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66 / Jijñāsā
like Saguṇavāda, in the realization of Brahman through one's own self or the self-realization as the ultimate end of human life but if for a Saguna Bhakta this could be attained through the complete devotion or bhakti, towards nirguna Brahma it is possible through jñāna that enables one to come out of all types of delusions and confusions22 as Kabir says:
" संतां भाई आई ग्यान की आँधी भ्रम की टाँटी सबै उड़ानी माया रहै न बाँधी”
And then only one can realize a sense of oneness with him like'लाली देखन मैं गयी मैं भी हो गयी लाल ।'
or
फूटा कुम्भ जल जलहि समाना इति पथ कथ्यों ग्यानी ।'
and
'बूँद' समानी समुद में यसे कत हेरी जाए। 23
Such a state of perfection cannot be attainted without perfect knowledge, wisdom, or jñāna for which a competent teacher, Guru in words of Kabir, is primarily required. For Kabir, Guru is greater than Govind or God who like a 'Paras' changes a piece of iron into gold.24 Guru enables one to differentiate between the bookish knowledge and the real knowledge25 to be achieved through love for God. This love, spiritual, of divine nature, in Kabir's Philosophy is sometimes manifested as one's love for his beloved as the influence of Sufism on him but the intensity of love and its various dimensions take Kabir to a distinct position as he says:
पिंजर प्रेम प्रकासिया, जाग्या जोग अनन्त । संसा खूटा सुख गया, मिल्यचा प्यारा कंत ।। and
काजल दिया न जाइ । दूजा कहाँ समाई ।।
कबीर रेख सिंदूर की नैनु रमइया रमि रहा
or
प्रियतम को पतिया लिखूं जो कहीं होय बिदेस । तन में, मन मैं नैन मे ताकौ कहाँ संदेस ।
and
कागद लिखे सौ कागदी कि व्यवहारी जीव । आतम दृष्टि कहाँ लिखे जित देखे तित पीव ।। " 27
For such an intensive feeling of love, purity of heart, and an innocent-mind free of all sorts of desires and lust enabling one to realize a sense of oneness with his beloved or Brahman are the first prerequisites, 28 but once it is attained there remains no difference between the two and the 'other' in this 'two' comes to appear in each and every object of the Universe.29 From this level of realization for Rama, Hari or Brahman, as a nirguna bhakta does feel, Kabir sees the world of human beings with a deep sense of refusal and denial of the gaps and differences based on caste, creed, religion and region etc. and addresses various social evils related to these through a bitter and direct condemnation in an outspoken language without caring or sparing any body or any group social or religious, and this secular religiousity not only in ideas but in the conduct too.
(III)
Secular religiousity of Kabir is thus a by-product of his nirguna bhakti which unlike a saguna bhakti prescribes no rules, rituals or dogmatism and their social manifestations and taught a lesson of social equality and religious harmony by criticizing very forcefully, but equally, the elements of
