Linda Hess and Shukdeo Singh
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148763
- eISBN:
- 9780199869718
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148762.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Kabir, the fifteenth‐century weaver‐poet of Varanasi, is still one of the most revered and popular saint‐singers of North India. He belonged to a family of Muslim julahas (weavers of low‐caste ...
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Kabir, the fifteenth‐century weaver‐poet of Varanasi, is still one of the most revered and popular saint‐singers of North India. He belonged to a family of Muslim julahas (weavers of low‐caste status), is believed to have been a disciple of the Hindu guru Ramanand, and often sang of inner experience using language of the subtle yogic body. Yet he cannot be classified as Hindu, Muslim, or yogi. Fiercely independent, he has become an icon of speaking truth to power. In a blunt and uncompromising style, he exhorted his listeners to shed their delusions, pretensions, and orthodoxies in favor of a direct experience of truth. He satirized hypocrisy, greed, and violence—especially among the religious. Belonging to a social group widely considered low and unclean, he criticized caste ideology and declared the equality of all human beings. Kabir was an oral poet whose works were written down by others. His oral traditions have flourished for more than 500 years, producing a rich array of musical forms, folk and classical, in countless local dialects and regional styles. Thousands of poems are popularly attributed to Kabir, but only a few written collections have survived over the centuries. The Bījak is the sacred book of the Kabir Panth, or sect devoted to Kabir's teachings. This book presents about half of the Bījak; the translators have selected those poems which seem most representative and which work best in translation. The Bījak includes three main sections called Ramainī, Śabda, and Sākhī, and a fourth section containing miscellaneous folksong forms. Most of the Kabir material has been popularized through the song form known as śabda (or pada), and through the aphoristic two‐line sākhī (or doha) that serves throughout north India as a vehicle for popular wisdom. These two forms have been emphasized in this translation; a group of ramainīs have also been included. An introduction by Hess precedes the translations; scholarly notes and three appendices, including an essay on Kabir's ulatbamsi or “upside‐down language,” are also by Hess.Less
Kabir, the fifteenth‐century weaver‐poet of Varanasi, is still one of the most revered and popular saint‐singers of North India. He belonged to a family of Muslim julahas (weavers of low‐caste status), is believed to have been a disciple of the Hindu guru Ramanand, and often sang of inner experience using language of the subtle yogic body. Yet he cannot be classified as Hindu, Muslim, or yogi. Fiercely independent, he has become an icon of speaking truth to power. In a blunt and uncompromising style, he exhorted his listeners to shed their delusions, pretensions, and orthodoxies in favor of a direct experience of truth. He satirized hypocrisy, greed, and violence—especially among the religious. Belonging to a social group widely considered low and unclean, he criticized caste ideology and declared the equality of all human beings. Kabir was an oral poet whose works were written down by others. His oral traditions have flourished for more than 500 years, producing a rich array of musical forms, folk and classical, in countless local dialects and regional styles. Thousands of poems are popularly attributed to Kabir, but only a few written collections have survived over the centuries. The Bījak is the sacred book of the Kabir Panth, or sect devoted to Kabir's teachings. This book presents about half of the Bījak; the translators have selected those poems which seem most representative and which work best in translation. The Bījak includes three main sections called Ramainī, Śabda, and Sākhī, and a fourth section containing miscellaneous folksong forms. Most of the Kabir material has been popularized through the song form known as śabda (or pada), and through the aphoristic two‐line sākhī (or doha) that serves throughout north India as a vehicle for popular wisdom. These two forms have been emphasized in this translation; a group of ramainīs have also been included. An introduction by Hess precedes the translations; scholarly notes and three appendices, including an essay on Kabir's ulatbamsi or “upside‐down language,” are also by Hess.
Ariel Glucklich
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195314052
- eISBN:
- 9780199871766
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195314052.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter surveys some of the major religious and intellectual developments during the centuries in which Islamic rulers governed northern India. The devotional work of Shri Chaitanya is ...
