Sat Guru Kabir e-magazine vol1 issue1 by Hajur Saheb

Message from His Holiness Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Ardhnam Saheb:

Dear Devotee, With the invention of Computers and the internet, sharing of Kabir Sahebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachings has grown ten fold over the last decade. More and more people are using this medium now to keep in touch and pray, I am encouraged to see that the e-book market has taken the world by storm and it is very important for our Panth to embrace this technology. I urge all the Ashrams and Mahants to participate in this medium and let the readers fulfil their quest for Kabir Sahebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachings, this is a quick and free way to communicate. And for those that contribute have my heartiest blessings. I give my whole hearted support for the launch of this e-magazine and may the teachings of Satguru Kabir Saheb flourish for now and in the future. Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Ardhnam Saheb Acharya Gadi, Sadguru Prakatya Dham, Varanasi

Poonam Message from His Holiness Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Ardhnam Saheb:

Introduction to the Purnima Katha By: Dr.J.Das, Kabir Association Canada

The punam or purnima fast has been explained by Satguru Kabir Saheb to his foremost disciple Dharam Dass. He taught that Satpurush Parmatma at the beginning of creation instituted this fast. He further taught that this fast is the root of all fasts, and the latter are branches. So he stressed the importance of observing this fast in the manner he described. If one observes it with full devotion and purity of heart, one would reap immense spiritual benefit and general well being. It is thus important for us to observe this fast, and to encourage others to also observe it. A brief outline of the salient features of the fast is given here to simplify its observance. This fast is observed once a month at the full moon based on the lunar calendar. The fast is completed by the time the moon is full according to your time zone. Because the fasting starts in the morning and extends all day, terminating at night with the reading of the punam katha (story), it may not always be on the day the moon becomes full. For example, if the moon is full on Wednesday during the day, then the fast is observed on Tuesday, so it can finish by Tuesday night. One needs to stay awake until Tuesday midnight at least, but one can stay up all night and engage in spiritual activity. If the moon is full late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, the fast is observed on Wednesday. The reason for the timing is that auspicious events are observed during the waxing and not the waning phase of the moon. The hour of the full moon indicates that the dark fortnight or waning phase will commence. On the day of the fast one wakes up and attends to the calls of nature. One then bathes and puts on clean, white clothes, and engages in prayer and meditation. After this one spends the day in a prayerful attitude, and reads scriptures or engages in religious discussions and other studies. Keep the house clean but keep housework to a minimum. In the early evening prepare your meal and prasad. After doing these, prepare a simple altar with a picture of Satguru Kabir, some flowers, a lighted diya, and an arati thali. Invite family, friends etc. as the case may be, and recite the katha. Explain the purpose and meaning of the katha. After this is finished, sing or recite the puranmasi mangal and the bhog shabda. Perform

the arati and share the prasad. When all of these are finished then one eats dinner. During the fast one needs to drink water to maintain hydration. When the guru or mahant is present, then one prepares the chowka arati as explained in the katha. This will then require all the other items and preparations mentioned. This is better observed when several people are participating and it is done in a temple.

Please visit our website at: http://www.kabir.ca/ To translate this article please visit: http://hajursaheb.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/introduction-to-purnimakath.html

Kabir's Bhakti Path: A Communion of Love By James Bean (USA) http://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com "Kabir has conceived of God, Raam, as one eminently attracting humanity to a Communion of Love, and of man's putting his earthly life to its best use in responding to this. The resulting Communion of Love finds the devotee as totally absorbed into God as is humanly conceivable." (Chapter Seven of "Kabir's Bhakti" in The Encyclopedia of Saints of India, Volume Two: KABIR, Criterion Publications, New Delhi) Book Review: Kabir 1008 Vani Kabir 1008 Vani -- Nectar of Truth and Knowledge, Essence of the Collection of Saakhis (the Saakhi Granth of Guru Kabir) in Simple Language and Style, Compiled by Lalchand Doohan Jigyasu, Translated into English by Kunwar Anil Kumar, ISBN: 81-8133-515-5 Publisher: Manoj Publications Kabir 1008 Vani is a very beautiful and impressive book featuring 1008 sayings of Kabir, one of Indian's greatest Masters and poetmystics, who lived in northern India around six hundred years ago. As with Rumi, the Persian Sufi poet, in recent years Kabir has also become increasingly popular in the West. A few decades ago, the only translations of Kabir were, "Songs of Kabir" by Rabindranath Tagore published in 1915, and Robert Bly's 1971 paraphrase or "versions" of Kabir, which were also based upon Tagore's translation. These days however, there are literally hundreds of books available in the English language exploring the poetry and teachings of Sri Guru Kabir Sahib. The Saakhis (a term for a certain kind of poetic composition, a couplet giving testimony of eternal truths) are often used in the satsangs (spiritual gatherings in the name of Eternal Truth) of many spiritual paths based in India. It makes a great deal of sense that spiritual teachers would give satsang talks based upon the Saakhis of Kabir, as they are brimming with wisdom about how to integrate spiritual principles into one's daily life. Kabir was critical of religious hypocrisy, going through the motions of outward rites and rituals without sincerity of heart. His path was that of Bhakti, meaning, love and devotion for

the Beloved Supreme Spirit. For Kabir, the true church, mosque, or temple is within the body, within the human heart. The theme of the Saakhis is bringing all levels of our existence, more and more with each passing day, in body, speech, emotions, and thought, into harmony with the soul or spirit inside. Selections from Kabir 1008 Vani "Living in this world for a short period is good, but instead of wasting one's life doing meaningless things, it is advisable to dedicate it to remembering God. What is the use of living for millions of years if one did not dedicate his time to self-introspection and remembering God, i.e. such life is a total waste; who will keep an account of it?" "My real happiness lies in the supreme 'Self.' And the rest in this world is nothing but distress. With one's mind, voice and deeds, one should remember Raam with a pious heart. Kabir Saheb says: 'The essence of life is in remembering God only.'" "The mind is very unsteady. It is not the type that would remember God just like that. It will remember God only when it is poked with the goad of true Knowledge [Gnosis, direct experience]. Kabir Saheb says: '...and then know for sure that this mind will not deviate and will engage itself in remembering God.'" "Concentrate your mind and remember the Supreme Being without saying anything. Close the outside doors, i.e. quieten your sensory organs and detach yourself from everything. Open the inside doors of your heart, i.e. open yourself internally and concentrate on meditating on God and remembering him." "Remembering God is the simplest and easiest path which has already been shown by the Satguru. With the help of this device I remember God with each and every breath of mine, and I am sure this will enable me to see him one day, i.e. uttering the name of God continuously. Simply remembering God all the time is the easiest process (Sahaj) of leading a spiritual life which leads the devotee to his goal." "You are remembering God in your heart. God resides in the same heart. You will get a huge store of true Knowledge in this very heart, i.e. you will find God and his transcendental Knowledge where you will find your supreme 'Self.'"

"Devotion through remembering God brings every happiness to life and removes every distress of mind. Kabir Saheb says: 'Remember God! It has a wonderfully powerful attraction. By continuously remembering God, a time comes when the devoted servant (devotee) and the master (God) become one, i.e. he attains selfrealization." "Utter the name of Raam (God) continuously. Kabir says, 'Only devotees can understand the Mystery of the fact that there is nothing as compared to remembering God.'" "It is a bliss remembering God even for a moment. But only those, who practice it, know it. Remembering God is so easy that one does not have to spend a single penny on it. In fact one does not have to make any extra efforts to have the best results." Prayers of Guru Kabir "0 Supreme Being! I have become like You by remembering You all the time. There are no more self-conceit, attachments and desires of the world in me. I sacrifice myself on the true Knowledge of Your name, remembering which enables me to see You all around. There is nothing that exists other than You." "0 the Eternal Raam of the temple of my heart! I lost 'my' existence in remembering You continuously. I have become one with You. I exist not without You now. My mind does not wander about any more. I and You are one now, Raam." ////////

To translate this article please visit: http://hajursaheb.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/kabirs-bhakti-pathcommunion-of-love.html

Concept of Worship And it's Investigation in Sant Kabir's Philosophy by: Sudha Pandit: 358, Nana Peth, Sant Kabir Chowk,"Kabir Bhavan",Pune - 411002.Maharashtra, India Concept of Worship And it's Investigation in Sant Kabir's Philosophy The term WORSHIP can be explained as a special choice for the superior entity by a Devotee for his Devotion, it is a communication between the devotee and superior entity. It typically involves rituals, some special kind of intentional physical actions, which are not performed in front of any other but the worshiped entity. It reveals some power which can be expressed in numinous experiences or awe-inspiring. This experience sustains in the devotee as long as s/he remains in communion with the superior entity. It also involves praise which (explicitly) manifests the characteristics of the entity. Worship is a relationship (which can be understood in the context provided by worship). It is a strong faith in the entity. It also reveals the internal relationship between the concept of God and the concept worship. This relation transcends manifestations. Worship is more powerful in congregation. Worship is not only for the welfare of an individual but for the welfare of the society as a whole. Worship reflects on worshipper's lifestyle. Worship is not just the performance of external rituals it is the way of life. In the philosophy of Sant Kabir the worship is carried out under the guidance of Guru without whom the worship cannot be understood in its full, final and ultimate state. Guru is the path-shower for the devotee and he is also the ideal model for a worshiper. The Guru is Shabad-Data or Naam-Data thus he is initiator and also a companion to the pathway to God. The choice of the superior entity and respect for the entity are the pre-requisites and initial fundamentals for worship without which any worship is not worship. The choice of entity plays a pivotal role in worship. 'A nation is known by the God it worships just as a man is known by the company he keeps.'1 The ultimate principle which determines the character of a religion is the entity it worships. The character of the followers of a religion depends upon the conception of God they are taught to adopt. For example, if your God is too

Dr. Mohan Singh, A History of Punjabi Literature.

abstract, you have a natural distrust for sentiments and feelings; if your God is too sternly just, tenderness and mercy have little influence on your character; if your God is too tender and indulgent, your moral character and your theology lack insight. 2 The understanding of the idea of God is the corner-stone of a religion. The idea of God has been called the regenerative and regulative idea of all religious systems and religious movements.3 In Sant Kabir's Bani we find him using different names for God (in this essay we are using the word 'Superior Entity') which are common or known among people. He says, "I worship Ram, Rahim, Karim, Keso (Keshav), Allah, Sati."4 He said, 'Oh my mind, worship Hari!' and in the following verses he further says 'chant Ram, Ram, He is philosopher's stone (chintamani).5 In Sant Kabir's philosophy the entity as a whole is more important no matter whatever its name may be. In the philosophy of Sant Kabir we find there are three forms of the Superior entity:  The Sagun form of the Entity  The Nirgun form of the Entity  The 'Word', the 'Nam' form of the Entity It is very clear that Sant Kabir is a Nirgun worshipper however I think there are some Shabdas which apparently seem to refer to the Sagun form of the Entity in his Bani. There are many 'Shabdas' (in this essay I use the word 'Shabda' for devotional songs) which are full with the praises of God in its' Sagunatva. The Shabdas are of the praises of some famous characters from Indian history, Bhaktas and some characters from famous 18 Purans (Hindu scriptures). These Shabdas are the descriptions of God in its personality with some special character. (Sant Kabir presupposes that the reader or the audience knows the story). These Shabdas generate the nine 'Rasa' of the poetry literature. They generate shrungar, hasya, raudra, karunya, bibhasta, bhayanak, veer, adbhuta, shant ras which is not possible without exploring the 'gun' of the described entity. Even if the 'Shabdas' are praising the deities (as stated above Sant Kabir was not much bothered about name of the deities in his 'Shabdas') and glorifying the personal character of the deity but it ends with the lines which directly or indirectly gives the feeling of the praises for formless gods. Some Shabdas are like love songs which express unique and divine character of God.

