Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji : Message of the 15 Bhagats or Saints (Part-2)

48. Message of the 15 Bhagats or Saints (Part-2)

Bhagat Kabir ji Continue.....

He used satire to effect change in those people who were proud of their high Caste and would render them speechless by telling them that God never discriminates against any one. All are equal in his eyes. If a Brahmin(high caste) takes birth from the womb of his mother, so does the shoodar(low caste) , then where is the difference? He asked the higher caste Brahmin a pertinent question that if you are so holy then why did you not take birth via a different route… As on page 324 Gauri Kabir ji :

If you are indeed a Brahmin, born of a Brahmin mother, then why didn't you come by some other way ?

O Brahmin! If the Almighty was to create classes of high and low caste, then milk in place of the blood should have been circling in the veins of Brahmin, but this is not the case. As he stated on page 324 :

How is it that you are a Brahmin, and I am of a low social status ?

How is it that I am formed of blood, and you are made of milk ?

No doubt, Brahmins had no answers before the true, rational, and scientific arguments of Baba Kabir ji, but within, they were very jealous of him. Kabir ji always condemned the false customs and rituals created by Brahmins. His point of view was that the mind is purified by reciting Naam and not by the Holy water of the pilgrimage. The Holy water can clean the body only. The mind is purified by sacred, noble deeds and meditation of name of God. As mentioned on page 656 :

Why do you bother to wash your body ? Your heart is still full of filth.The gourd may be washed at the sixty-eight sacred shrines, but even then, its bitterness is not removed.

Many saints and noble souls often flocked to the house of Baba Kabir ji due to his reputation of meditating on naam. The number of guests in the form of congregation increased so much that his own family members began to make sarcastic remarks, which he had to tolerate. As stated on page 871 :

One or two are in the house, and one or two more are on the way. We sleep on the floor, while they sleep in the beds.They rub their bare heads, and carry prayer-books in their waist-bands. We get dry grains, while they get loaves of bread.

Kabir ji used to distribute whatever he had in the house among the needy people. Many a time, jealous Brahmins schemed to slander, destroy, and defame him, but every time Almighty God clearly showed his favor by enacting his miracles which had the effect of magnifying Baba Kabir ji’s name and reputation. Kabir ji wrote in his Bani which is included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji on page1367 :

Kabeer, I have not done anything; I shall not do anything; my body cannot do anything. I do not know what the Lord has done, but the call has gone out: "Kabeer, Kabeer

Baba Kabir ji not only condemned the false and baseless rituals of the Brahmins, but also strongly criticized the religious code of conduct of the Muslims. He was a champion in advocating the idea that God has gifted man with a perfect, pure and complete body. To change, destroy or disfigure it, is against the law of Almighty God. So he made his view known about the circumcision in the Islamic religion that… As stated on page 477 :

Because of the love of woman, circumcision is done; I don't believe in it, O Siblings of Destiny. If God wished me to be a Muslim, it would be cut off by itself. If circumcision makes one a Muslim, then what about a woman ? She is the other half of a man's body, and she does not leave him, so he remains a Hindu.

If one’s conscience is not clear, then actions like reading the Namaz (Muslim Prayer), washing hands and face or ablution, bowing ceremony and going to Hajj(Muslim Pilgrimage) are all useless actions. As Kabir ji states on page 1340 :

And what good are your purifications ? Why do you bother to wash your face ? And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque ? Your heart is full of hypocrisy; what good are your prayers or your pilgrimage to Mecca ?

The drawbacks of both communities(Hindus and Muslims) were daringly condemned by Baba Kabir ji. It is very hard to hear the truth. So both communities became his vitriolic opponents. Many complaints were registered with Sikandar Lodhi (King of India at that time) about Kabir ji including that he was perpetuating false propaganda against Hindus and Muslims. He was summoned by the King. In his reply, Kabir ji said,”O ! Mighty King, I am not against anybody’s religious faith. I am against the false hood which is being followed under the name of religion.” The King being proud and vain, did not listen to Bhagat Kabir ji. His hands and feet were tied with a rope and he was thrown before an elephant to be crushed. Baba Kabir ji described it in Raag on page 870 :

They tied my arms, bundled me up, and threw me before an elephant. The elephant driver struck him on the head, and infuriated him.But the elephant ran away, trumpeting, The Lord God abides within his mind. What sin has this Saint committed, "I am a sacrifice to this image of the Lord." O my Lord and Master, You are my strength. The Qazi shouted at the driver to drive the elephant on. He yelled out, "O driver, I shall cut you into pieces. Hit him, and drive him on!" But the elephant did not move; instead, he began to meditate. that you have made him into a bundle and thrown him before the elephant ? Lifting up the bundle, the elephant bows down before it. The Qazi could not understand it; he was blind Three times, he tried to do it. Even then, his hardened mind was not satisfied. The soul of His humble servant dwells in the fourth state

