Corporate Wisdom from Kaber Das

By Dr. Smita Singh and Mrs. Shipra Jain

Kabēr Dās is a revered Indian saint who has given a lot of insightful couplets which find application in different walks of life. While we have been quoting and applying the knowledge contained in the couplets, there has hardly been any effort to understand how these give a new meaning to a host of managerial practices. The book ‘Corporate Wisdom from Kabēr Dās’ endeavours to explore the possibility of finding this application in the corporate world. Various couplets (doha’s) have been identified, picked and interpreted from the point of view of Kabēr and then re-interpreted in the managerial context. The relevance of this effort stems from the fact that books exploring Kabeer’s connection with management are almost non-existent. Here is a rich legacy which needs to be brought to the people. While there have been numerous attempts to work out linkages between management and Bhagvad Geeta, Chanakya and the corporate world, justice has not been done in case of Kabēr Dās.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers
• Release date: Nov 28, 2022

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

KABĒR: HIS LIFE AND TIMES

LEGACY OF KABĒR

ANECDOTES RELATED TO KABĒR’S LIFE AND TIMES

INTRODUCTION

India has been a land of seers and sages. Of these saints, the name of Kabēr Dās stands out due to his non-affiliation to any religion. Rather, he was an amalgam of Hinduism and Islam, the two most prominent religions of his time in medieval India. Till date the name ‘Kabēr’ which means ‘Great’ in Islam is often preferred by Hindu, Muslim and Sikh parents while naming their child. The universal appeal of this great saint stems from his profound thoughts and his way of simplifying deep philosophical ideas into popular ‘dohās’ i.e couplets.

KABĒR: HIS LIFE AND TIMES

Early Years of Kabēr

Legend has it that Kabēr was born to Hindu parents and his mother, a widow had abandoned him. He was found near the Laharā Tārā lake (near Varanasi) by a childless Muslim weaver couple, Nīrū (father) and Nīmā (mother), who brought him up as their own child. Other accounts say that his parents were poor Muslim weavers belonging to the Julāhā caste. They taught him their trade and Kabēr lived a simple life of a householder. Kabēr was a mystic, weaving couplets full of insight. It is said he was born in the year 1398 and lived for almost 125 years weaving ‘dohās’ of enlightenment. Slightly differing accounts in history place his years variously from 1398 to 1448 as also from 1440 to 1518, while some even suggest he lived from 1398 to 1518CE.

A lot of early childhood details regarding Kabēr are shrouded in mystery. On growing up, he married Loi and they had two children, Kamal (son) and Kamali (daughter). However, Loi, Kamal and Kamali are only regarded as Kabēr’s disciples in certain literature. There are variations in accounts related to his birth, religion, wife and children, but some biographical details like his being brought up by a Muslim couple, his belonging to the weaver community and the Hindu ascetic Rāmānand’s influence on him are more or less common across literature.

Spiritual Influence on Kabēr

Kabēr was spiritually inclined from early childhood. Even though he was not given any spiritual instructions or formal education, he was drawn to Rāmānand, a Hindu ascetic, who had a profound influence on the way Kabēr perceived things. How Kabēr became the disciple of Rāmānand, who was a Hindu Brahmin, makes for an interesting reading.

Kabēr was sceptical whether Rāmānand would accept him, a Muslim, as a disciple or not. So he thought of a way by which he could convince Rāmānand to do so. Kabēr was aware that every day Rāmānand went to the Ganges to bathe early in the morning. So, one day, the young Kabēr, just five years old at that time, lay down on one of the steps of Panchgangā Ghāt and as fate would have it, Rāmānand stepped on Kabēr while descending the steps to the river. Taken aback he muttered ‘Rām! Rām!’ and instantly Kabēr held the feet of the ascetic imploring him to be accepted as a disciple. The other disciples of Rāmānand asked Rāmānand not to accept Kabēr as Kabēr was a Muslim and he was unlikely to understand and accept the teachings of the great saint. However, Rāmānand was touched by Kabēr’s devotion and humility and saw in Kabēr a ‘Seeker of truth’ like himself, therefore accepted Kabēr as a follower. Kabēr, it is said at some point of his life also came under the influence of the revered Sufī Pīr, Takki of Jhānsi. All the same, the works of Kabēr have acknowledged his indebtedness only towards Rāmānand.