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There are also some Shabdas which indicate or inspire worship of the Nirguna form of the entity, God. Sant Kabir says in his Bani 'devote yourself to the Absolute Being, no one knows the impenetrable Lord.' 6 He further says that 'Ram is like the fire which is in all'7 and he went on to say that 'people think that God is in the temple and go to temple to bow in front of that but actually God dwells in the heart, so you be attached with that. 8 These types of Shabdas are more in quantity in the total Bani. But most important thing I want to note here is 'Nirgunatva' has two aspects i.e. Nirgunatva which is formless God, one with no beginning and endless entity and so on, but it has another aspect which is the 'Nam'. Nam has both aspects of 'Sagunatva' and 'Nirgunatva'. In its initial state it has the form of some alphabets, some worldly words but as a devotee goes deeper and deeper he finds the limitless aspect of Nam which is without any form, with powers in itself, which is the worshipper, the worshiped and the worship i.e. the trinity finishes and only the state of Nam remains. Nam is the achievement in itself. And therefore it is advocated in Sant Kabir's Bani that only Nam is the right choice of the entity to worship and Nam is all for a devotee.9 According to Sant Kabir the Nam form of the entity transcends the particularity and slowly moves towards universality. By choosing the Nam form of entity he socially reformed and overcame the religious and communal tensions of his time which were based on the particular entities i.e. for instance Hindus holding on to the supremacy of Ram and Muslims of Allah. 'WORSHIP' can be broadly divided into three categories: General Conception of Worship Communal Conception of Worship Social and Ethical Conception of Worship General Conception of the Worship: In the General Conception of Worship we can discuss the following points.  The Superior Entity reveals Powers and Grace  Power

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Sustains Power expressed in Numinous experiences or Aweinspiring.  Worship is an Analogical and Metaphorical term  Worship is Communication  Worship is Relationship  The Relation Transcends Manifestations  Worship is a very strong Faith in the Entity  Worship is internal relationship between the Concept of God and Concept of Worship First and foremost one must accept a superior entity for worship which has powers. The entity reveals its powers and grace to the devotee. It is believed in Sant Kabir's philosophy that only God can grant the grace by His Will. It is by the Will or the grace of God or Ram, one feels to worship or get the right path of devotion. The entity is full of power to fulfil any wish of the devotee however all this depend upon the grace of Ram, God. It also has the power to make a devotee free from the sufferings of the worldly life, all pains and psycho-social imbalances.10 God, in the philosophy of Sant Kabir, has the power to turn a mustard seed into a mountain and a mountain into a mustard seed.11 The grace of God remains with the devotee as long as he is united with God. Association with thieves and disobeying God a devotee procures punishment from God. On this line Sant Kabir says, 'you are disobeying the master and making friendship with the thieves, as a consequence you will be punished by God and then you will realize your mistake.' 12 The power of God is expressed in numinous experiences or aweinspiring. Sant Kabir in his Bani says, 'Light of Parbrahm, God is so much that one cannot describe in words it can be known only by seeing it.' And in the following verses he says, 'I have perceived God full of glory and luminous energy and which is like paras-mani that remained in my eyes forever'13  

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The term Worship implies not only the literal terminology rather it is more analogical and metaphorical. When a person says 'I worship God', the statement is an aggregation of love, respect, pious feeling, devotion, and intention towards the superior entity which is not the same as respecting elders, boss, authoritative powers or towards some mundane things though apparently it may seem to be. Consider the next part of General Conception of Worship, that is Communication between God and devotee. The communication of the devotees with God is common but God communicates only with selected devotees. They are special or selected ones who are able to understand the language of God. In all cases the Bani or Shabdas are revealed to special devotees who are also mediators and the interpreters of God's commands for the ordinary people. These selected ones are prophets, or the messengers of God. These messengers are born only for this purpose. The above mentioned reciprocal communication between God and devotee is in symbolic form. The worshiper understands the language of God in the form of symbols and worships Him in the symbolic manner. This does not mean that the devotee does not use the human language but mostly he communicates in symbolic way i.e. by offering flowers or gifts, by doing 'Seva' the service to needy, by doing fasting or by imparting the 10th share of the total income. The communication can be expressed by comprehensive reasonable symbols. Offering of flowers are symbols of love of a devotee for the entity. These symbols are very special and sacred which cannot be replaced with any other material having the same kind of properties. For instance 'Ghee' cannot be replaced by kerosene. With communication and symbolic expressions a devotee forms a personal bond of relationship with the entity. The degree of relationship may differ with context, time, feelings and character of the devotee. The worshipper has to pass through all the stages of the relationship, which may start with 'Dasatva' (in Sant Kabir's philosophy) and may end in 'Ahm Brahmasmi' (I am That). Throughout all the phases of the relationship, the feeling of the superiority of the entity does not decrease from the mind of the devotee. The duration of the phases depends upon the urge of the devotee. In this way there is a unique relationship between the devotee and the entity which is the devotee's own personal experience. There are some Shabdas in the Bani of Sant Kabir which are like folk songs in which he tries to establish various relationships with God. He is talking about the ideal relationships between husband and wife, mother and child, master and slave, deity and the devotee etc. The

Relationships are described as they were in his time. In Sant Kabir's Bani the relationships are full of feelings of desire-less love and devotion which is not found in the worldly relationships. Thus the relationship transcends its usual meaning. He says about the relationship between husband and wife in Bijak "Hari is my husband and I am Rama's beloved. My Rama is the greatest of all and I am a very small person.'14 And about mother and child relationship in Padavali, 'O Hari you are my mother and I am your child, why don't you forgive my mistakes' 15 And he says about master and slave's relationship, 'O my master I am your servant and you can sell me. All my body, mind and wealth is yours, Ram'.16 Basically the relationship of a person depends upon the religion, society and culture. At the time of Sant Kabir the society was divided on the basis of religion, caste, creed and gender. However, in the philosophy of Sant Kabir we find that all human, animal including nature are the creation of God, how can anyone divide the creation of God? In his view no one is greater than another. All are equal. The Communal Conception of Worship: The Communal or Religious Conception of Worship involves all the rites and rituals which may differ from religion to religion or community to community. Rituals are action based. They need to be performed in an accurate order. The physical actions (postures), which may be bending on knees, joining hands in a certain pose or may be simply sitting silently in meditation, are part of rites and rituals. Sacred mantras, scriptures, words, holy places, holy materials, directions (Hindus face towards East or North, Muslims face towards West) and some special activities such as performing penance have an important role in rites and rituals. The communal worship may be of two types:1) Personal worship:- This worship is performed without any priest. A person alone can perform it. This includes all day to day worship at home or sandhya-tarpan (in case of Hinduism), daily prayers at certain fixed times (3 times in Hinduism and 5 times in Islam), some kind of fast, meditation etc. 2) Community Worship:- These are performed with community. The communal rituals include special life events of the founders of the religion or some special events of the history of that religion, and some feasts or festivals in the memory of saints of the religion.

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All the above stated rituals have meaning only when it is a roper combination of pious intention and feeling of love for the performance and towards the entity. Sant Kabir asks, 'what are rituals? It is whatever Vedas or books (Kuran) says.' 17 He has never spoken about the performance of the rituals but he showed the correct way to perform rituals. For instance he says, 'do obey and serve your parents while they are alive, what is the use of doing shradha and pind-dan, or charity in the name of the deceased parents'18 He says that without the inner thirst (of devotional love) all the rituals in form of worship, like chanting, penance, pilgrimage or hopeful faiths on different deities only result in dejection.19 Sant Kabir does not believe in the pilgrimage other than the pure body and pure mind. However he says that your mind is Mathura, (birth place of Lord Krishna) heart is Dwarika (the place where Lord Krishan lived) and the body is Kashi (the great pilgrimage of Hindus). God dwells in your body in the tenth gate i.e. Brahmarandhra and this is the place of God and also it is the way of Divine Light.20 Thus with all his criticism on ritual conception of worship he wanted to say that without purity of heart and mind, if you perform rituals only with the body and without any rational reasons the rituals are not true rituals but only a physical exercise. The rituals can also be interpreted as the medium of communication with the entity. The communication may involve praise which may be in any language (sometimes it is un-graspable by the worshipper) with intention of fulfilment of desires, for getting knowledge, for getting peace, or to purify the devotee. Sometimes praise expressed the personal character of the deity. However, at times the power to understand the language of God is given only to the selected ones as stated above. These beloved ones are beyond all the rites and rituals so much so that the day, the time, the place, the words and the way of receiving the message becomes ritual for the followers of that messenger. Rituals are action base and therefore they are attached with the concepts of merits and demerits. Sant Kabir has reformative opinion on the concept of merits and demerits. He says the worldly actions will definitely give the result with some merits and demerits but I have stopped weaving the vertical and horizontal threads i.e. doing actions for the sake of getting some desire results, even if

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one is very much aware and prepared with the tools like yama, niyam or sayam but the worldly desires come and destroy the life of the person, so I have started weaving a new Divine cloth with some past bad deeds and some new good deeds. Thus my good deeds reduced my bad deeds and I am now in an equal level and saved from the cycle of the actions resulting into merits and demerits.21 Social and Ethical Conception of Worship The Social and Ethical form of worship can be carried out more explicitly by doing social services. When the intention behind worship turns into social form of worship then the outcome of this is the welfare of the society as a whole. Worship is more powerful in the congregation and with family. Worship in its broad sense does not just remain for the benefit of a worshipper or individual liberation but it becomes liberty, freedom, fraternity, equality, harmony. Not only this but it is Divine cosmic order in nature (Rit). The worship is the way of life for the worshipper in its ethical sense. A true worshipper believes in the unity in diversity. Worship leads us to live an ethical life.

