Kabir spun Indic syncretism through his dohas

Time of India

a day ago

Kamlesh Tripathi
Imagine a wandering poet in 15th century India, reciting verses that touched both kings and commoners alike. That was Kabir Das, a weaver who spun not just threads, but wove verses that would echo through centuries.
His dohas , two-line verses, weren't just poetry; they were life lessons presented in everyday parlance, cutting across religious divisions and social barriers. Even today, his razor-sharp wisdom hits home, whether you're puzzling over life's essential questions or just trying to be a better person.
At a time when the great Persian mystical poets like Attar, Sadi, Rumi, and Hafiz were exercising a powerful influence on India's religious thought process, Kabir dreamt of reconciling intense and personal Muslim mysticism with traditional theology of Brahmanism. His dohas convey spontaneous expressions of his vision and love for all religions. It is impossible to tell if Kabir was a Brahmin, Sufi, Vedantist, or Vaishnavite. He is, as he says, 'at once a child of Allah and of Ram.'
The syncretic tendencies of the Bhakti movement reached their full potential in the 15th century. Although Sufis and Brahmins often held conflicting views, figures like Kabir embodied the spirit of religious fusion. Born with an intense spiritual inclination, Kabir saw his destined teacher in the Hindu saint Ramananda. Aware that a Hindu guru might not readily accept a disciple from aMuslim background, Kabir devised a plan. He hid on the steps leading to the River Ganga, where Ramananda was known to go for his morning ablutions. As the guru descended, he accidentally stepped on Kabir and exclaimed, 'Ram! Ram!' Kabir later claimed that he had received the divine mantra from Ramananda's lips and, through this act, had been accepted as his disciple.
Kabir can undoubtedly be considered aunifier, especially in the context of religious and spiritual thought processes in medieval India. His fearless critique of Hinduism and Islam and his rejection of empty ritualism and dogma place him among the most important voices of syncretic spirituality in the Indic subcontinent.
He was critical of both Brahmanical orthodoxy and Muslim clergy, often mocking meaningless rituals of both groups. However, his criticism had an oblique humour which blunted ill feelings, for instance, he said, 'Mo ko kahan dhunro bande/Main toh tere paas mein/Na main deval naa main masjid/ Na kaabe kailaas mein/Na mein koune kriya karam mein/Nahi yog vairaag mein' – Where are you seeking Me? I am beside you. I am neither in a temple nor in a mosque; I am neither in Kaba nor in Kailash: Neither am I in rites and ceremonies, nor in yog and renunciation.
Kabir focused on the inner connection with God, a theme both traditions share. Like Sufi mystics, he emphasised love, surrender, and experience of the Divine. Kabir wrote in vernacular Hindi – a mix of Awadhi, Braj, and Bhojpuri – not in Sanskrit or Persian. For example, 'Guru Govind dono khade, kaake laagu pai/ Balihaari guru aapne, Jin Govind diyo batay' – when guru and God both are standing before you, whom will you bow to first? I am indebted to the guru, who has shown me path to God; hence, I will bow to him first. This made his teachings accessible to ordinary people across caste and religious boundaries, uniting them through shared human concerns such as life, death, love, suffering, and salvation.
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