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| Kabirvad |
Kabirvad is a banyan tree in Gujarat. It is named
after Kabir, the mystic poet and saint of the 15th century. There is
a legend behind the tree. Two brothers are in search of a guru. They have an
intuitive feeling that the guru will appear when they are ready for it. They
plant a dry banyan root at a central spot in their courtyard. Whenever a sadhu passes
by, they wash his feet at this particular spot. Their conviction is that the
root will sprout into a sapling when their guru appears. Years pass and there’s
no sign of any sapling. No less than four decades later, the sapling rises.
The man who had come the previous day
was a beggarly figure whom the brothers didn’t treat particularly well though
they gave him some water to drink out of courtesy. But the sapling rose, after 40
years! So the brothers went in search of that beggarly figure. Kabir, the great
15th century mystic poet, had been their guest. The legend says that
the brothers became Kabir’s disciples. The banyan tree is still found in
Gujarat.
This may be one of the umpteen
legends that came up when Kabir became popular in Varanasi and around as a
poet, a mystic, a guru, and a teacher though he was just an illiterate weaver
by profession.
When I was teaching in a school in
Delhi, every now and then I would hear some dohas [couplets] of Kabir
recited in the morning assembly. I didn’t understand much of them because their
lingo was quite different from the modern Hindi.
What should be of interest to us
today is that Kabir chose to write in Hindi in a time when Persian and Sanskrit
were the dominant languages in North India. Moreover, Kabir was a Muslim. His
King was a Muslim. Why did he choose to sing in Hindi and that too expressing
devotion to Lord Ram?
Sing, I said. Yes, Kabir was an
illiterate weaver. He didn’t write. He sang. And in most of his
songs, Lord Ram of Hinduism stands out as the dominant god. Kabir loved Ram for
reasons we may be given in due course of time though that is not quite likely
since India’s present historians won’t be interested in a Muslim poet even if
he was a fervent devotee of Ram.
Vipul Rikhi’s book, Drunk on Love: The Life, Vision and
Songs of Kabir renewed my interest in the mystic singer. I have
finished reading the book. My review will be up here tomorrow.
Kabir deserves a revisit today when
some Hindus have chosen to victimise a lot of people for worshipping gods that
are not Hindus. Now, do gods have religion? Are gods fighting up there in the cosmic
spaces for their own kingdoms like we do here on earth? For example, will Lord
Rama flex his muscles on seeing the palatial temple built for him by THE
Narendra Modi in Rama’s putative birthplace of Ayodhya? Will Rama go to Allah
and say something like, “You see how my beloved Modiji is honouring me with the
kind of humility that he doesn’t really have!” And imagine Allah telling him
that his [Allah’s] beloved people have constructed a palatial
temple in Abu Dhabi for a Hindu god. Will Allah be jealous? Will Rama be
arrogant? Will they start a star war? Will Jesus send Angel Gabriel to convert
Rama and Allah to Christianity? And then will some RSS guy crop up there on a
Treta Yug Pushpak Vimaan to shoot a couple of antediluvian arrows at Allah and
label Jesus
as Rice Bag?
Will Kabir sing there his 15th
century song?
If Allah lives in the mosque
Who occupies the rest of the world?
If Ram inhabits idols and temples
Why did no one find him there?
We have so much religion today. So much – I’m using
the word much, not many, purposely. Too much religion. Kabir hated
it. And we will see that tomorrow. We will take a deeper look at Vipul Rikhi’s
book tomorrow.
Agreed, there is too much religion around at the moment.
ReplyDeleteDon't you wonder too, as I do, why humans don't civilise themselves more and thus go beyond the need for religion?
DeleteWhat interesting tree.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it!
DeleteWell written
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteIt's unique! The style is always exceptional and the perspective is beyond the perception of ordinary readers like me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure those dohas which our students used to chant melodiously in the morning assemblies. They held a charm for me. But the meaning becomes clear now only when I read this book.
DeleteEven Valmiki will surprise seeing today's BJP Rama.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt. The Maryada Purushottam has been converted into a warcry!
DeleteWe do have too much religion and that will be the cause of our downfall. We've already stooped so low. It saddens me. Such a well written post.
ReplyDeleteMost Indians don't seem to understand the deadly game that is being played, especially that it is at their own expense.
DeleteIntrusive!
ReplyDeleteLoved these lines : " Will Rama go to Allah and say something like, “You see how my beloved Modiji is honouring me with the kind of humility that he doesn’t really have!” And imagine Allah telling him that his [Allah’s] beloved people have constructed a palatial temple in Abu Dhabi for a Hindu god. Will Allah be jealous? Will Rama be arrogant? "
ReplyDeleteIf gods behaved like their devotees, there'd would be star wars all the time 😊
Delete