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ď&#x192;&#x2DC; Guru plays an important role in worship Guru leads the devotee towards God. Without Guru it is not possible for a worshiper to reach to God. The word GURU means who leads us from darkness to the light. Guru dispels the darkness and shows the way to Divine world. To translate this page please visit: http://hajursaheb.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/concept-of-worship.html

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE MYTH WHICH UNDERLIES THE COSMOLOGY OF THE BIJAK. By: RKUK Extract from The Bijak of Kabir by: by THE REV. AHMAD SHAH In the beginning there was One Essential Being, Sat Purush, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the True Person, who exists alone, without passions. Of his own will he created the universe out of nothing. To rule the universe he created six Brahmas, his ** holy sons," Onkar, Sahaj, Ichchha, Sohang, Achint and Achchhar. To each was given a world and souls to populate it. Sat Purush found that the six Brahmas failed to preserve discipline in the universe. He therefore proceeded to create a seventh son, whose origin was as follows:-Achchhar was sitting where all was water, when Sat Purush brought deep sleep upon him. When Achchhar awoke, he saw an egg floating on the waters, and began to meditate upon it. Suddenly with a loud noise the egg burst in two and there came forth a being of furious aspect, whom Achchhar named Niranjan, (called also Kal and Kal Purush). This being, though naturally of an ungoverned temper, engaged in devotion (bhakti) so meritorious, that he was able to ask of Sat Purush the boon of the sovereignty of the three worlds (loks). The boon was granted with the condition that he should make a polite request for the necessary materials to the Tortoise (Kurmji) in whose keeping they were. Niranjan however was far from conciliatory and the result was a fight with the Tortoise, in the course of which Niranjan cut off three of the sixteen heads of the Tortoise and thence there poured forth the necessary materials, the Sun, Moon, Earth, etc. The Tortoise thereupon complained to Sat Purush, who decreed that Niranjan should never enter his lok or see his face. Niranjan though now possessed of the material elements, could not make man. He therefore swallowed the three heads of Kurmji and began again to perform Samadhi (trance or meditation), at the end

of which he asked for bij-khet (a field to sow in). Sat Purush created for him a woman; but she kept her eyes fixed on Sat Purush rather than on Niranjan and only with great difficulty was persuaded to become Niranjan's wife. There was here a kind of testing: so long as she concentrated her mind on Sat Purush, Niranjan had no power over her; but gradually Niranjan's fascination overcame her and she became entangled in the world and separated from God. The issue of the union was Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. After their birth Niranjan became invisible: the woman remained. She is Maya. Brahma then asked his mother “Who is my father?" She answered “You have no father." Brahma, unconvinced, set out in search of him. Brahma, however, was destined to be the creator of this universe; the woman accordingly formed a girl and sent her after him to persuade him to return. He told the woman that he had seen his father, and received the answer, “That is untrue; therefore you shall beg from door to door." Vishnu was then asked whether he had seen his father, and answering "No" received as his reward the sovereignty of the three loks. Mahesh, asked in his turn, returned no answer and was told he would be an ascetic. The woman then created three daughters to be wives to her sons : Niranjan at the same time created the four Vedas : but all were drowned in the ocean. The three sons therefore churned the ocean and recovered both women and Vedas. The latter were absorbed in Saraswati, who was assigned to Brahma, while the other two women were given to his brothers. Brahma then created the present world, and men began to worship the three brother-gods. It is said that, of the four kinds of created beings, Andaj-Khand (oviparous) were made by the woman, Pindaj Khand (mammals) by Brahma, Ukmaj- Khand (insects) by Vishnu, and Sthawar (vegetable and minerals) by Mahesh. Gradually the woman realised that her three sons were shutting her out from the attention of mankind. She therefore created three more daughters, who originated thirty- six kinds of music and sixtythree tunes and so fascinated the world that all began to believe in the mother (Devi).

The souls of men were thus distraught and they cried to the Sat Purush, who in answer sent Kabir into the world to teach men to look beyond Niranjan and his progeny to the One, the Sat Purush himself. This messenger of the Sat Purush is known by different names in the four ages ; thus in the Satyug he is Sat Sukrit : in the Tretayug, Munindarji : in the Dwaparyug, Karunamai Rishi ; and in the Kalyug, Kabir Sahib. To translate this page please visit: http://hajursaheb.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-short-account-ofmyth-which-underlies.html The Root of the true Religion of Kabir. Ishwar (God) Achariya (Manifester) Shastar (Scriptures) Guru (Guide) Marg (Way or path) Cbal (Mode of life) Maktidwar (Gate of salvation) Lok (Abode)

Satya Purush. Kabir Sahib Parakh. Swansan Ved. Nirvan. Satoguni. Sar Shabd. Satya Lok.

KABIR PANTH SATSANGH GROUP INC: AUSTRALIA SATYANAAM BANDEGI SAHEB Aims and objectives We are a small group of individuals bonded by the grace of Satguru Kabir Saheb and With the blessing of 1008 Panth Shree Hajur Ardhnam Saheb Ji who are collectively committed to  

Spreading and maintaining the teachings of Satguru Kabir Saheb Enlightening Kabir Sahebs knowledge to present and future generations

The Kabir Panth Satsang Group Australia is based on the five pillars of Kabir Panth

Love Humanity Compassion Non-violence Truth “satyamav jayati nānrtam satyena panthā vitato devayānah yenākramantyrsayo hyāptakāmā yatra tat satyasya paramam nidhānam” Truth alone triumphs not falsehood. Through truth the divine path is spread out by which the sant mahant whose desires have been completely fulfilled reach where that supreme treasure of Truth resides “Satyanama Jayatiam”

Venue : 65 Woodcroft Drive, Woodcroft Neighbourhood Centre, NSW Australia President: Vijay Prasad Mahabir, Vice President: Ravindra Lal, Treasurer: Renu Mukesh, Secretary: Vinod Binet Prasad Public Officer: Mukesh Kumar – Ph- 0417656448 Email : Kabirpsatsanghgroup@hotmail.com

Mahant Shri Kishordasji Shyamdasji Saheb

Shree Kabir Mandir, Pareshwar Chowk, Mandaliya Street, Bhuj-Kachcch. (370 001) India Telephone: (02832) 220866 or (02832) 225951 email: kabirmandirbhuj@hotmail.com

History

Satguru Kabir Saheb was found floating on a lotus leaf at Lahartara, Varanasi. His Guru was Ramanand and one of his well known disciple was Dharam Das. Satguru Kabir Saheb had passed on 42 names (Nam) for the Panth,known to us as Acharya or Hajur Saheb. When an Acharya is inaugurated they give up their name and take on the name allocated by Satguru Kabir Saheb. Vijay Das Shastri was appointed as the eighteenth Acharya and took on the nam of Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Ardhnam Saheb. His Guru is His Holiness Panth Shri 1008 Uditnam Saheb. His Holiness Panth Shri Hajur 1008 Uditnam Saheb was the sixteenth name allocated by Satguru Kabir Saheb, It was his vision to build and renovate the birth place of Kabir Saheb, known today as Sadguru Prakatya Dham, Kabir Bagh, Lahartara. As Acharya(Hajur Saheb) they hold the highest seat of all, all of the Mahants are inaugurated by an Acharya in a ceremony known as Chadar Vidhi,where they are given a hat, a certificate and blessings. Present: A lot of the scriptures were written in Sanskrit and Hindi. This century has seen those scriptures translated into English and with the invention of the internet these scriptures have been available world wide. We know our past but sometimes struggle with the present. Our Current Acharya( Hajur Saheb) has vowed to pass on the teachings round the world, especially to the young His Holiness recently visited United Kingdom and Trinidad His first ever visit outside of India, and intends to visit again and more countries. His Holiness is committed to completing the work of his Guru to make the Birth place of Kabir Saheb accessible to all devotees round the world

KABIR SAT DHARAM PRACHARAK MAHA SABHA FIJI This paper was presented on February 10, 2013 organized by INTERFAITH ORGANISATION FIJI. IFSF Agenda at DAV Girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College (Hosted by Arya Samaj) Suva. Fiji The topic is "What/Who Do We Worship as in Our Scriptures?" Satguru Kabir Saheb! Sat Means: True Guru means: Teacher Satguru is a title give specially only to an enlightened sant whose lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose is to guide others. God Satguru Kabir is the Supreme God and only He can with His grace, shower supreme peace and happiness to a soul. Only He is worthy of being worshipped. God is one who only gives you happiness and no sorrows. God is one who can forgive your sins. To achieve Supreme God there is a need for a complete saint who acts as a medium between the soul and The God. He is called a True Guru or a Satguru. Once you take initiation from a Satguru, you get connected to God and then you start getting the benefits, provided you maintain full dedication in the Supreme God. Satguru Kabir says, Search nearby -- why go so far? Your soul wearied in the long search. You even climbed Mount Sumeru. When you returned, you found God in your own house [body]." (Songs of Kabir in the Adi Granth, The purpose of this speech is that by worship of one Purna Brahm in form of root, the whole tree blossoms (remains lustgreen). By worship of (by watering) the trunk (ParBrahm-Akshar), big branch (Brahm) and the smaller branches (Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh), the whole tree will dry out i.e. the sadhna will go in vain. Satguru Kabir spoke on every aspects of life. He told the people that he was neither enemy nor friend to anyone, but that he wanted the welfare of all. He preached that all are children of the almightily, and they should live in peace, happiness and harmony without fighting over castes and religions. He gave the essence of all Holy Scriptures in simple, Sakhis, which are couplets with musical rhythm. The message of those incidents is the importance of devotion, love, purity and humility in our life. KABIRA KHADA BAZAAR MEIN SAB KI MANGE KHEIR NA KAAHU SE DOSTI NA KAAHU SE BAIR

Kabir Panth is not only a religion but a way of life.You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to convert or to be confined into strict rules and restricted ideas to understand and benefits from Satguru Kabir Sahebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy. The only objective of Kabir Sahib Ji's own arrival onto the earth was to awaken the individual soul towards true spiritualism (Satya Bhakti). For 120 years He directed the world towards worship of only One God i.e. Supreme Lord (Param Purush - Sahib), which exists far beyond from this perishable universe (made up of five perishable elements) and is Immortal. Kabir Sahib Ji disclosed all secrets of so called "God of the Universe", who is no one, but a Devil Mind (Niranjan/ Kaal Purush). He explained that all religions are worshiping the same "God of the Universe" in one way or the other

i.e.

