Kabir

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kabir ( Hindi कबीर Kabīr, * 1440 , probably in Varanasi / Kashi; † 1518 in Maghar) was an Indian mystic who represented the ideal of a united humanity. He was a weaver and became famous for his consistent outlawing of religious demarcation, which was widespread among the intellectual elite of Muslims and Hindus in his region. Ideas from the Vedanta and the Bhakti of Hinduism flowed into his monistic philosophy of a single origin of all things and loving humility towards God , as well as from theSufism and ( Islamic ) mysticism .

Life

Legend has it that he was the son of a Brahmin widow in Varanasi , who received him as a virgin after visiting a Hindu shrine and gave him up for adoption. Afterwards, Kabir was brought up by a Muslim weaver couple Niru in Benares . He never called himself a Muslim and was also little familiar with dogmatic Islam. The teachings of the Naths, to which his father may have belonged, had more influence. Like these currents, Kabir criticized the Brahmins and their customs as well as the popular worship of images .

Kabir was a wandering basket. He probably never belonged to an ascetic order, but was a charismatic preacher. His weaving workshop was also a place for prayer and devotional singing ( kirtan ) by many little people. He rejected any form of religiosity and ascetic customs that were concerned with outward appearances. He admonished his listeners to strictly monotheism. "A way has been shown for Hindus and Muslims [...] you may call him Allah or Ram". He valued inner experience as a means to higher knowledge. He judged only the silent speaking of God to be true revelation; he found the scriptures worthless.

Sai Baba claimed to be Kabir's rebirth.

Work and philosophy

Kabir's main work is the Bijak (or Seedling, Same), in which he expounds the idea of ​​the One Absolute. It is a collection of poems in which he processes ideas of Brahman (absolute world soul), karma (law of action) and reincarnation as well as the Bhakti understanding of God (loving devotion to a god) and ideas of the Sufis. He dictated Bijak to his disciple Bhago . His Hindi , like his philosophy, was very down to earth and straightforward. He was of the opinion that one should not live according to the Koran or the Vedas , but rather pursue the ideals of the Sahaij or find a simple, natural path to God. He rejected the caste system of the Orthodox Hindus.

Kabir himself speaks of only one guru , the Vishnuit saint Ramananda ; from him he received his initiation in the form of a Rama mantra . His disciple Dharam Das called Kabir the "Guru of the Hindus" and the "Pir of the Muslims".

Was Kabir Hindu or Muslim?

Kabir himself always refused to be assigned to one of the religious movements of the Hindus , Muslims , Sufis (Islamic mystics) or Bhakti . Many legends about his life revolve around this point.

It is said that Kabir grew up in a Muslim weaver family, but was in fact the son of a Brahmin widow who was adopted by a childless couple. After his death, his Hindu and Muslim followers are said to have quarreled over the question of the funeral rite. When they removed the shroud, the body was replaced by flowers. They were distributed among the groups; the Muslims buried their half while the Hindus burned their half. In Maghar , his (Muslim) grave and his (Hindu) memorial stele (symbol for his Samadhi ) still stand side by side.

According to another legend, shortly before his death, Kabir bathed in both the Ganges and the Kamarshna to wash off his good and bad deeds.

However, it becomes clear in his works that Kabir does not create a dichotomy between Hindus and Muslims. Rather, he generally opposes veneration that is only external.

Kabir's attitude towards being Hindu and Muslim is also of great interest for another question. For example, she plays an important role with David N. Lorenzen . In his essay Who Invented Hinduism? from 1999 Lorenzen dealt with the statement that Hinduism was an "invention" of western, especially British, scholars and administrators of colonial rule in the 19th century. Lorenzen contradicts this so-called "construction argument" and claims that Hinduism (in the sense of today's Hinduism concepts) also existed before 1800, so it was not a British "invention". As an authoritative reference in support of his thesis, Lorenzen cites a legend of Kabir, written by Anantadas , in which Kabir is the subject of an indictment, which accuses him of certain "beliefs and practices of Hindus". to refuse. Lorenzen now uses these particular ideas as an opportunity to adopt a uniform Hinduism conception, which can be found well before the 19th century. Michael Bergunder has noted, however, that Lorenzen overlooks the fact that it is Brahmins who are bringing charges in their own right. The ideas and practices are of Brahmin origin. In Anantada's legend, however, the Brahmins are "nowhere pars pro toto for the 'Hindus'". Lorenzen's concern to find a reference in Kabir to support his thesis of Hinduism before 1800 thus comes to nothing and even speaks against it. Only the spread of Brahmanic ideas can be determined, which as such are not called into question by a “construction argument”. This case is interesting because Lorenzen's thesis does not occupy a marginal position. He made his argumentation heard and it received wide approval. But it lives from a strong dichotomy that considers a Hindu identity to be possible only against the background of a “contrasting Muslim other”. Such a dichotomy is not found in Kabir's thinking, however.

Literary works

  • In the garden of God's love, translation of the English edition by Tagore, Kristkeitz Verlag, Heidelberg 2005 ( ISBN 978-3-932337-17-8 ).
  • I burned my house. Selected sayings and memorabilia. Translated from Hindi by Lothar Lutze. Müller-Speiser, Salzburg ( ISBN 3-85145-057-4 ).
  • Kabir: How God created the worlds. The Indian creation myth according to Kabir. Transferred and commented by Wulfing von Rohr . Sophia Verlag Bergen ( ISBN 3-935698-03-8 ).
  • Kabir found himself singing. The verses of the Indian poet and bhakti mystic. Translated from Hindi by Shubhra Parashar. YinYang Media Verlag , Kelkheim 2006, ( ISBN 3-935727-11-9 ).
  • Ralph Skuban: "In this vessel the eternal sounds" - Kabir's yoga of happiness. Poetic texts by the great Indian mystic, Petersberg 2013, ISBN 978-3-86616-253-2 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Kabir  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Lorenzen: Who Invented Hinduism? In: Comparative Studies in Society and History, Cambridge. 41, pp. 630-659, here p. 650
  2. Michael Bergunder: Comparison of Religions in the North Indian Nirguna Bhakti of the 15th to 17th Century? The Sant tradition and its concept of "Hindus" and "Muslims". In: Peter Schalk (Ed.): Religion in Asia? Studies on the applicability of the concept of religion. Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, pp. 43–80, here p. 75
  3. ^ David Lorenzen: Who Invented Hinduism? In: Comparative Studies in Society and History. Cambridge. 41, 630-659, here p. 648.