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This chapter surveys some of the major religious and intellectual developments during the centuries in which Islamic rulers governed northern India. The devotional work of Shri Chaitanya is highlighted along with the songs of Kabir, Ravidas, the new Ramayana of Tulsidas, and others. The synthesis of Islam and Hinduism produced a rich tapestry of ideas, which translated a profound re‐examination of social reality and significant scientific developments.Less
This chapter surveys some of the major religious and intellectual developments during the centuries in which Islamic rulers governed northern India. The devotional work of Shri Chaitanya is highlighted along with the songs of Kabir, Ravidas, the new Ramayana of Tulsidas, and others. The synthesis of Islam and Hinduism produced a rich tapestry of ideas, which translated a profound re‐examination of social reality and significant scientific developments.
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148763
- eISBN:
- 9780199869718
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148762.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Part I gives a brief account of Kabir's life and work. Part II discusses his “rough rhetoric.”. Kabir's style is uniquely vivid, direct and hard‐hitting. This section demonstrates how it manages to ...
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Part I gives a brief account of Kabir's life and work. Part II discusses his “rough rhetoric.”. Kabir's style is uniquely vivid, direct and hard‐hitting. This section demonstrates how it manages to involve the reader/listener and why it is so potent and memorable. Part III, “The Untellable Story,” discusses how he uses language to hint at paradoxical or inexpressible experiences. Part IV recounts a meeting between Hess and a man she met in India, who, like Kabir, led to her to examine her own mind and to realize more deeply what Kabir's poetry is about.Less
Part I gives a brief account of Kabir's life and work. Part II discusses his “rough rhetoric.”. Kabir's style is uniquely vivid, direct and hard‐hitting. This section demonstrates how it manages to involve the reader/listener and why it is so potent and memorable. Part III, “The Untellable Story,” discusses how he uses language to hint at paradoxical or inexpressible experiences. Part IV recounts a meeting between Hess and a man she met in India, who, like Kabir, led to her to examine her own mind and to realize more deeply what Kabir's poetry is about.
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148763
- eISBN:
- 9780199869718
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148762.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
The translations from the Bījak of Kabir are presented in three sections: Śabda (72 poems), Ramainī (20 poems), and Sākhī (232 short verses).
The translations from the Bījak of Kabir are presented in three sections: Śabda (72 poems), Ramainī (20 poems), and Sākhī (232 short verses).
David Robinson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199755042
- eISBN:
- 9780199950508
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755042.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines the response of two Muslim states of West Africa to French and British imperialism. The first was the resistance to French expansion led by Ahmad al-Kabir in present-day Mali. ...
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This chapter examines the response of two Muslim states of West Africa to French and British imperialism. The first was the resistance to French expansion led by Ahmad al-Kabir in present-day Mali. The second was the movement led by ‘Abd al-Rahman in Hausaland (present-day Nigeria) against the advance northward of the British. ‘Abd al-Rahman, like Ahmad al-Kabir, ultimately opted for migration (hijra). The British were concerned about the size and impact of the migration, and forced the caliph to do battle at Burmi. They defeated the Muslim forces and killed the caliph, but many escaped and continued their movement to the east.Less
This chapter examines the response of two Muslim states of West Africa to French and British imperialism. The first was the resistance to French expansion led by Ahmad al-Kabir in present-day Mali. The second was the movement led by ‘Abd al-Rahman in Hausaland (present-day Nigeria) against the advance northward of the British. ‘Abd al-Rahman, like Ahmad al-Kabir, ultimately opted for migration (hijra). The British were concerned about the size and impact of the migration, and forced the caliph to do battle at Burmi. They defeated the Muslim forces and killed the caliph, but many escaped and continued their movement to the east.
Pashaura Singh
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195662696
- eISBN:
- 9780199080717
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195662696.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Sikhism
This book analyses the key issues concerning the phenomenon of scriptural adaptation in a cross-cultural spirit. Specifically, it seeks to addresses three questions closely related to the process of ...