Rāmānand was a traditional Brahmin even though he criticised austerities and elaborate rituals. He often engaged in theological and philosophical debates with both Mullahs and Brahmins of his time. Rāmānand, considered a pioneer of the Bhakti movement, was a social reformer and an advocate of non-discrimination on the basis of gender, caste, status, class or religion. He accepted Muslims as his disciples and dreamt of reconciling the ideology propagated by Islamic mystics, metaphysical principles of Bhakti movement of Hindus and the faith of Christians. Kabēr’s couplets have a synthesis of diverse religions and traditions of his times.

Kabēr has equally been claimed by both Hindus and Muslims as belonging to their religion. While it is an established fact that he was brought up by a Muslim couple, post his popularity, Hindus linked his parentage to a Hindu Brahmin widow, who had abandoned him due to circumstances. Thus, Kabēr’s mysterious Brahmin lineage is regarded by Hindus to be the reason behind his inclination towards spirituality and his eagerness to become the disciple of Rāmānand. Kabēr himself never revealed who he was. Rather he stressed that he was ‘at once the child of Allāh and Rām’.

Last Days of Kabēr

Towards the latter part of his life, Kabēr was banished from Vārānasi by Emperor Sikandar Lodi on charges of possessing divine powers and he spent his life wandering across the length and breadth of India. He died at Maghar near Gorakhpur in the year 1518. Kabēr’s death is no less mysterious. Legend has it that after his death, a dispute broke out between Kabēr’s Hindu and Muslim disciples as each wanted to perform his death rites in keeping with their respective religion.

Kabēr, who all his life had embraced both the religions, was now at the centre of a debate on whether his mortal remains would be cremated as per Hindu tradition or buried as per Muslim tradition. It said that as the disciples quarrelled over Kabēr’s mortal remains, Kabēr appeared before them and asked them to lift the shroud and look beneath it. When the shroud was lifted, to the great surprise of all, what lay there was not Kabēr’s mortal remains rather a mound of flowers. Taken aback, the disciples decided to divide the flowers between the two groups. While the Muslim disciples buried one at Maghar and Hindu disciples carried the other half and cremated them at Vārānasi. Thus, even in death, Kabēr spread the fragrance of harmony.

LEGACY OF KABĒR

The time period during which Kabēr lived had a lot of tussle between orthodox Hindus and Muslims. His couplets (Dohās) are anchored in resolving this difference of religious ideologies by stressing man is primarily the same. Kabēr was one of the pioneers of the Bhakti movement along with other mystics viz. Farīd, Ravidās and Nāmdev. Kabēr Dās gave a synthesis of Sufism, Bhakti and Nath tradition. This was a time when orthodox Brahmins held a sway over religion as well as over centers of education. Kabēr preached equality of all, communal harmony and was against the ritualistic means for achieving salvation. His dohās carried a lot of weight and people recited them and drew lessons for life from these couplets. This is true even during current times.

A religious community known as the Kabēr Panth grew out of his band of followers. These followers of Kabēr disseminate his teachings far and wide. Kabēr Dās was against idol worship and instead believed in bhakti while living a normal householder’s life.

Followers of Kabēr are called Kabēr Panthis and are spread all over India. Kabēr is credited with creating the material of some epic Granths (books). Some of the compilations include Sakhi Granth, Kabēr Granthāwali, Anurāg Sāgar etc. Every year Kabēr Dās Jayanti is celebrated on different dates. It is basically the celebration of the birthday of the poet

