well as a corrected Hindi edition based on a comparison of over a dozen manuscripts. The various historical synchronisms between Kabir and his leading contemporaries, including Ramananda and King Virasimhadev Baghel, are reevaluated, and a solution is proposed to the longstanding debate about Kabir's dates.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Originally published in 1976, with more than 75,000 copies in print, this collection of poems by fifteenth-century ecstatic poet Kabir is full of fun and full of thought. Columbia University professor of religion John Stratton Hawley has contributed an introduction that makes clear Kabir's immense importance to the contemporary reader and praises Bly's intuitive translations. By making every reader consider anew their religious thinking, the poems of Kabir seem as relevant today as when they were first written.