Kabir For Hindu Temple Library?

[Kamal Raj Adhikary]

"Songs of Kabir
by Kabir, Rabindranath Tagore (Translator)" is found in all mojor US libraries.
Kamal



At 9:59 AM -0600 5/19/00, Yashwant Malaiya wrote:
>Avi Dey wrote:
>
>>1. Should life and work of the mystic poet Kabir belong in our Hindu
>>Temple Library ? "Yes" or "No" with reasons please.
>
>Yes. Vaishnav author Nabhadas in his Bhakta-Mal (1585) writes:
>
>hindU turuk pramAn ramainI sabadI sAkhI
>pachchhapat nahiN bachan sabahiN ke hit kI bhAkhI
>
>[His "ramaini" "shabda" "sakhi" (sections of his "Bijak") are
>accepted by Hindus and Turks alike. He spoke without discrimination
>for the good of all]
>
>Kabir was very influencial. Several panths in India, specially
>Sikhism, were inspired by him.
>
>Kabir represents openness of the Hindu society. Religious
>criticism has traditionally been accepted in India. Sarahapa,
>Ram Simh, Kabir, the Sikh Gurus, Swami Dayananda etc have
>criticized existing practices and beliefs.
>
>>2. What was the essence of Kabir's message ? Did Emperor Akbar take his
>>ideas for combining religions he found in India into one from Kabir ?
>>Is there any evidence that Akbar was influenced by Kabir ?
>
>He was one of the Bhakti pioneers, along with the Vaishnavas.
>While Kabir was brought up as a Muslim, and he stressed that
>Hindus and Muslim are same, his philosophy basically belongs
>to the Hindu and not the Muslim tradition.
>
>Kabir was dead when Akbar was born. He may have been influenced
>indirectly. Akbar appears to have been accepting of multiple
>traditions, while Kabir questioned all traditions.
>
>>3. Can anyone refer me to the English translation that Rabindra
>>Nath Tagore made of select verses of Kabir ? Does anyone have a
>>copy of this book ?
>
>Songs of Kabir
>by Kabir, Rabindranath Tagore (Translator)
>ISBN: 0877286957
>
>is out of print currently. Other translations are available.
>It should be available in libraries.
>
>>4. Everyone in India seem to know the name Kabir but very
>>little details about this man. Why is he still remembered
>>so widely even without much details ? Do the Muslims consider
>>him one of their own or is he considered
>>to be a "Hindu" by the Muslims of India despite his Muslim
>>origins ?
>
>He did have Muslim followers, but his movement was basically
>a Hindu one (using the original definition of the term).
>
>I haven't seen Muslims discussing him. Some consider him a
>sufi.
>
>>5. I understand that he lived at a time just before Mogul
>>Dynasty founder, Babur, who stormed into India from Central
>>Asia around 1200 AD ?. And yet people in India still remember
>>Kabir as if he lived only a few years ago !
>>Why ?
>
>His time is about 1398-1518, he is said to have lived more
>than a 100 years. There is some disagreement about the dates.
>
>He is one of the most quoted Hindi authors, perhaps right after
>Tulsidas.
>
>Yashwant
>
>http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kabir.html

_________________________________________________
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,___