By Virginia Iversen
Kabir was a great mystic-poet saint of India. He lived from 1140 to 1518 A.D. He spent much of his life enraptured by divine grace. Many of his poems convey the experience of mystical oneness with the divine. Because of the devotional nature of his poetry and teachings, he is one of the main forefathers of the Bhakti Yoga tradition. The Path of Kabir, as it is called, has almost 10 million devotees throughout the northern and central regions of India. There are also many devotees of Kabir in other countries, particularly among Indians. Kabir’s poetry and teachings have a profound impact on Hindus and Sikhs alike. His poetry is incredibly profound and uplifting. It pierces the heart and reminds us of the mystical essence of all spiritual experiences.
Kabir was raised by his adoptive parents, Niru and Nima, in a small town named Lahartara on the banks of the Varanasi River in India. There is very little information about his birth parents. His adoptive parents worked as weavers. Some religious scholars believe that Kabir received spiritual training in an ashram setting when he was a young man. Other historians believe that he received spiritual training through his daily life experiences “in the world.” Kabir did not become a renunciate, nor did he enter worldly life to the exclusion of spirituality. He chose to live a spiritual life in balance with his worldly obligations as a weaver and a householder.
According to Kabir, the goal of human life is a weaving together of the personal or Jivatma soul and the soul of God, known in Hinduism as Paramatma. In order to weave the individual soul and divine soul together, Kabir taught a simple path of dignity and grace. He strongly opposed any religious dogma, whether it be based on Vedic or Muslim teachings. Instead, Kabir taught a profoundly simple way of honoring God and honoring our place in the world through the direct experience of God, meditation, contemplation and the fulfillment of one’s personal dharma. Kabir’s transcendent poetry also resonates with the profound experience of spiritual awakening through the darshan of a great saint. His greatest literary work is the Bijak. In this treatise, he explained a remembrance of the divine through direct experience known to Kabir’s followers as the Natural Way to God.
© Copyright – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
Do you want to become a mindfulness meditation teacher?
To see our selection of Yoga instructor courses and continuing education courses, please visit the following link.
https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.
Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?
Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products
Related Resources
52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice
by Rina Jakubowicz
A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance
by: Gail Boorstein Grossman
YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH
by B.K.S. Iyengar
TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques
By Mark Stephens
See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about teaching yoga students and our selection of Yoga instructor certification programs.
Kabira man nirmal bhayo jaise ganga neer
Peechhe peechhe hari feren kahat Kabir Kabir.
The Grear Saint Kabir says that when you become as pure as water of river Ganga then the God will pay His utmost attention towards you.