Kabir (Amar Chitra Katha)

"Be not the slaves of tradition; fear not to walk upon new paths, if these bring you nearer to God who is the Truth." So said Kabir, a great Indian mystic, teachers and poet of the fifteenth century. Popular belief has it that Kabir was born of a Brahmin widow who cast him away near Laher Tank at Varanasi. The followers of Kabir hold that he descended from heaven and was found in a lotus in Laher Tank by a Muslim couple. Kabir has proclaimed himself in his poems to be a weaver's son. There are many legends woven around Kabir's life. We have taken those which are most popularly known and accepted. Kabir's intense dislike for religious customs, the caste system, idol worship and orthodoxy made him many enemies; he was a 'revolutionary' saint believing in one God and in his hundred and odd years of life, he tried to bring Hindus and Muslims together in his own way. His songs had simplicity and rhythmic charm. They contained truths which had universal appeal. They are sung, to this day, throughout the country. Sayings of Kabir: "If worshipping a stone, enables me to see God, I would rather worship a big mountain. And why go to the mountain? I may as well worship this grinding stone, which nurtures mankind." "Why ask a Sadhu, to what caste he belongs? Ask what he knows. When you buy a sword do you test the edge of the sword or the scabbard, in which it is kept?" "A man may read many books before he dies. But will they make him a pandit? He who understands the word 'love' alone is a pandit." "Why do you search for me, my devotee? I am always near you. Why go in search of me to a temple or a mosque, Kailas or Qaba? I am everywhere."