Sargun

[God

Form]

in Nirgun

[God

Formless]forms. He also gave the secret of Amarlok (4th Lok)- Real abode of Supreme Lord to the humanity whose existence is beyond Universe (3 lok's and 5 elements) and at the same time fought against hypocrites for the welfare of the humanity. He showed the path of permanent salvation which can only be attained with the blessings of a "Satguru" (true Perfect Spiritual Master). Kabir Sahib Ji has reformed the social structure of spirituality in right perspective. He has always been against hypocrites. He gave the new dimensions to spiritualism through His ideology and teachings of Pra-Bhakti (Satya-Bhakti), which became as the ideology of Sant Mat. The words Sant and Satguru came into origin from Kabir Sahib Ji himself. Kabir Sahib Ji only spoke about Truth (Satya) which in itself was the reality that was unknown to the humanity and recommended to worship only One God - Supreme Father (Param

Purush -Sahib), which was unacceptable to selfish

spiritual leaders. He was the only Saint in the history of mankind

who has been punished with 52 death sentences also known as Bawan Kasni. Looking at large number of devotees following Kabir Sahib Ji's True Spiritualism (Satya Bhakti),the selfish spiritual leaders were afraid of losing their daily-means as well as their religious

individuality.

they

tried

evil

towards

Him

and

created several wrong myths about Him. Some described Him as the offspring of an unmarried Brahman girl; others described Him as a child with uncertain identity and so on. Even today, His birth and life is a mystery for the people of the world. Kabir Sahib has described this reality in His own words : "I descended on this earth from the sky as a pure white light, right from the Supreme Lord (Param Purush), which is an unknown place and none could recognize my real identity. Without remaining in the womb of the mother I appeared as a child. A weaver found me in the Lahartara Talaab (pond) at Kashi. I have neither any wife nor any other relation. My name ceremony was performed in the home of Neeru - the weaver. It made me a laughing stock into the whole world. My abode is Amarlok and I have come as per the desire of Supreme Father (Param Purush) to liberate the souls from the grip of Kaal Purush - Mind (Niranjan) and to take the suffering souls back to their real abode- Amarlok". Peace of Mind Who is the Peace Maker? It is the Supreme Power, Satpurush, Satguru. What are the sorrows? Vices are the sorrows. How to get rid of worries? It is found that almost all persons are beset with anxieties of one kind or the one other. If you think over it, you will reach the conclusion that man is subject to anxiety when he has fears that he may suffer loss one way or other or something harmful, displeasing or contrary to one likes or tastes may come to happen. A man who has the habit of worrying about things, always entertains doubts

and fears about the future. No doubt men are far – sighted but anxiety or worry is not the same thing as far sightedness. God consciousness or soul consciousness is the real jewel through which a man can realize God, Satguru and Satnam. This jewel ensures the fulfillment of all one’s wishes and the removal of all sorrows and worries. Man must understand that there are natural ups and downs in life. There is no need to worry. Man must engage himself in these endeavors and work most happily. How to have peace when Some Near and Dear Relative Passes Away? Life hangs by a thread; death may come at any moment. Hence, one should be thoroughly cautions not to tread the wrong path. That means he should learn to be steady in remembering the immortal

Satpurush,

Satguru,

instead

remembering

the

departed. We mustn’t forget that this world is like a short-lived fair. Hence, everybody must keep in mind the Law of karma and its fruit. How to keep Calm when someone behaves improperly? It is a matter of common observation that man becomes pleased on receiving respect from others, but it is sad and disturbed if he is insulted. Thus, common man’s life and outlook is determined by situations. His happiness is not under his control. If we now look at it wisely, we find that there is no point in losing peace of mind. The reason is that you are not to blame for a wrong done, yet the other man indulges in this useless talk on account of a misunderstanding. Why should then we allow a trifling thing to occupy our thoughts?

We should have the ability to regard it as

unworthy of our attention. According to the teachings of Satguru Kabir, MAYA hits us hard if we forget Satguru, Satnam and ourselves. It is therefore; clear that cultivation of the qualities of tolerance and sweetness of temper is the way to keep calm when someone behaves improperly.

What is the Way to Peace When One is Diseased? The way to remain in “Sahajyoga” of Satguru Kair when one is diseased,an iill man is called a patient, and he also is regarded as patient whi endures with patience, i.e. who has the virtues of toleration and courage. Hence, the ill man’s duty is to be tolerant and to be so he should be steady in remembering the Satguru and Satnam, In this way he will surely understand “Sahajyoga and obtain Peace. How to maintain Peace in face of Poverty? Poverty is a powerful cause of misery and unrest. But, even in poverty,

man

can

acquire

wealth

the

form

DIVINE

KNOWLEDGE. By means of Sahajyoga’ of Satguru Kabir Saheb, both material and spiritual, a man can acquire true wealth. The rich can think of wealth but a Satsangi thinks of truth, Satnam and the Wealth – Giver i.e. God (Satpurush). The lesser the Wealth the lesser the Vices. The satsangies have less money, but they have more spiritual means. A true Santsangi can give Wealth of the true knowledge to others. Man should not waste time in learning these priceless “Sahajyoga” and truth. He should make his life successful by acquiring the duvine wealth of “Sahajyoga” and Satnam. CONCLUSION If the achievement of complete purity, peace and prosperity is the only aim of your life, aspire for it now and here. If not today, tomorrow shall be too late. So sooner the better. Ref: website: Panth Shree HAJUR 1008 ARDHNAM SAHEB, 2012, LAHARTARA, VARANASI , INDIA. 108 Mahant Shri Ramswarupdasji Maharaj Saheb, 1990, Glimpse of the Life of Satguru Kabir, Jamnagar, Gujrat, India

This Months Feature Ashram

Shri Kabir Mandir, Idgah Road, Ahata Kidara, Delhi, India. This temple was established in Delhi by the devotees of Punjabi Maharaj after they moved to India from Multan (now in Pakistan) in 1947 on the land that was got allotted in lieu of their place of worship in Multan. Punjabi Maharaj (S. Gurdit Singh Ji Maharaj of Sultanwind Amritsar), a disciple of Swami Chhaju Dass of Saharanpur, was bestowed land grants by the government on successful completion of civil works on the Chenab and the Indus. A saint of great spiritual attainments he would go in for meditation for hours during wee hours. He would make his disciples meditate with their soul, vision,mind and breathing in unison to discover "Shabad" Bhajan, kirtan based on hymns by Satguru Kabir Ji, Acharya Garib Dass Ji and Adi Granth were the hall mark of his teachings. After PUNJABI SAHEB, his mission was carried forward by Sardar Sahib Sardar Balwant Singh Ji, Mahant Tola Ram Ji, Mahant Thakur Dass Ji, (disciples of Panjabi Maharaj) and Mahant Atam Parkash Ji ( a disciple of Sardar Sahib Sardar Balwant Singh Ji). Presently Shri Tirath Dass Ji is the Mahant of the temple. The Management of the temple vests in Kabir Sat Dharam Parcharni Sabha, (Regd.), with patrons Sh Sada Nand Ji, I A S Retd and his family and Sarvshri Ved Parkash, Subhash Chand, Nand Lal, Om Parkash, Deendayal as its President, Vice President, Secretary, Cashier and Prachar Secretary respectively.

Glimpse of the Life of Sadguru Kabir Courtesy of Dr. J. Das of the Kabir Association of Canada

Introduction to the Book This pictorial life sketch of Satguru Kabir was first published in 1990 and titled: “Glimpse of the Life of Sadguru Kabir”. It was produced by the Late Mahant Jagdish Das Shastri of the Kabir Ashram in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. He undertook the task at the request his guru, the late Mahant Ramswarup Das of the same ashram. The book was published by: Mahant Shri Ramswarupdasji Maharaj Saheb, Shri Kabir Ashram, Kabir Road, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. The type setting was done by the Kabir Association of Canada, and it was edited by Dr. J. Das of the Kabir Association This pictorial book contains some of the significant events and miracles that aim to impart true spiritual teachings, and to remove hypocrisy and misunderstanding in religious practices. Since Satguru Kabir had a long life (1398 – 1518), this book contains only glimpses of his activity as the title indicates. Note that he was speaking to, and dealing with, both Hindus and Muslims. His aim was to help people to know the Reality of the Self that is free from religious boundaries. Satguru Kabir introduced Satnam as the neutral name of the Eternal, Self-existent Supreme Power or God. Being neutral, the term can be used by any religion. He introduced Surat Shabda Yoga or meditation on the Word to realize the union of the Self with the Supreme in consciousness. He is considered the father of Hindi literature, the initiator of Sant Mat and Sahaj Yoga, and a supreme mystic. Studying his teachings is to study the basics or roots of religion.

1. Satguru Kabir Saheb. Introduction. In the tradition of the mystic saints of India, Satguru Kabir Saheb holds the highest position. He was the Incarnation of Supreme Spiritual Knowledge. He is accepted as the founder of the Sant Mat, Surat Shabd Yoga, Sahaj Yoga and the father of Hindi literature. His spiritual message was followed by several other saints. Kabir Saheb was a symbol of impartiality. For the upliftment of humanity, he delivered his discourses in very simple language. He spoke on every aspect of life. He told the people that he was neither enemy nor friend to anyone, but that he wanted the welfare of all. He preached that all are children of the Almighty, and they should live in peace, happiness and harmony without fighting over castes and religions. He gave the essence of all Holy Scriptures in simple Sakhis, which are couplets with musical rhythm. His Sakhis are so important that they are accepted as supreme testimony for profound spiritual truth. Kabir Saheb was the supreme spiritual master of Surati Shabda Yoga. He taught the spiritual path of Easy Union with Almighty Sat Purush. Several miraculous incidents happened through him. Those supernatural incidents are narrated in this book. The message of those incidents is the importance of devotion, love, purity and humilityin our life.