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This book analyses the key issues concerning the phenomenon of scriptural adaptation in a cross-cultural spirit. Specifically, it seeks to addresses three questions closely related to the process of scriptural adaptation in the Adi Granth: How was the Bhagat Bani collected and canonized in the Adi Granth? Why did certain hymns of the poet-saints of Sant, Sufi, and Bhakti origin receive direct comments from the Sikh Gurus? What is the status of the Bhagat Bani in the Sikh scriptural tradition? The volume explores the interaction between early Sikhism and other religious movements in the Punjab, focusing particularly on those saints from devotional tradition who find a place in the Guru Granth Sahib. It examines Sikh gurus responses to the work of Shaikh Farid; Kabir and Sant tradition of north India; Vaishnava bhakti tradition represented by various bhagats. It offers a new understanding of religious pluralism, stressing the need to enter into dialogue with an ‘open attitude’ by honouring the individual commitments and maintaining differences in mutual respect and dignity.Less
This book analyses the key issues concerning the phenomenon of scriptural adaptation in a cross-cultural spirit. Specifically, it seeks to addresses three questions closely related to the process of scriptural adaptation in the Adi Granth: How was the Bhagat Bani collected and canonized in the Adi Granth? Why did certain hymns of the poet-saints of Sant, Sufi, and Bhakti origin receive direct comments from the Sikh Gurus? What is the status of the Bhagat Bani in the Sikh scriptural tradition? The volume explores the interaction between early Sikhism and other religious movements in the Punjab, focusing particularly on those saints from devotional tradition who find a place in the Guru Granth Sahib. It examines Sikh gurus responses to the work of Shaikh Farid; Kabir and Sant tradition of north India; Vaishnava bhakti tradition represented by various bhagats. It offers a new understanding of religious pluralism, stressing the need to enter into dialogue with an ‘open attitude’ by honouring the individual commitments and maintaining differences in mutual respect and dignity.
Pashaura Singh
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195662696
- eISBN:
- 9780199080717
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195662696.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Sikhism
This chapter focuses on the works of Kabir (ca. 1398-1448), representing the Sant tradition of north India. Kabir is the major Sant poet of the Adi Granth who has received direct comments from the ...
More
This chapter focuses on the works of Kabir (ca. 1398-1448), representing the Sant tradition of north India. Kabir is the major Sant poet of the Adi Granth who has received direct comments from the Sikh Gurus. The Sants were individuals who did not have the sense of mission or the idea of an organized religious community. Indeed, the question of self-definition makes sense only with a community; the Sants who seemingly lacked communities and institutional settings did not engage in a quest for self-definition. The chapter examines how the comments on the works of Kabir made by the Sikh Gurus like Guru Amar Das and Guru Arjan sharpened the process of Sikh self-definition.Less
This chapter focuses on the works of Kabir (ca. 1398-1448), representing the Sant tradition of north India. Kabir is the major Sant poet of the Adi Granth who has received direct comments from the Sikh Gurus. The Sants were individuals who did not have the sense of mission or the idea of an organized religious community. Indeed, the question of self-definition makes sense only with a community; the Sants who seemingly lacked communities and institutional settings did not engage in a quest for self-definition. The chapter examines how the comments on the works of Kabir made by the Sikh Gurus like Guru Amar Das and Guru Arjan sharpened the process of Sikh self-definition.
Ranga Rao
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199470754
- eISBN:
- 9780199087624
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199470754.003.0016
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature, World Literature
As amusing as Narayan’s The Man-Eater of Malgudi, Narayan’s Talkative Man presents the career of a compulsive womanizer, Dr Rann. He is yet another rogue in Narayan’s post-Independence gallery. Dr ...
