Sant Kabīr
15th century · Vārāṇasī · Nirguṇa bhakti
Kabīr was a weaver (julāhā) of Vārāṇasī, raised in a Muslim family; tradition names the Vaiṣṇava teacher Rāmānanda as his guru. He sang of a formless God — Rām, Hari, Allāh — found within the heart, not in temple or mosque, and he mocked empty ritual, caste pride and religious hypocrisy on every side.
His dohās (couplets) and songs, in the plain speech of the people, are known by heart across North India; they are collected in the Bījak, in Rajasthani and other collections, and in the Guru Granth Sahib. The Kabīr Panth continues his teaching.
Tradition says that when Kabīr died at Maghar, Hindus wished to cremate him and Muslims to bury him. When the shroud was lifted, only flowers lay beneath; each community took half, and today a samādhi and a mazār stand side by side at Maghar.
15th century · Vārāṇasī · Dohās, Bījak · In the Guru Granth Sahib