By Dr. J. Das
The LINK Newspaper’s November 8 edition contained a lengthy article by Dr. Kala Singh about the teachings of Guru Nanak for maintaining mental health. He went on to mention several points about Guru Nanak’s teachings: that no one is Hindu or Muslim, to give up ego and be humble, the incidents at Mecca, the sacred thread (janeo), offering water to dead ancestors, the division of people based on religion, caste, creed etc. It is commendable that he has pointed out good teachings for the occasion of Guru Purab. The reason for my writing is to state what Guru Kabir had to say on the same points prior to Guru Nanak.
Guru Kabir spoke to the Hindus and Muslims saying, “We have the same blood in us, the same life force, born of the mother, so by what knowledge you have created separations?” “Search in the depth of your heart and there you will find Ram and Rahim;” “If you say I am a Hindu I am not, neither am I a Muslim. I am a being of five elements in which God dwells.” “No Hindu is born with the sacred thread (janeo) and no Muslim is born circumcised.”
About ego and humility: “Be humble like water that seeks the lowest place. If you stand tall with ego you will die of thirst.” “When I am aware that ‘I am’, then God is not. When I am aware that God is, then I am not.” This indicates absorption in God when the ego vanishes.
About castes: “People with lust, anger and greed cannot do devotion. Only the brave one who dares to give up, caste, colour and clan can do devotion.” “Ek noor te sab jag upjaya… the same Divine Light created all, so who is superior or inferior.”
Guru Kabir went to Mecca and slept with his feet towards the Kaaba. The Qazi objected. Guru Kabir told him that he is tired after walking all day so the Qazi can turn his feet in the direction where God isn’t. The Qazi was dumbfounded to see that wherever he turned Kabir’s feet, the Kaaba appeared in that direction.
About offering water towards the East to the departed ancestors, Kabir poured water to the West. When they told him he was wrong, he told them if the water they poured could reach their ancestors whose whereabouts they did not know, his water is reaching his garden that is close by. When the Hindus were offering food to the departed (pind daan) he started feeding grass to a dead cow. When they said he was foolish to feed a dead cow, he told them that if the food can reach their dead ancestors, then certainly the cow can eat the grass.
About Guru Kabir’s surrendering the body: There was a superstition that whoever dies in Magahar will be reborn as a donkey, so Hindus were afraid to die there, preferring to die in the holy city of Banaras. Kabir went from Banaras to Magahar to give up the body. The Hindu king Virsingh Baghail and his subjects, and the Muslim Nawab Bijli Khan and his subjects then quarreled to possess the body to cremate or bury according to their customs. They heard an akashvani to go and see what is under the shroud. They found flowers. The Hindus cremated and the muslims buried their portions. The Hindu Samadhi and the Muslim mazaar are side by side at Magahar.
The reason for pointing these incidents is that Guru Kabir holds a prominent place in Sikhism, and he has over five hundred banis in the Guru Granth Saheb, and they are frequently recited in the gurdwaras and akhand paths.