Compositions by Kabēr

Kabēr Dās was illiterate and therefore, the question of his writing anything does not arise. At the same time, he did compose a whole host of poems and songs, which were passed on by committing to memory and written at a later date or were penned down by some of his literate disciples such as Dharam Dās. Four prominent disciples of Kabēr Dās, viz. Sant Jāgu Sāheb, Sant Bhāgu Sāheb (Bhagwān Goswāmi), Ācārya Surtigopal and Dharam Dās are credited with compilation, recording and dissemination of his teachings. It is these books, passed down orally or dictated to a certain disciple or compiled at a later stage, which form the entire body of works attributed to Kabēr Dās. The verbally composed poems of Kabēr are termed as ‘Bānis’ i.e. utterances by his followers. The bānis include the songs and couplets of Kabēr and are termed as Dohās or Sakhis or Ślokas. It is said that the total works where songs and dohās of Kabēr Dās have been compiled are seventy-two and include Kabēr Bījak, Mangal, Rekhtās, Vasant, Sabd, Sakhi, Agam and Sukhnidān.

Language used: The compositions of Kabēr are primarily in Hindi with a fair mix of local dialects viz. Avadhi, Braj Bhāśā and Bhojpuri. His language and style of composing are simple, direct and carry a deep meaning. It goes without saying that such is the significance of his teachings, that they find relevance even in the modern age. The poems composed by Kabēr are variously referred to as Dohe, Śloka and Sakhi.

Some of his prominent works are briefly discussed below:

Bījak: This is a huge collection of poems as well as folk songs by Kabēr. The main stream of thought is spirituality as perceived by him. Regarded as one of the earliest texts in Bagheli, the Bījak is regarded as a holy scripture by the followers of the Kabēr Panth. It has three main sections viz. Sabadh, Sakhi and Ramaini. There is also a minor fourth section, where folk songs can be found.

Kabēr Granthāwali: This has a collection of verses ascribed to Kabēr. While the Bījak is primarily preserved by Kabērpanth in Varanasi, the Kabēr Granthāwali is associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan.

Anurag Sagar: Kabēr Dās had a disciple named Dharam Dās and Anurāg Sāgar is a collection of questions asked by him and the answers given by Kabēr.

ANECDOTES RELATED TO KABĒR’S LIFE AND TIMES

Pandit Sarvānand

There are numerous anecdotes related to Kabēr’s life and based on interactions people had with him. One such episode is related to a South Indian pandit named Sarvānand. Sarvānand did not agree with the teachings of Kabēr Dās and once he went to meet Kabēr Dās and argue with him. However, Kabēr declined to argue and instead handed over a written statement to Sarvānand stating he (i.e. Kabēr) had accepted his defeat. Elated, Sarvānand went home and showed the paper to his mother. Upon doing so, he realized that the statement actually was the opposite of Kabēr accepting defeat. This opened his inner eye and impressed with the profound truth he became a disciple of Kabēr and changed his name to Surtigopal Sāhab. Such was the influence of Kabēr on Sarvānand, that he never again touched a book in his life. He was influenced by such a great level that he never touched any book in the rest of his life. After Kabēr, Ācārya Surtigopal became the head of the Kabēr Maṭh.

Kāshi Nareś, Rājā Vīrdev Singh

Rājā Vīrdev Singh, the king of Kāśī invited all the saints, including Kabēr Dās to his kingdom. Kabēr Dās reached the kingdom carrying a small water bottle. However, upon reaching, Kabēr Dās poured the entire water in the bottle on his leg and this water stream flooded the kingdom. When Raja Vīrdev enquired the reason for doing so, Kabēr replied that a disciple of his was cooking food in his hut at Jagganāthpuri and this hut had caught fire. Hence, to extinguish the fire and protect his disciple’s hut, he had poured the water. Unable to believe what Kabēr Dās was saying, the king sent a person to investigate and report. On returning from Jagganāthpuri, the King’s follower verified that whatever Kabēr had said was indeed true. On hearing this, the king felt very ashamed of himself for having doubted Kabēr. The king and the queen sought Kabēr’s pardon by personally going to Kabērchaura Maṭh.

Places Associated with Kabēr

Kabērchaura Maṭh: Kabēr Maṭh is located at Kabēr Chaura in Varanasi. It is believed Kabēr Dās lived here. In the Maṭh, things used by Kabēr