2. Appearance of Satguru Kabir A saint comes to the world to show the right path to the people who have lost their right vision or proper sense of direction in life. In India, fifteenth century was such a period when people of different faiths were fighting. Envy between two major religions of the time was growing rapidly. Envy amongst Hindus and Muslims, Brahmins and Mullahs, touchables and untouchables, was spreading and moving like a cyclone. It was the period of religious bigotry, intolerance, and decrease of social, moral and spiritual values. People were proud of their own religious rites and rituals and scorned those of other religions. The rulers were tyrants. There was inequality amongst the people. At that time, Kabir appeared on the stage of Indian history. There is a legend about the appearance of Guru Kabir. It was Monday morning, the full moon of Jeshth month, 1455 Vikram Era (June1398 AD), at the pre-dawn hours when Swami Ashtanand was meditating on the bank of Lahartara Pond, near the city of Varanasi. He saw a light appearing on the lotus flower in the pond. The light took the form of a baby. Ashtanand was astonished. He could not figure out what that was, whether it was an illusion or a miracle of God. He left the meditation and went to his Guru, Swami Ramanand, to tell him about the strange incident

3. Adoption By Neeru and Neema In the meanwhile, a recently married weaver couple, Neeru and Neema, came there. When Neema saw the pond she told her husband that she wanted to wash her hands and face. He told her to do so. She went to the pond. When she was washing her hands she heard a baby's cry. She looked around for the sound. She was enchanted when she saw a beautiful baby boy resting on the lotus flower. He looked like a newborn baby, and his face had a divine shine on it. Neema became very excited by the scene and the divine beauty of the child, that she shouted and called her husband. When he came, he was also enchanted by the baby. Neema could not resist the thought of holding the baby in her arms. She entered the water and took the baby in her arms. She was over-joyed when she held the baby close to her bosoms. She felt a motherly love for the baby over-flowing her heart. First Neeru thought that somebody may have left the baby there and was still close by. He therefore called if someone was around, but there was no response. He then thought that the baby was abandoned. Despite Neeru’s disapproval, Neema persuaded him to take the baby home. Thus the couple became the foster parents of the baby who later became known as “Satguru Kabir”. Whatever the legend may be, it is true that he was not the flesh and blood son of Neeru and Neema.

4. Naming Ceremony When Neeru and Neema took the baby to their home, many people came to see him. His beauty enchanted them. Whoever saw him felt some divine attraction to him. Some of the women enquired about his caste and religion. Neeru and Neema told them that they found the child in the Lahartara pond, and that they did not know his caste or religion. Soon they arranged the naming ceremony at an appropriate time at their home. They invited pandits and qazis to find a name for the child. The child was first seen in the early hours of the morning, and the time was considered auspicious. The pandits thought of an appropriate name. At the same time the qazis opened the Book (Koran) and found the name "Kabir" which means "The Great". The qazis opened the Book again and again and, to their amazement, the same name appeared as many times as they opened the Book. To dispel the embarrassment of the people, the child himself spoke in a solemn voice: "You need not worry about my naming. I have already named myself Kabir, and by this name I will be known in the world."

5. Deliverance of Discourses At about ten years of age Satguru Kabir started to deliver sermons on such subjects as Eternal Truth, Unity, Non-violence, and Monotheism. He explained the path of love and compassion in his forthright, unrestrained and lucid language. He impressed the masses. Daily, more and more people attended his discussions which were full of truth. He told people that God loves all irrespective of caste and creed. All of us are His children. There is nothing like high and low castes. Everyone has an equal right to do devotion and to pray to Him. He said: "If God wanted to make pandits and mullahs of high castes and others of low castes, then why did He not make them be born with the sacred thread and/or circumcision. Many pandits and mullahs were not able to respond to his logical questions in his sermons. Some of them could not tolerate his plain truth. They were jealous of his popularity. When they could not answer the questions he raised, they started a rival propaganda saying that Kabir was not initiated by any Guru (accepted a spiritual master). He therefore had no authority to deliver discourses on religious matters. Kabir saheb did not need a guru because he was himself the manifestation of supreme knowledge. But just to maintain the conventional tradition, he thought of getting initiated by a prominent Guru

6. Initiation by Swami Ramanand Though formless in origin and the abode of Eternal knowledge, Satguru Kabir manifested himself in a human form. In order to honour the traditional concept of initiation by a Guru, he decided to be a disciple of Swami Ramanand, who was an accomplished Vaishnava saint in those days. Swamiji was a great devotee of God. One day, at dawn, Satguru Kabir went to the Ganges. He lay down on the steps of the Panchganga Ghat in the form of a child of five years. Ramanandji, at the early dawn, used to go to the Ganges to bathe. While climbing down the steps, Swami Ramanand came to the spot where Kabir, in a motionless state, awaited his arrival. Because of the darkness, Swamiji could not see him and his wooden sandals accidentally struck Kabir's head. Kabir immediately started crying. Hearing the cry, Swami Ramanand realized that a small child was lying there and got hurt. Swamiji picked Kabir up and caressed him. He said, "Don't cry my child. Say Ram Ram". By chance, when Swamiji bent down, the mala (necklace) made of the tulsi (basil) plant, fell from his neck into Kabir's neck. Guru Kabir was thus initiated by Swami Ramanand.

7. Satguru in Dual Form After accepting Swami Ramanand as his guru, Satguru Kabir started to deliver discourses in the true spirit of Vaishnava. When asked about his guru, he replied that he was a disciple of Swami Ramanand. Thereupon, people approached Swami Ramanand and inquired about the initiation. Swami Ramanand told them that he neither initiated nor accepted Kabir as his disciple. To ascertain the fact, Swami Ramanand sent for Kabir. When Kabir Saheb came, Swami Ramanand, without coming outside of the place of worship, asked Kabir about the initiation. Kabir, from the outside of the room, politely narrated the incident on the Panchganga Ghat. Swami Ramanand remembered that he encountered a child about five years old who was un-intentionally hurt by his sandals. He also remembered lifting him up and telling him to say "Ram Ram." But that was a child and not a grown up person. At that very moment Satguru Kabir manifested himself in dual form. As a child he appeared before Swami Ramanand, and as a youth he was amongst the people gathered in the courtyard of the Ashram. The child Kabir asked Swami Ramanand, "Didn't I meet your honour on the Panchganga Ghat in this form?" Swami Ramanand was extremely astonished to see Satguru Kabir as a child and instantly realized that he was superhuman. The door of the room was opened and the people witnessed the manifestation of Kabir in two forms and felt themselves fortunate to see such a miracle.

8. Emperor Sikandar Was Cured of Inflammation Sikandar Lodi, the ruler of Delhi, was biased against Hindus and was ordering serious punishments for them. As a result of his indiscriminate and outrageous oppression, he was punished by God in the form of inflammation all over his body. Medicines and blessings administered and showered by fakirs and doctors proved ineffective. At that time those jealous of Swami Ramanand and Kabir conspired a plot to destroy them. The wicked people approached the King and advised him to request Ramanand and Kabir to cure his morbid inflammation. The King agreed to the proposal and went to Varanasi. Sikandar Lodi first visited Swami Ramanand, who refused to see him as it was against his principle to look at any Turk (a Muslim person). Now Satguru Kabir was the only hope. By the King's good fortune, Kabir appeared before him. The agonized King immediately lay prostrate before Kabir and begged him to bless and cure him. Kabir lifted the King holding his hands. And lo! By his divine touch the king was cured.

9. Warm Welcome King Sikandar Lodi, who was relieved of his inflammation by Satguru Kabir's divine touch, looked upon him as an accomplished saint. To acknowledge his gratitude, the King invited Kabir to his residence at Varanasi. Satguru Kabir was taken there on a caparisoned elephant in a grand procession. The king arranged a special ceremony in honour of Kabir Saheb. After a warm and respectful welcome, the King, with folded hands, requested Kabir to say a few words which would help people to understand the spirit of true religion. Satguru agreed to the request and delivered a message of peace in a soothing voice. He spoke on the subjects of Hindu-Muslim unity, non-violence, and love and compassion etc. He told the people that God is the father of all. He is one though people call Him by various names. People should not fight with each other because of their different religious beliefs. The king was greatly impressed by Kabir's message.

10. Test of Satguru Kabir Shaikh Taqqi, a Muslim priest at Sikandar Lodi's court, became envious of Guru Kabir whom the King revered greatly. To get rid of Kabir, Shaikh Taqqi started to poison the King's mind. Shaikh Taqqi tried in many ways to harass and destroy Kabir, but every time his tactics failed With the King's consent, Shaikh Taqqi arranged to test Kabir in the courtyard of the palace. Without hesitation, Kabir occupied the chosen spot. An intoxicated elephant was immediately released to crush him. Kabir sat in meditation. He was aware of the danger. With his occult powers he immediately created two fierce lions beside him. The ferocious lions frightened the elephant which quickly ran away. Though the mahout forced the elephant to attack Guru Kabir, it retreated trumpeting in fear of being killed by the two lions. The spectators, of course, couldn't see the two lions. For them Satguru Kabir was engrossed in meditation, and the elephant was running.

11. Kamal Raised From the Dead Once King Sikandar Lodi with Kabir Saheb and Shaikh Taqqi, and others of the king's court, were taking an evening walk on the bank of the river Ganges. Accidentally they saw a boy's corpse floating in the river. Shaikh Taqqi, with malicious intentions, asked Kabir to prove his power by bringing the corpse to life. Shaikh Taqqi thought that Kabir wouldn't be able to do so and he will be humiliated. People will then again respect him more than they would Kabir. Satguru Kabir sensed Shaikh Taqqi's evil intentions. However, at his request, Guru Kabir summoned the corpse by merely pointing at him. The corpse floated towards them. Guru Kabir then placed his hand on the corpse's head and said: "O soul! Enter in this body again." Immediately, a light passed from Satguru Kabir's hand into the corpse, and the boy awoke from his sleep. The boy immediately lay prostrate before Kabir in reverence. The king, in great amazement, said: "You did Kamal (wonder or miracle) "Satguru Kabir then said that this boy will be named Kamal.