The elephant didn’t harm Baba Kabir ji, who was the embodiment of Truth. On the contrary, the elephant bowed respectfully before him. Now the stubborn king gave orders that Kabir ji should be tied with chains and thrown in the river of Ganges. His officers and the executioner followed King’s order by putting Kabir Ji in a boat after tying his hand and feet, and bringing him to be drowned in the Ganges River. But what happened. Baba Kabir ji wrote in Raag Bhairon on page 1162 :

The mother Ganges is deep and profound Tied up in chains, they took Kabeer there. My mind was not shaken; why should my body be afraid ? My consciousness remained immersed in the Lotus Feet of the Lord. The waves of the Ganges broke the chains, and Kabeer was seated on a deer skin. Says Kabeer, I have no friend or companion. On the water, and on the land, the Lord is my Protector.

When the King Sikandhar Lodhi could not succeed in killing Bhagat Kabir ji even after drowning him in the river Ganges, everybody asked for forgiveness from Kabir ji. His name and fame spread everywhere. Now Baba Kabir ji thought that his time to depart for his heavenly abode had come and the task for which God Almighty had sent him for, had been accomplished. He thought about challenging one more false ritual created and conceived by Brahmins. The Pandits and Brahmins had created an assumption that whoever dies in Kashi(Banaras) goes straight to heaven and if anybody dies in Maghar(Harhamba) goes to hell, even if that person recited naam(pray) and was very pious. In order to challenge this false tradition or ritual, Kabir ji deliberately came to settle in Maghar leaving Kashi. He never had faith in baseless rituals. He said,” NO place is good or bad. God has created them all alike. Only the actions performed are good and bad. Noble deeds lead to salvation and bad deeds lead to pain and hell.” So Bhagat Kabir ji laid foot prints of,” Kashi Maghar Sum Bihari” for the people to follow and achieve unity with God. He daringly opposed the false, baseless and hollow customs and traditions of both Muslims and Hindus for 120 years. He held the torch of truth higher and inspired the people to follow the golden path of the truth and become truthful. In the year 1518 A.D., as Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji has ordered in Bilawal Mahala on page 846 :

The rays of light merge with the sun, and water merges with water. One's light blends with the Light, and one becomes totally perfect

Baba Kabir ji’s soul mingled with the higher soul(Almighty) for ever and left behind 541 shabads and shaloks for the guidance and improvement of humanity. These Shabads and Shaloks have been preserved with great love and respect in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji by the Great Guru Arjun Dev ji to save us from false, irrational, unscientific and hollow beliefs.