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As amusing as Narayan’s The Man-Eater of Malgudi, Narayan’s Talkative Man presents the career of a compulsive womanizer, Dr Rann. He is yet another rogue in Narayan’s post-Independence gallery. Dr Rann, a PhD, is the apotheosis of Narayan’s intellectuals and academics. From the havoc Rann creates, however, it is almost like the return of the man eater, in the avatar of a specialist woman eater. Towards the end, Rann delivers a talk on a topic he is best qualified for: a pest, the Giant Weed. Set against the ‘slippery’ Rann is his wife, a New Woman of Narayan’s post-Independence era. Ranga Rao notes that the latter period of Narayan’s post-Independence novels is the season of pests.Less
As amusing as Narayan’s The Man-Eater of Malgudi, Narayan’s Talkative Man presents the career of a compulsive womanizer, Dr Rann. He is yet another rogue in Narayan’s post-Independence gallery. Dr Rann, a PhD, is the apotheosis of Narayan’s intellectuals and academics. From the havoc Rann creates, however, it is almost like the return of the man eater, in the avatar of a specialist woman eater. Towards the end, Rann delivers a talk on a topic he is best qualified for: a pest, the Giant Weed. Set against the ‘slippery’ Rann is his wife, a New Woman of Narayan’s post-Independence era. Ranga Rao notes that the latter period of Narayan’s post-Independence novels is the season of pests.
Ranga Rao
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199470754
- eISBN:
- 9780199087624
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199470754.003.0017
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature, World Literature
Narayan’s novellas belong to the late post-Independence period, the novelist’s final phase. In the first novella, the hero of this slender novella is a tiger. Trapped by a sadistic circus owner, the ...
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Narayan’s novellas belong to the late post-Independence period, the novelist’s final phase. In the first novella, the hero of this slender novella is a tiger. Trapped by a sadistic circus owner, the harassed beast kills him accidentally, and later escapes. Its presence terrifies Malgudi until a sage adopts him as his disciple. In this chapter Ranga Rao shows how this novella charts the extraordinary spiritual transformation of an unmitigated animal. While there is relatively little of it in Narayan’s pre-Independence phase, violence in the early post-Independence novels extends into the late phase, and grows virulent in this novella. The novella also presents a peep into the Kabir Street aristocracy in terminal decline.Less
Narayan’s novellas belong to the late post-Independence period, the novelist’s final phase. In the first novella, the hero of this slender novella is a tiger. Trapped by a sadistic circus owner, the harassed beast kills him accidentally, and later escapes. Its presence terrifies Malgudi until a sage adopts him as his disciple. In this chapter Ranga Rao shows how this novella charts the extraordinary spiritual transformation of an unmitigated animal. While there is relatively little of it in Narayan’s pre-Independence phase, violence in the early post-Independence novels extends into the late phase, and grows virulent in this novella. The novella also presents a peep into the Kabir Street aristocracy in terminal decline.
Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmaian
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789774165290
- eISBN:
- 9781617971334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774165290.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The genesis and demise of the Sara-ye Amir is closely bound with the development of Tehran from a small town in the foothills of the Alborz mountains to Iran's main metropolis, and with the evolving ...
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The genesis and demise of the Sara-ye Amir is closely bound with the development of Tehran from a small town in the foothills of the Alborz mountains to Iran's main metropolis, and with the evolving role of the bazaar as Iran began to emerge from more than a century of economic stagnation. Commissioned by Amir Kabir the reforming prime minister of Nasser al-din Shah, the elegant and spacious caravanserai complex, built in 1851 by Aqa Mehdi Tabrizi Malek al-tojjar as part of the overall plan to boost trade and improve the capital's bazaar, was much admired by foreign observers and came to house major domestic and foreign companies. By the end of the century the Sara-ye Amir was suffering from neglect and ownership conflicts, significantly coinciding with the gradual move into the khiabans (avenues) as the requirements of trade and industry outgrew the obsolescent structure and mentality of the bazaar. With the original layout and many features extant though disjointed, it has avoided the recent garish trend that has befallen its neighboring patron saint, the Emamzade Zaid, the vulgar revamping of which may be indicative of a deeper malaise affecting the ideas that once informed refined good taste.Less
The genesis and demise of the Sara-ye Amir is closely bound with the development of Tehran from a small town in the foothills of the Alborz mountains to Iran's main metropolis, and with the evolving role of the bazaar as Iran began to emerge from more than a century of economic stagnation. Commissioned by Amir Kabir the reforming prime minister of Nasser al-din Shah, the elegant and spacious caravanserai complex, built in 1851 by Aqa Mehdi Tabrizi Malek al-tojjar as part of the overall plan to boost trade and improve the capital's bazaar, was much admired by foreign observers and came to house major domestic and foreign companies. By the end of the century the Sara-ye Amir was suffering from neglect and ownership conflicts, significantly coinciding with the gradual move into the khiabans (avenues) as the requirements of trade and industry outgrew the obsolescent structure and mentality of the bazaar. With the original layout and many features extant though disjointed, it has avoided the recent garish trend that has befallen its neighboring patron saint, the Emamzade Zaid, the vulgar revamping of which may be indicative of a deeper malaise affecting the ideas that once informed refined good taste.
