Kabir Jayanti: Sanjay Saraf, provincial spokesperson of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Seva Department and Shri Krishna Pranami Seva Dham Trust, has said that the birth anniversary of Sant Kabir Das, the great saint of India, social reformer and prominent poet of Nirgun Bhakti sect, is celebrated with reverence, faith and respect in the entire country. This year Sant Kabir Das Jayanti will be celebrated on 29th June on the occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima.
On this day, satsang, bhajan-kirtan, recitation of Kabir Vani, discourse, bhandara and service works are organized by Kabir Panthi ashrams, temples and various socio-cultural institutions across the country. There are various opinions regarding the birth of Saint Kabir Das, but it is widely believed that he was born in the year 1398 AD on the day of Jyeshtha Purnima in Lahartara area near Varanasi.
According to folk tradition, he was brought up by a Muslim couple. For this reason, a beautiful coordination of both Hindu and Muslim traditions is visible in his life. According to the story related to Sant Kabir Das Jayanti, Kabir was of spiritual nature since childhood. He wanted to make Swami Ramanand his guru.
It is said that one day in the morning he lay down on the road from where Swami Ramanand used to go to take bath in the Ganga. In the darkness, his foot fell on Kabir and the words Ram-Ram spontaneously came out of his mouth. Kabir accepted this as his guru-mantra and spread the message of love, devotion, truth and humanity by remembering the name Ram throughout his life.
The main objective of this birth anniversary is to spread the message of teachings, human values and social harmony of Saint Kabir to the people. He opposed caste system, high and low, religious bigotry, hypocrisy and external ostentation and called true conduct, devotion to God, truth, love and service as the real religion of life. Even today his couplets provide the right direction to the society and inspire to live a moral life.
The specialty of Sant Kabir Das Jayanti is that it is not a festival of any one religion or community, but a celebration of love, equality and brotherhood for the entire humanity. In today’s times, when the society is facing challenges like division, bigotry and animosity, Kabir’s message – don’t ask the caste of the sage, ask for knowledge, becomes even more relevant.
Sant Kabir Das Jayanti inspires us that the true nature of religion lies in human service, truth, compassion and harmony. If we adopt his ideals in our lives, then the path to establishing a harmonious, peaceful and moral society can be further paved.
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