12. Kamali Brought to Life Though Shaikh Taqqi tried and tested Satguru Kabir many times, Kabir always emerged unscathed. It is said that Shaikh Taqqi tested the divine powers of Kabir fifty-two times. He became utterly dejected. However, he thought of testing Kabir again by asking him to bring back to life his daughter who died a few days ago. The King agreed to this plan and they both approached Satguru Kabir for that purpose. Shaikh Taqqi, with folded hands, said to Kabir: "Saheb, my daughter passed away some days ago. Please bring her back to life." Satguru Kabir accepted his request to revive his daughter. Satguru Kabir went to the graveyard with the king and Shaikh Taqqi. Satguru Kabir stood beside the tomb and glanced at it. The tomb opened. Looking into it, Satguru called: "O daughter of Shaikh Taqqi! Come out of the tomb!" But there was no response. Kabir then said: "O my daughter! Enough rest. Come out now." Immediately, the corpse became alive and came out of the grave. She approached Satguru Kabir and reverently lay prostrate before him. The king said to Kabir: "You did Kamal again." Shaikh Taqqi's resurrected daughter was then named Kamali, and she became a great disciple of Kabir.

13. Temple of Lord Jagannath Indradaman, king of Orissa, once in his dream, was instructed by Lord Krishna to build a temple in the name of the Lord Jagannath. The King erected a beautiful temple. Soon after its completion, it was destroyed by the violent ocean waves. Though the king rebuilt the temple many times, each time it was washed away by the tumultuous sea. The King got tired and stopped rebuilding it. When Satguru Kabir learned about the destruction of Lord Jagannath's temple, he went to Puri and appeared before king Indradaman. The king, after paying due respects to him, narrated the difficulty he faced in building the temple. However, Satguru advised him to build the temple once more. He told the king that the sea would not be able to destroy it anymore. The faithful king acted on his words and rebuilt the temple. The sea again rose to destroy it. Satguru Kabir sat on the beach and planted his kubadi (a "T" shaped stick) beside him. This was to warn the sea that it should not surge forward beyond the kubadi. The sea could not go beyond the kubadi as Satguru's divine power was in it. The sea god appeared before Satguru Kabir as a Brahmin and bowed to him. Kabir then told him: "The importance and greatness of this temple will increase day by day. This will be the place of worship for people of all castes and creeds. All the pilgrims will be treated alike. The food from the temple will be served to everyone."

Even today one can see the same practice at the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri

14. Ramharsh Pandey Satguru Kabir delivered spiritual discourses daily at his ashram in Varanasi. Many devotees from around the city went to listen to them. Virsingh Baghela, the ruler of Varanasi, heard about Kabir Saheb, and went to the ashram to listen to him. He felt divinely attracted to Kabir. After the discourse, he invited Kabir Saheb to his palace to give spiritual instructions. The news spread and many people went there to listen to him. One day, in the middle of the discourse, Satguru Kabir stopped and took his kamandalu (a water pot) and poured some water on his feet and resumed the discourse. The whole congregation was surprised by his strange behaviour. However, no one interrupted him. But when he was finished speaking, the King asked him about the incident. Satguru Kabir said: "Ramharsh Pandey, a worshipper at the temple of Jagannath, is my devotee. He was serving food when some of the steaming rice spilled on his feet. He earnestly prayed to me to relieve his burning pain. Hence, to cure his burns, I poured some water upon my feet." The King sent messengers to investigate. The temple authorities told them that it was true. The king and the people then realized Satguru Kabir's divine powers and paid obeisance to him

15. Offerings to Manes Satguru Kabir was once taking a bath in the Ganges. He saw some Brahmins offering "Pinda" (balls of cooked rice) and water to their deceased ancestors and relatives. Satguru Kabir never believed in such rituals. He thought it was necessary to guide the Brahmins in the right direction. He thus played a trick on them. He started to pour the water towards the riverbank. This action attracted the Brahmins. Curious to know why, they asked: "O Saheb! Why are you pouring water like that?" Satguru counterquestioned: "What are you doing there?" "We are offering rice and water to our manes." "I'm watering my Ashram's garden,â&#x20AC;? said Kabir." On hearing this, the Brahmins burst into laughter and said: "How funny! Will the water thrown from here reach your garden?" Kabir replied: "Will your offerings reach your deceased ancestors from here? And if they can reach them in heaven or wherever they are, then surely, this water will reach my garden, which is not far from here." The Brahmins could not argue with Satguru Kabir. They realized the futility of their actions. In this way, Kabir always tried to impart real knowledge to the people to dispel their baseless superstitions.

16. Gorakhnath Humbled Gorakhnath, the yogi of Nathpanth (a cult), was trying to convert people to his cult. Sometimes he used forceful means to increase the number of his followers. People objected to his undesirable behaviour. They asked Satguru Kabir to preserve and maintain the traditional ways of worshipping. Kabir Saheb asked Gorakhnath to stop forcing people to become his disciples. Gorakhnath, with the intention of exhibiting his occult powers, pitched a trident on the ground and sat on its tapering points. Satguru then sat upon a thread held in the air, and called Gorakhnath to come to that height to have a discussion. Kabir said, "Your trident has the support of the earth, but come in the sky if you want to talk to me." Gorakhnath failed to do so. Kabir Saheb and Gorakhnath then went to the Ganges where Gorkhnath again wanted to show his occult powers. He told Kabir that he is going to hide himself in the water and Kabir should find him. Gorakhnath entered the water and took the form of a fish. Kabir Saheb searched and caught that fish and said: "O Gorakh! You will not be safe by becoming a fish. The fishermen can kill you." Gorakhnath then took his original form and told Kabir to hide. Kabir entered the Ganges and immersed himself in the water as water. Gorakhnath couldn't find him because there was only water. At last he accepted his defeat and called Kabir who then came out of the water. Gorakhnath then agreed not to force people to follow his cult.

17. Conversation Between Sarvajit and Kamali Sarvajit, a South Indian pandit, was very proud of his knowledge. He defeated many scholars in debate on the scriptures. They gave him an honorary title "Sarvajit" (conqueror of all scholars). He went to his mother and boasted of his victory and told her to call him "Sarvajit". His mother felt sorry for his boastfulness and wanted to show him the value of humility. She said: "My son, you are victorious indeed, but still you should defeat one more person in debate." He asked: "Who is he?â&#x20AC;? His mother said: "Kabir! He lives in the city of Varanasi." Sarvajit went to Varanasi to defeat Kabir. He carried a heavily laden bull with books on philosophy and religion. When he came near to Kabir's ashram, he felt thirsty. He saw a girl pulling water from the well. He asked her for water and then about Kabir's residence. That intelligent girl was Kamali. She understood the reason why the pandit was there. She answered in a couplet: Kabir ka ghar shikhar par, jahan silahali gail; panv na tike pipilika, tahan pandit lade bail. (Kabir's residence is on the mountaintop and the path is very slippery. An ant cannot set foot on it. O Pandit! You wish to go there with this loaded bull?) However, Kamali led Sarvajit to Kabir's ashram.

18. Discussion Between Sarvajit and Kabir Sarvajit's mother sent him to Kabir Saheb to get some spiritual knowledge, but he was full of ego about his knowledge. He sent a pot full of water to Kabir Saheb. "What is it?" asked Satguru Kabir. "It is sent by Sarvajit." Without uttering a single word, Satguru Kabir simply dropped a needle in the pot and sent it back. On seeing the pot returned from Kabir, Sarvajit inquired about the reaction of Kabir Saheb. He was told: "A needle has been dropped in it by Kabir." Sarvajit could not understand the reason for Kabir's action. Hence to get the explanation of it, he went to the ashram and asked Kabir Saheb about it. Satguru Kabir said to Sarvajit: "What was the purpose of sending the pot full of water to me?" Sarvajit replied: "To show you that I am full of knowledge." Kabir Saheb said: "However, you might have seen that the needle that I dropped in the pot penetrated through the water. In the same way my knowledge has power to penetrate through yours. Please, therefore, do not consider yourself full of knowledge. There are certainly more learned people than you in the world." Sarvajit realized his mistake. He then bowed down before Kabir Saheb and begged for forgiveness. But Sarvajit wanted proof to show his mother. Kabir then told him to write that Kabir lost and Sarvajit won, and Kabir signed the paper. Sarvajit showed it to his mother, and she read Kabir won and Sarvajit lost. He felt there must have been a mistake, so he went back to Kabir and had the paper correctly written and signed. Again it read Kabir won and Sarvajit lost. Sarvajit gave up his ego and became a disciple of Kabir Saheb.

19. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Ibrahim Adam of Balkh Bokhara wanted to see God, and invited holy men of different religions to show him God. But none of them could. He then became angry and imprisoned them. He did so many times and the religious people became afraid. When Satguru Kabir heard about it, he went to the king and told him that he would show him God if he would release the prisoners. The King refused to release them. Satguru Kabir went to the prison and saw the holy men grinding grains with the millstones. He told them to recite the name of God. They said if they stopped, the King would punish them more severely. Then Satguru Kabir touched one of the millstones with his kubadi (staff) and commanded them to operate. Surprisingly, all the millstones began grinding by themselves. People were astonished by the miracle. The prisoners then started to chant the name of God. One of the guards rushed to call the King who immediately went. He was also surprised. He saw Kabir Saheb standing and all the saints were reciting and singing devotional songs. He realized the greatness of Kabir Saheb and bowed down to him. Kabir Saheb told him to release all the prisoners immediately, which he did. From that time Kabir Saheb became known as bandichhor, the releaser of prisoners. People applauded and said: "Kabir is great, Kabir is great."

20. Omnipresence of God In the course of pilgrimage, Satguru Kabir once went to Mecca. It is a holy place for Muslims. When Kabir Saheb reached there in the evening he was tired. He slept near the mosque placing his feet towards it. As soon as the qazi saw him sleeping with his feet towards the holy Kaaba, he became angry. He approached Kabir and, with a stern look and harsh words, reprimanded him for lying in the wrong direction. Without getting up, Kabir Saheb said to him: "O Qazi! I am tired. I cannot move my legs. Please place my feet in the direction where there is no God." The qazi immediately turned Kabir's feet in another direction. But soon he saw that the holy shrine was in the same direction where he had placed Kabir's feet. He then moved Kabir's feet in another direction, but again the shine moved to that direction. In whichever direction the qazi placed Kabir's feet, invariably he saw the shrine of Mecca turn in that direction. Soon the qazi was exhausted. Seeing his discomfiture, the compassionate Satguru told him: "O Qazi! God is Omnipresent. In whichever direction you go, He is there." The qazi realized the truth and, without any arguments, paid due respects to Satguru Kabir.