Eugene Marlow
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496817990
- eISBN:
- 9781496818034
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496817990.003.0018
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter addresses the question of whether there is jazz in twenty-first century China. The answer is that there most certainly is, quite literally. And it seems reasonable to assert that once ...
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This chapter addresses the question of whether there is jazz in twenty-first century China. The answer is that there most certainly is, quite literally. And it seems reasonable to assert that once you open a society to the world at large, even though the motivation to do so is primarily economic, it may be difficult if not impossible to reverse course. In all likelihood, China will continue to emerge as a major economic player on the world stage, and, to re-reference Kabir Sehgal's Jazzocracy, perhaps what will evolve is more equity, more conversation, more negotiation, and more reconciliation within China itself, and between China and the world community.Less
This chapter addresses the question of whether there is jazz in twenty-first century China. The answer is that there most certainly is, quite literally. And it seems reasonable to assert that once you open a society to the world at large, even though the motivation to do so is primarily economic, it may be difficult if not impossible to reverse course. In all likelihood, China will continue to emerge as a major economic player on the world stage, and, to re-reference Kabir Sehgal's Jazzocracy, perhaps what will evolve is more equity, more conversation, more negotiation, and more reconciliation within China itself, and between China and the world community.
Susan Stanford Friedman
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231170901
- eISBN:
- 9780231539470
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231170901.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
The chapter argues that modernism is not a single style, movement or period; instead, modernism is best understood as the aesthetic dimension of any given modernity, interacting with other society ...
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The chapter argues that modernism is not a single style, movement or period; instead, modernism is best understood as the aesthetic dimension of any given modernity, interacting with other society domains such as politics, economics, military, culture, etc. It tests the usefulness of this approach to modernism with a reading of three pre-1500 modernisms: Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu in the context of the An Lushan Rebellion; north Indian poet-singer Kabir (15th century) in the context of Tammerlane’s conquest and mass conversion campaign; and the story of the innovative cobalt blue and luster glazes of Basra potters during the Abbasid Caliphate.Less
The chapter argues that modernism is not a single style, movement or period; instead, modernism is best understood as the aesthetic dimension of any given modernity, interacting with other society domains such as politics, economics, military, culture, etc. It tests the usefulness of this approach to modernism with a reading of three pre-1500 modernisms: Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu in the context of the An Lushan Rebellion; north Indian poet-singer Kabir (15th century) in the context of Tammerlane’s conquest and mass conversion campaign; and the story of the innovative cobalt blue and luster glazes of Basra potters during the Abbasid Caliphate.
Peter Manuel
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038815
- eISBN:
- 9780252096778
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038815.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter is devoted to the more general topic of the Indo-Caribbean Bhojpuri legacy's confrontation with music flowing from North India itself in the postindenture period, in the form of ...
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This chapter is devoted to the more general topic of the Indo-Caribbean Bhojpuri legacy's confrontation with music flowing from North India itself in the postindenture period, in the form of mass-mediated film music and other pop, including panregional Hindi devotional songs. Of particular relevance is the influence of these imported sounds on wedding songs, Kabir-panthi music, and Ramayan singing. It argues that most Indo-Caribbeans do not regard imported Indian music as a stultifying hegemon; they see it, rather, as an inexhaustible potential resource that can provide a cultural depth and continuity unavailable to Afro-creoles, alienated as they are from the traditions of their African forebears.Less
This chapter is devoted to the more general topic of the Indo-Caribbean Bhojpuri legacy's confrontation with music flowing from North India itself in the postindenture period, in the form of mass-mediated film music and other pop, including panregional Hindi devotional songs. Of particular relevance is the influence of these imported sounds on wedding songs, Kabir-panthi music, and Ramayan singing. It argues that most Indo-Caribbeans do not regard imported Indian music as a stultifying hegemon; they see it, rather, as an inexhaustible potential resource that can provide a cultural depth and continuity unavailable to Afro-creoles, alienated as they are from the traditions of their African forebears.