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				48. Message of the 15 Bhagats or Saints (Part-2) Bhagat Kabir ji Continue..... He used satire to effect change in those people who were proud of their high Caste and would render them speechless by telling them that God never discriminates against any one. All are equal in his eyes. If a Brahmin(high caste) takes birth from the womb of his mother, so does the shoodar(low caste) , then where is the difference? He asked the higher caste Brahmin a pertinent question that if you are so holy then why did you not take birth via a different route… As on page 324 Gauri Kabir ji : If you are indeed a Brahmin, born of a Brahmin mother, then why didn't you come by some other way ? O Brahmin! If the Almighty was to create classes of high and low caste, then milk in place of the blood should have been circling in the veins of Brahmin, but this is not the case. As he stated on page 324 : How is it that you are a Brahmin, and I am of a low social status ? How is it that I am formed of blood, and you are made of milk ? No doubt, Brahmins had no answers before the true, rational, and scientific arguments of Baba Kabir ji, but within, they were very jealous of him. Kabir ji always condemned the false customs and rituals created by Brahmins. His point of view was that the mind is purified by reciting Naam and not by the Holy water of the pilgrimage. The Holy water can clean the body only. The mind is purified by sacred, noble deeds and meditation of name of God. As mentioned on page 656 : Why do you bother to wash your body ? Your heart is still full of filth.The gourd may be washed at the sixty-eight sacred shrines, but even then, its bitterness is not removed. Many saints and noble souls often flocked to the house of Baba Kabir ji due to his reputation of meditating on naam. The number of guests in the form of congregation increased so much that his own family members began to make sarcastic remarks, which he had to tolerate. As stated on page 871 : One or two are in the house, and one or two more are on the way. We sleep on the floor, while they sleep in the beds.They rub their bare heads, and carry prayer-books in their waist-bands. We get dry grains, while they get loaves of bread. Kabir ji used to distribute whatever he had in the house among the needy people. Many a time, jealous Brahmins schemed to slander, destroy, and defame him, but every time Almighty God clearly showed his favor by enacting his miracles which had the effect of magnifying Baba Kabir ji’s name and reputation. Kabir ji wrote in his Bani which is included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji on page1367 : Kabeer, I have not done anything; I shall not do anything; my body cannot do anything. I do not know what the Lord has done, but the call has gone out: "Kabeer, Kabeer Baba Kabir ji not only condemned the false and baseless rituals of the Brahmins, but also strongly criticized the religious code of conduct of the Muslims. He was a champion in advocating the idea that God has gifted man with a perfect, pure and complete body. To change, destroy or disfigure it, is against the law of Almighty God. So he made his view known about the circumcision in the Islamic religion that… As stated on page 477 : Because of the love of woman, circumcision is done; I don't believe in it, O Siblings of Destiny. If God wished me to be a Muslim, it would be cut off by itself. If circumcision makes one a Muslim, then what about a woman ? She is the other half of a man's body, and she does not leave him, so he remains a Hindu. If one’s conscience is not clear, then actions like reading the Namaz (Muslim Prayer), washing hands and face or ablution, bowing ceremony and going to Hajj(Muslim Pilgrimage) are all useless actions. As Kabir ji states on page 1340 : And what good are your purifications ? Why do you bother to wash your face ? And why do you bother to bow your head in the mosque ? Your heart is full of hypocrisy; what good are your prayers or your pilgrimage to Mecca ? The drawbacks of both communities(Hindus and Muslims) were daringly condemned by Baba Kabir ji. It is very hard to hear the truth. So both communities became his vitriolic opponents. Many complaints were registered with Sikandar Lodhi (King of India at that time) about Kabir ji including that he was perpetuating false propaganda against Hindus and Muslims. He was summoned by the King. In his reply, Kabir ji said,”O ! Mighty King, I am not against anybody’s religious faith. I am against the false hood which is being followed under the name of religion.” The King being proud and vain, did not listen to Bhagat Kabir ji. His hands and feet were tied with a rope and he was thrown before an elephant to be crushed. Baba Kabir ji described it in Raag on page 870 : They tied my arms, bundled me up, and threw me before an elephant. The elephant driver struck him on the head, and infuriated him.But the elephant ran away, trumpeting, The Lord God abides within his mind. What sin has this Saint committed, "I am a sacrifice to this image of the Lord." O my Lord and Master, You are my strength. The Qazi shouted at the driver to drive the elephant on. He yelled out, "O driver, I shall cut you into pieces. Hit him, and drive him on!" But the elephant did not move; instead, he began to meditate. that you have made him into a bundle and thrown him before the elephant ? Lifting up the bundle, the elephant bows down before it. The Qazi could not understand it; he was blind Three times, he tried to do it. Even then, his hardened mind was not satisfied. The soul of His humble servant dwells in the fourth state The elephant didn’t harm Baba Kabir ji, who was the embodiment of Truth. On the contrary, the elephant bowed respectfully before him. Now the stubborn king gave orders that Kabir ji should be tied with chains and thrown in the river of Ganges. His officers and the executioner followed King’s order by putting Kabir Ji in a boat after tying his hand and feet, and bringing him to be drowned in the Ganges River. But what happened. Baba Kabir ji wrote in Raag Bhairon on page 1162 : The mother Ganges is deep and profound Tied up in chains, they took Kabeer there. My mind was not shaken; why should my body be afraid ? My consciousness remained immersed in the Lotus Feet of the Lord. The waves of the Ganges broke the chains, and Kabeer was seated on a deer skin. Says Kabeer, I have no friend or companion. On the water, and on the land, the Lord is my Protector. When the King Sikandhar Lodhi could not succeed in killing Bhagat Kabir ji even after drowning him in the river Ganges, everybody asked for forgiveness from Kabir ji. His name and fame spread everywhere. Now Baba Kabir ji thought that his time to depart for his heavenly abode had come and the task for which God Almighty had sent him for, had been accomplished. He thought about challenging one more false ritual created and conceived by Brahmins. The Pandits and Brahmins had created an assumption that whoever dies in Kashi(Banaras) goes straight to heaven and if anybody dies in Maghar(Harhamba) goes to hell, even if that person recited naam(pray) and was very pious. In order to challenge this false tradition or ritual, Kabir ji deliberately came to settle in Maghar leaving Kashi. He never had faith in baseless rituals. He said,” NO place is good or bad. God has created them all alike. Only the actions performed are good and bad. Noble deeds lead to salvation and bad deeds lead to pain and hell.” So Bhagat Kabir ji laid foot prints of,” Kashi Maghar Sum Bihari” for the people to follow and achieve unity with God. He daringly opposed the false, baseless and hollow customs and traditions of both Muslims and Hindus for 120 years. He held the torch of truth higher and inspired the people to follow the golden path of the truth and become truthful. In the year 1518 A.D., as Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji has ordered in Bilawal Mahala on page 846 : The rays of light merge with the sun, and water merges with water. One's light blends with the Light, and one becomes totally perfect Baba Kabir ji’s soul mingled with the higher soul(Almighty) for ever and left behind 541 shabads and shaloks for the guidance and improvement of humanity. These Shabads and Shaloks have been preserved with great love and respect in Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji by the Great Guru Arjun Dev ji to save us from false, irrational, unscientific and hollow beliefs.

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