21. Kabir Chaura Whenever Satguru Kabir Saheb was at Varanasi, he used to give discourses at various places, sometimes even in an open market place. He was not attached to either a mosque or a temple. It was therefore important for his followers to find a permanent place for his discourses. Soon they found an open place which was near his ashram. People prepared a nice small stage on which Satguru could sit and preach. They named that place Kabir Chaura. Kabir Saheb delivered most of his discourses from there. The place became so famous that more and more people gathered there to listen to him. He preached to them about Eternal Truth, Divine Love, Unity, Universal brotherhood, Non-violence, Compassion, Forgiveness, etc. His topics were chosen for the benefit of the masses. His message touched their hearts. At that place Kings and paupers were equal.

22. Dhani Dharamdasji Dharamdasji, a rich merchant, lived in the city of Bandhogarhh in the Central Province of India. He was a worshipper of Vishnu. Once, on his pilgrimage, he went to Mathura. One day he was cooking food to offer to God, and observed many ants running out from the burning wood. He saw that many of them were burned. This made him very sad, as food cooked on the fire where many ants were burned was not fit to offer to God. He did not eat any food, which was not offered to God, so he decided to give it to any needy person. He searched for such a person and luckily saw Satguru Kabir sitting under a tree. Dharamdasji placed the food in front of him and requested that he accept it. Looking at the food Kabir Saheb smiled and said: "Do you want to pass your sins onto me which you committed by killing the ants in the fire?" Dharamdasji was very surprised and wondered how this man knew about the killing of the ants. At that time Kabir Saheb clapped his hands and all the dead ants appeared in the food and started to crawl out of the plate. Dharamdasji was astonished. He bowed to Kabir Saheb and invited him to come to Bandhogarhh. "I live amongst the sadhus and saints. If you want to see me again serve the sadhus and saints. One day I will come to you." Saying this Kabir saheb disappeared.

23. Kabir Saheb at Bandhogarhh Dharamdasji had requested Kabir Saheb to visit his place at Bandhogarhh. Kabir Saheb did not accept his invitation and told him to search for him amongst the sadhus and saints, and he will find him there. Dharamadasji wanted to see Kabir Saheb so earnestly that he was prepared to do anything. One day he discussed it with his wife, Amin, and planned to hold a yajna (religious function) and to invite sadhus and saints. His wife, being a devoted lady, agreed. Dharamdasji sent invitations to all sadhus and saints. He prepared food and clothing, and offered money as gifts to them. He met some great saints and seers but, to his disappointment, Kabir Saheb was not among them. He thus decided not to take food and water, and was prepared to die. The Omniscient and Compassionate Satguru learned about Dharamdasji's determination, and graced him with a visit. Dharamdasji and his wife became very happy. They welcomed him warmly, and prepared anandi arti to celebrate his auspicious visit. On that very occasion Satguru Kabir Saheb initiated Dharamdasji and his wife. Dharamdasji spent all his wealth in performing righteous activities. That is why he was honoured with the title of "Dhani" (rich). From that time he became known as Dhani Dharamdas

24. Blessings to King Ram Singh When Kabir Saheb was a guest at the house of Dharamdasji, Ramsingh, the King of Bandhogarh, came to see him. He heard, and took part in, many discussions with Kabir Saheb. He realized that Kabir Saheb was a Divine Person. He arranged a grand function in his honour at his home. He asked Kabir Saheb to make him a disciple and bless him. Kabir Saheb blessed him with Divine Knowledge and removed all the darkness of ignorance from his heart. The King and the Queen took an active part in the satsangs held at their palace. They arranged for anandi arti chowka and when Satguru Kabir Saheb was sitting in the chowka, the King asked Kabir Saheb to bless him with a child, and he did. Kabir Saheb was pleased with the king's sincere devotion. By Satguru Kabir's grace a son was born to the King and Queen. The royal couple's desire was fulfilled. Kabir Saheb had blessed them with forty-two continuous successions. Though the years have gone by, the line of descendants is still present.

25. Churamani Nam Saheb As long as Kabir Saheb stayed with Dhani Dharamdasji, there were discussions, devotional songs and explanation about spiritual matters. People attended them with enthusiasm. Sometimes such programs were prolonged late at nights. The pious participants were never satisfied listening to the words of wisdom from Satguru Kabir. The more they heard the more they wished to hear. People were greatly impressed by his distinguished personality. More and more people gathered at the satsangs, and he initiated many on the spiritual path. The younger son of Dharamdasji, Churamani Nam, was also initiated at that time. He showed intense desire for spiritual knowledge and made rapid progress on the path of Surati Shabda Yoga. When Kabir Saheb saw this young boy's devotion and ability, he told Dharamdasji that he would be the spiritual master in the future. Later on, Churamani Nam was nominated the spiritual master of Kabir Panth. The nomination became known as vansh (successor). The link of such succession is still upheld.

26. Brahma Nirupan When Satguru Kabir Saheb was giving spiritual knowledge to Dharamdasji, he had appointed someone to write the discussions between them. In the course of discussions, Dharamdasji requested Kabir Saheb to explain the spiritual path in such a way, that every one could understand. He asked some very important questions for the good of humanity, and Kabir Saheb answered them. The writer recorded them. Kabir Saheb explained to Dharamdasji the moral duty, spiritual accomplishments, true knowledge, eight-fold path of yoga, gyan yoga, surati shabda yoga, nine-fold path of devotion, fourteen spiritual gems etc. All of these explanations are compiled in a volume called Brahm Nirupan (Description of Supreme Reality). This book contains a very precious message for mankind.

27. Blessings to the King of Varanasi When Kabir Saheb returned to Varanasi from Bandhogarh, the devotees were waiting for him. People welcomed him with a grand procession and led him to Kabir Chaura. Satsang and devotional discourses started again with great enthusiasm. King Vir Singh Baghel of Varanasi, along with his queen, attended the satsangs and discourses every day. Gradually, the royal couple became very interested in Satguru Kabir's spiritual teachings. One day the King invited him to his royal palace. When Satguru went, the queen washed his feet and wiped them. She sprinkled that water all around in the palace. The king and the queen washed the Satguru's feet again and, with great devotion, they drank that pious water which is called charanamrit (the nectar from the lotus feet). The royal couple garlanded Satguru and offered fragrant flowers. They did Arati (devotional waving of light) and offered various kinds of fruits. After that traditional offering, the king requested that Satguru bless them with spiritual knowledge. Satguru was very pleased with them. He initiated them on the divine path of Sahaj Yoga (Easy Union). He taught them the path of spiritual realization. He showed them the way to practice Surati Shabda Yoga. Thus the royal couple was blessed to their satisfaction.

28. Kabir Vat (the Banyan Tree Named After Kabir) Shuklatirth, a place of pilgrimage, is a village on the bank of the river Narmada, in Gujarat state. There is a small island in the river where two Brahmin brothers, Tatwa and Jeewa, lived a very simple life. They had great respect for sadhus, saints and sanyasis but they lacked peace of mind. A sadhu told them that they would have enlightenment and bliss if a perfect saint initiated them. But it was difficult to find a perfect spiritual master. To find one they planted a dry branch of a banyan tree in their courtyard. They washed the feet of every sadhu and saint and put that water on the dry branch. They will accept that person as their Guru the washing of whose feet would make that dry branch alive. They invited sadhus and saints and respectfully washed their feet and poured the water on the dry branch. It did not become alive. Day after day they did so, but it brought only disappointment. They started to lose faith in holy men. Satguru Kabir heard of their vow and went to their place. They welcomed him and washed his feet as usual. They poured the water on that dry branch and it started to sprout tiny leaves. They were astonished to see the miracle. With great reverence they fell at his feet and requested him to initiate them on the spiritual path. He accepted them as his disciples. That dry branch, which came alive, has now grown into a big banyan tree covering several acres. It is known as the Kabir Vat. It is now thought to be perhaps the biggest banyan tree in the world.

29. Ram-Kabir Bhakt Samaj The news about the sprouting of the dry branch of the banyan tree spread rapidly everywhere. Thousands of people went there to see it and to listen to Kabir Saheb's discourses. At that time Gyaniji Maharaj, the disciple of Khojiji Maharaj, came to see Kabir Saheb. He had thousands of disciples in that area. Gyaniji decided to become Kabir Saheb's disciple. He told all his followers that whoever wanted to follow him should come and follow the path of Kabir Saheb. All his followers went with him and accepted Kabir Saheb as their guru. Kabir Saheb showered his grace upon them and gave them Divine Knowledge. Gyaniji, by the grace of Satguru, had the realization of the Supreme Lord in his heart. He went to Satguru Kabir and asked him: "O master! We are devotees of Ram and you also preached about the same Supreme Spiritual Being, Chetan Ram. Now I realized that Ram and Kabir are one. I want to make a word of greeting by using both names together. From that time, all the disciples of Gyaniji Maharaj started to use the word: "Ram Kabir." Ram Kabir Sampradaya (religious sect) thus came into existence. The followers of this sect are in Gujarat, and even outside of India. A large number are in the U. S.