Heidi Pauwels
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780198081678
- eISBN:
- 9780199085002
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198081678.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
This chapter investigates how bhakti identifies itself in distinction to a Hindu “other.” There are many “bhaktis”, some more inclusive than others. A phenomenon that has been little noticed is ...
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This chapter investigates how bhakti identifies itself in distinction to a Hindu “other.” There are many “bhaktis”, some more inclusive than others. A phenomenon that has been little noticed is bhakti’s self-definion in contradistinction to śāktas. Anti-śākta diatribes are widespread throughout north Indian bhakti texts, both saguṇa and nirguṇa. The chapter focuses on the “pivotal” Sant Kabῑr (15th century) and his Rāmānandῑ hagiographers (16th century). In his poetry, Kabῑr frequently warns against śāktas. Who are these śāktas, and why is Kabῑr so opposed to them? This chapter first looks at how śāktas are depicted in the earliest identifiable poems attributed to Kabῑr, who preached in the bazaars and on the ghāts of the major pilgrimage center of Benares. Then it highlights the way his antagonism with śāktas is portrayed by the earliest of his hagiographers, Rāmānandῑs, who preached in rural Rajasthan about a century later.Less
This chapter investigates how bhakti identifies itself in distinction to a Hindu “other.” There are many “bhaktis”, some more inclusive than others. A phenomenon that has been little noticed is bhakti’s self-definion in contradistinction to śāktas. Anti-śākta diatribes are widespread throughout north Indian bhakti texts, both saguṇa and nirguṇa. The chapter focuses on the “pivotal” Sant Kabῑr (15th century) and his Rāmānandῑ hagiographers (16th century). In his poetry, Kabῑr frequently warns against śāktas. Who are these śāktas, and why is Kabῑr so opposed to them? This chapter first looks at how śāktas are depicted in the earliest identifiable poems attributed to Kabῑr, who preached in the bazaars and on the ghāts of the major pilgrimage center of Benares. Then it highlights the way his antagonism with śāktas is portrayed by the earliest of his hagiographers, Rāmānandῑs, who preached in rural Rajasthan about a century later.
Linda Hess
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199374168
- eISBN:
- 9780199374199
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199374168.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This book studies the poetry and culture of Kabir—a great and still popular fifteenth-century religious poet of North India—through the lens of oral-performative traditions. It draws from ...
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This book studies the poetry and culture of Kabir—a great and still popular fifteenth-century religious poet of North India—through the lens of oral-performative traditions. It draws from ethnographic research conducted over a ten-year period, mainly in Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, as well as on the history of written collections. First it focuses on texts—their transmission by singers, the dynamics of textual forms in oral performance, and the connections between texts in oral forms, written forms, and other media. Second, it attends to context, reception, and community. Chapters 1 through 4 draw a portrait of a leading Kabir folksinger of Malwa; demonstrate how texts work in oral-musical performance; analyze discourses of authenticity; and present a typical Kabir singer’s repertoire in Malwa in the early 2000s. Chapter 5 is transitional, considering theories of “orality.” Chapters 6 through 8 emphasize social perspectives, examining communities of interpretation including a religious sect, the Kabir Panth; a secular educational NGO, Eklavya; and urban fans of Kabir. Kabir’s poetry lends itself to rich discussions on topics that range from cultivation of subtle inner states to political argument and activism. A persistent theme is the relation between religious-spiritual and social-political dimensions. An iconoclastic mystic who criticized organized religion, sectarian prejudice, caste, violence, deception, and hypocrisy, Kabir also speaks of self-knowledge, deep inner experience, confrontation with death, and connection to the divine. Ambiguously situated among Hindu, Muslim, Sufi, and yogic traditions, he rejects religious identities and urges fearless awakening.Less
This book studies the poetry and culture of Kabir—a great and still popular fifteenth-century religious poet of North India—through the lens of oral-performative traditions. It draws from ethnographic research conducted over a ten-year period, mainly in Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, as well as on the history of written collections. First it focuses on texts—their transmission by singers, the dynamics of textual forms in oral performance, and the connections between texts in oral forms, written forms, and other media. Second, it attends to context, reception, and community. Chapters 1 through 4 draw a portrait of a leading Kabir folksinger of Malwa; demonstrate how texts work in oral-musical performance; analyze discourses of authenticity; and present a typical Kabir singer’s repertoire in Malwa in the early 2000s. Chapter 5 is transitional, considering theories of “orality.” Chapters 6 through 8 emphasize social perspectives, examining communities of interpretation including a religious sect, the Kabir Panth; a secular educational NGO, Eklavya; and urban fans of Kabir. Kabir’s poetry lends itself to rich discussions on topics that range from cultivation of subtle inner states to political argument and activism. A persistent theme is the relation between religious-spiritual and social-political dimensions. An iconoclastic mystic who criticized organized religion, sectarian prejudice, caste, violence, deception, and hypocrisy, Kabir also speaks of self-knowledge, deep inner experience, confrontation with death, and connection to the divine. Ambiguously situated among Hindu, Muslim, Sufi, and yogic traditions, he rejects religious identities and urges fearless awakening.
Uma Maheswari Bhrugubanda
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199487356
- eISBN:
- 9780199093281
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199487356.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
Chapter 2 begins with a theoretical discussion of majorities and minorities within a secular liberal nation. Later it examines two saint films, Bhakta Ramadasu (1964) and Sri Ramadasu (2006) in which ...
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Chapter 2 begins with a theoretical discussion of majorities and minorities within a secular liberal nation. Later it examines two saint films, Bhakta Ramadasu (1964) and Sri Ramadasu (2006) in which the story of a seventeenth century devotee-poet who was an administrative official under the Muslim Qutub Shahi rulers of Golconda, is mobilized at different moments in Indian history to deal with the question of difference both within Hinduism and outside it. More specifically it demonstrates the ways in which Muslims and the Urdu language are ‘made minor’ in mainstream cinema and thereby in the Telugu cultural imaginary. The first film is representative of the syncretic approach to the Muslim presence while the later film reflects the majoritarian Hindutva logic. Despite this crucial difference, both films are unable to imagine modes of toleration that overcome the limitations of liberal secularism.Less
Chapter 2 begins with a theoretical discussion of majorities and minorities within a secular liberal nation. Later it examines two saint films, Bhakta Ramadasu (1964) and Sri Ramadasu (2006) in which the story of a seventeenth century devotee-poet who was an administrative official under the Muslim Qutub Shahi rulers of Golconda, is mobilized at different moments in Indian history to deal with the question of difference both within Hinduism and outside it. More specifically it demonstrates the ways in which Muslims and the Urdu language are ‘made minor’ in mainstream cinema and thereby in the Telugu cultural imaginary. The first film is representative of the syncretic approach to the Muslim presence while the later film reflects the majoritarian Hindutva logic. Despite this crucial difference, both films are unable to imagine modes of toleration that overcome the limitations of liberal secularism.
Ranga Rao
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199470754
- eISBN:
- 9780199087624
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199470754.003.0018
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature, World Literature
In this chapter Ranga Rao explores Narayan’s The World of Nagaraj. Jagan had experienced it earlier: Nagaraj’s world is changing and this is the late post-Independence period. Nagaraj is childless. ...