30. The Great Conference at Kabir Saheb's Ashram Once Lord Vishnu told Lakshmi that her Maya could not trap Kabir. She said: "No one can escape from my trap. "Lakshmi then went to Kabir Saheb's ashram and tried to delude him, but he recognized her and told her to return to her abode. Lakshmi realized that she could not trap him and requested that he ask for a boon. He refused; but when she insisted, he told her that, at the right time, he would call on her. Lakshmi, being satisfied, returned to her abode. In Varanasi many Brahmins envied Kabir Saheb and conspired to defame him. Unknown to him, they invited people to a feast at his ashram. They were promised free board and lodging for fifteen days. When he saw people arriving, he realized the conspiracy. He then urged Lakshmi to take care of all the people and he went to meditate in isolation. As promised, she provided everything for the congregation for two weeks. All were very pleased. They saw Kabir Saheb helping everywhere and said: "Kabir Saheb ki jai!"(Victory to Kabir Saheb). Some of them returning home, saw Kabir Saheb sitting under a tree. They told him that Kabir Saheb was giving a big feast to all the sadhus and saints. Why did he not go there?" When Kabir Saheb went to the ashram, people praised him. At that time Kabir Saheb said: Na kuchh kiya na kari saka, na karne jog sharir, Jo kuchh kiya so hari kiya, bhaya Kabir, Kabir. I did not do anything. I could not do anything. This body is not strong enough to do anything. Whatever is done, it is by the grace of God, but it was attributed to Kabir. 63

31. Composition of Bijak Many disciples of Kabir Saheb used to write his teachings. Some of his philosophical teachings were collected in a book called: "Bijak". Bijak means the key for spiritual realization. The followers of Kabir Saheb accepted the Bijak as their principal source of knowledge. In this book Kabir Saheb explained about creation and devotion. The major teaching in this book is mystical. Without proper guidance, it is difficult for most people to understand it. The message of Kabir Saheb, in the Bijak, is for the betterment of humanity. Kabir Saheb spoke the plain Truth. He explained about Gyan Yoga (spiritual realization). He taught of the great human qualities and how to obtain contentment and enlightenment.

32. Vedas Recited by Buffalo Satguru Kabir Saheb never agreed with the caste system. Many disciples of Swami Ramanand were of low caste. Once Swami Ramanandji was invited to attend a function at Totadri, a place in South India, where the majority of the followers of Ramanuja Vaishnava sect lived. They adhered strictly to the caste system. When Swami Ramanand's disciples arrived with their belongings loaded on a buffalo, the main priest was confused because the disciples were of various castes. His problem was how to feed them without humiliating his guests. After a discussion with other priests, he declared that only those who could recite the Vedic verses would be allowed to eat with the Brahmins. The others would have to eat elsewhere. Satguru Kabir Saheb did not like that decision and taught them a lesson. He told the head priest that the recitation of the Vedic verses is not difficult even for the buffalo. He told one of his disciples to bring the buffalo. Kabir Saheb told the buffalo: "Please recite some verses of the Vedas." The buffalo immediately started reciting verses from the Vedas. All the Brahmins were astonished with Kabir's superhuman power. They were more embarrassed when Kabir Saheb told them to allow the buffalo to sit with them. They realized their folly and, with due respect, bowed down to Kabir Saheb and asked for his forgiveness. Consequently, all the sadhus and saints were allowed to eat together

33. Kabir Kotha Once Satguru Kabir Saheb was on his tour to preach to the people of Western India. At that time he went to Dwarka, a city of pilgrimage on the seashore in Gujarat. A temple of Lord Krishna is there. When Kabir Saheb stayed in that city, he used to preach to the pilgrims on the sandy beach. His devotional songs influenced the hearts of many. His message of truth, love, devotion and universal brotherhood attracted many people. They became his followers. He taught them not to hurt or kill other creatures. He told them to get rid of the negative passions of lust, anger, attachment, greed and egoism, and to replace them with the noble actions such as to serve, love, give, meditate and realize. On the stone where he used to sit and preach, a rectangular monument was built in his honour. It is called Kabir Kotha. It is said that the tides of the ocean never overflows on that monument.

34. Queen Indramati Once Kabir Saheb told Dharamdasji that in different yugas he appeared with different names. In the Dwapar Yuga, he was called Karunamai (compassionate one). At that time there was a King called Chandravijai who ruled the state of Junagarhh. Indramati was his Queen. She was very devoted. Everyday she used to feed five saints and sadhus before she would eat. She did this for several years. One day she was waiting to feed saints and sadhus, but none came. A few days passed and because of her vow she could not eat. Satguru Kabir Saheb, who was known as Karunamai, heard about this and went to Junagarhh, along with his five disciples. Seeing them, the Queen sent her maidservant to bring them to the palace. However, Swami Karunamai refused to go to the palace. He told the maidservant that the Queen, herself, should come to request their visit. When the Queen heard this, she went personally to invite them. After paying respects to Swami Karunamai, she entreated him to accept the food that she had prepared. His five disciples enjoyed their meal. The Queen felt dejected that Swami Karunamai did not eat. He told her that he did not need to eat. His was the Divine form above the five gross elements. She then requested him to give her some spiritual advice. Swami Karunamai showed her the way of devotion and of easy union with God. He also gave her a glimpse of his Eternal abode. The King and Queen became his disciples. By his grace they reached the Supreme

35. Incident of Madhukar Once Kabir Saheb told the story of his past appearances to Dharamdasji. In Treta Yug Kabir Saheb was famous by the name of Munindra Swami. In Ayodhya, there lived a Brahmin named Madhukar. He was a disciple of Munindra Swami. The first time when Munindra Swami came to Ayodhya, Madhukar went to see him. After listening to his spiritual discourses, Madhukar realized that he was the spiritual master for him. Madhukar bowed at his feet and invited him to his home. He showed a great deal of devotion to Munindra Swami and asked him to accept him as his disciple. Munindra Swami, seeing the earnest desire of Madhukar, accepted him as his disciple. He taught Madhukar the way of Surati Shabda Yoga. Madhukar had the ability to achieve spiritual heights. Munindra Swami taught him the easy union and gave him a glimpse of Satya Purush. Seeing Satya Purush and Satya Lok, Madhukar became very happy. Munindra Swami told Madhukar to preach the Surati Shabda Yoga to others. Many of the people made their way to the Eternal Abode following the path of Surati Shabda Yoga.

36. The Story of Bhakt Sudarshan At the end of Dwapar Yug, Kabir Saheb was called Swami Karunamai. He wandered as a saint, preaching the path of Surati Shabda Yoga and devotion. The great war of Mahabharata was over. Many brave kings were killed. Moral values of the people were at low ebb. At that time in Varanasi, there was a devotee of Swami Karunamai named Bhakt Sudarshan who was initiated by Satguru on the path of Surati Shabda Yoga. Bhakt Sudarshan, by the grace of Satguru, became an enlightened soul. When King Yudhishthir performed the great Rajasuya Yajna, he invited many saints and sages to attend the function. Though all of them took part in the yajna, it was not fulfilled. Yudhishthir asked Lord Krishna why he did not hear the bell as the sign of fulfillment of the yajna. Lord Krishna said that there was a great saint named Bhakt Sudarshan who did not eat in that yajna. Yudhishthir sent Bhimsen to invite the saint. When the saint came, the Queen Drupadi prepared various kinds of food and offered them to him. The saint mixed all the food together and started to eat. When he ate some of the food, the divine bell started to ring. Such was the greatness of the disciple of Swami Karunamai

37. Glimpse of Sant Garibdas About three hundred years ago Baliram, a farmer, and his wife, devotees of Kabir Saheb, lived at Chhudani, near Delhi. They did meditation, worship and pious deeds. They were happy but they did not have a child. Baliram's wife earnestly prayed to Satguru for a son, and she got one on the full moon of Vaishakh, in 1774, Vickram era. They named him Garibdas. When Garibdas was five years old, he was trying to set a tune to a song of Kabir Saheb. He vowed that as long as he could not find the proper tune he would not eat. His parents and others persuaded him to eat, but he refused and went with his friends to graze his cattle. They set the cattle loose in the field and started playing games, but Garibdas sat aside and pondered on the appropriate tune for the song. His intense desire pleased Kabir Saheb and he appeared before him. All the children bowed to him. Garibdas offered him milk and his blanket to sit on. Satguru said: "I will take milk from your calf only." Garibdas brought a dozen of his calves and said: "I will milk the calf on which you place your hand." Satguru touched the calf belonging to Garibdas and she began to produce milk. Garibdas milked the calf and respectfully served the milk. The saint distributed the milk amongst all the boys and disappeared. Garibdas realized that the saint was Satguru Kabir. He then easily set the tune to Kabir Saheb's song. Afterwards, Garibdas himself became a great saint. 70

38. Glimpse of Sant Ghisadas Khekda is a village about 35 Km. from Delhi. A Kaushik Brahmin named Sadasukh lived there with his wife. They were very devoted. Once a follower of Satguru Kabir was their guest. They welcomed him and, with great respect, offered him milk and food. They were impressed with his knowledge, and he initiated them. They then became the follower of Kabir Saheb. From that time they decided to serve food daily to at least one saint or sadhu. The couple continued to offer food to holy men for a long time. Once, for three days, no saint or sadhu went to their home. For the first time the couple felt very sad. They did not eat for those days. Satguru became very pleased with their devotion. After three days, he came to their home as a saint. It made them so happy that they felt that Satguru had appeared before them. Immediately, they served him food with great respect. The saint was very pleased with their devotion. He said to them: "I am very pleased with your hospitality, therefore, I want to give you something in return. Ask for whatever you want." The couple asked for a child. The saint said that they would have a son. When the son was born he was named Ghisa. Ghisadasji became a saint and acquired many siddhis (accomplishments). Many people accepted Ghisadasji as their guru, and thus Ghisa Panth started.

39. Disappearance of Kabir Saheb A Pandit from Mithila visited Kabir Saheb at Varanasi and said that who dies at Kashi gets salvation, and who dies at Magahar becomes a donkey in the next incarnation. Kabir Saheb told him that a person gets whatever he deserves. If one does devotion to God he will get salvation anywhere, even in Magahar. The pandit challenged him. In order to prove that all places are equal, Kabir Saheb went to Magahar to die. Thousands of his disciples went there to get his final darshan. Kabir Saheb delivered his last sermon to them. Amongst his followers were Hindus and Muslims. He told them to live in peace and harmony, and not to fight for varying religious beliefs; that his mission was finished and he will be leaving his body shortly. Kabir Saheb then went into the hut and lay down on the floor. The disciples covered him with a sheet and went out. The entire congregation then saw a light disappear in the sky. They knew then that Satguru Kabir had left his body. Hindus said that he was their guru, and wanted to cremate his body. The Muslims said that he was their pir, and wanted to bury him. They forgot the teachings of the last sermon and started to fight. They then heard a Divine Voice: "Stop the fight. Go and see if the body is there." The important disciples from both Hindus and Muslims went into the hut. When they removed the shroud, they saw only a heap of flowers. They divided the shroud and the flowers equally. Hindus cremated theirs according to their rites, and the Muslims buried theirs. Both of their monuments are still at Magahar.

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