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In this chapter Ranga Rao explores Narayan’s The World of Nagaraj. Jagan had experienced it earlier: Nagaraj’s world is changing and this is the late post-Independence period. Nagaraj is childless. His brother’s son rebels, quits his parents and home in the village and comes to Malgudi and lives with Nagaraj. This guardian, however, can neither guard nor guide his newfound ward and his wife. Here Narayan presents Kaibir Street community microcosmically: in the plight of one family. The focus is on Kabir Street residents as those who were considered aristocratic inheritors of vast rice fields in the village. Marked by supreme contentment, the mirasidars or the landowners, show that their degeneration is more patent now than ever.Less
In this chapter Ranga Rao explores Narayan’s The World of Nagaraj. Jagan had experienced it earlier: Nagaraj’s world is changing and this is the late post-Independence period. Nagaraj is childless. His brother’s son rebels, quits his parents and home in the village and comes to Malgudi and lives with Nagaraj. This guardian, however, can neither guard nor guide his newfound ward and his wife. Here Narayan presents Kaibir Street community microcosmically: in the plight of one family. The focus is on Kabir Street residents as those who were considered aristocratic inheritors of vast rice fields in the village. Marked by supreme contentment, the mirasidars or the landowners, show that their degeneration is more patent now than ever.
Milind Wakankar
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199499069
- eISBN:
- 9780190990428
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199499069.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas, Indian History
The first half of the chapter uses the case of Prahlada to make the point that the Puranic understanding of history implies a transition from a dark prehistory into the historicity of the Puranic ...
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The first half of the chapter uses the case of Prahlada to make the point that the Puranic understanding of history implies a transition from a dark prehistory into the historicity of the Puranic present. The second part of the chapter suggests that this Puranic notion of a prehistory has affinities with the interiorized physiognomy of the soul typical of Kabir, which in turn has ties with Indo-Persian dastan literature. The key argument is that both the Puranas and Kabir speak to an ‘I’ that is yet to come, so that our standard account of Kabir’s seemingly proto-‘secular’ disregard for religious distinctions would have to be revised. Instead, one could argue that what is at stake for Kabir’s nirgun (hence its lure for subaltern communities) is an original embrace of difference as negativity, and only secondarily an understanding of what is ‘non-in-different’ in faith.Less
The first half of the chapter uses the case of Prahlada to make the point that the Puranic understanding of history implies a transition from a dark prehistory into the historicity of the Puranic present. The second part of the chapter suggests that this Puranic notion of a prehistory has affinities with the interiorized physiognomy of the soul typical of Kabir, which in turn has ties with Indo-Persian dastan literature. The key argument is that both the Puranas and Kabir speak to an ‘I’ that is yet to come, so that our standard account of Kabir’s seemingly proto-‘secular’ disregard for religious distinctions would have to be revised. Instead, one could argue that what is at stake for Kabir’s nirgun (hence its lure for subaltern communities) is an original embrace of difference as negativity, and only secondarily an understanding of what is ‘non-in-different’ in faith.
Françoise Mallison
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- April 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199463749
- eISBN:
- 9780199086573
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199463749.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter is a study of the predominant religious currents and religious literature that influenced the thought and practice of Sahajanand Swami when he arrived in Gujarat at the beginning of the ...
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This chapter is a study of the predominant religious currents and religious literature that influenced the thought and practice of Sahajanand Swami when he arrived in Gujarat at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Pushtimarg and other established Krishna traditions were influential, as were other devotional groups, for instance, the Mahapanthis, Nathpantis, Satpanthis, and the Kabir movement. In spite of rather unsettled political conditions, Gujarat witnessed economic improvements leading to a relative social progress of mainly peasant lower castes and of women. Religious monuments were built or rebuilt; manuscripts became numerous as aide memoires for the use of the ordinary person. Education and religious culture spread in the vernacular, no longer exclusively in Sanskrit, and became more accessible to the humble. Swaminarayan found in Gujarat among the peasants and craftsmen an audience ready to participate actively in his philosophical sermons. We know about this through the collection of the Vachanamrut.Less
This chapter is a study of the predominant religious currents and religious literature that influenced the thought and practice of Sahajanand Swami when he arrived in Gujarat at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Pushtimarg and other established Krishna traditions were influential, as were other devotional groups, for instance, the Mahapanthis, Nathpantis, Satpanthis, and the Kabir movement. In spite of rather unsettled political conditions, Gujarat witnessed economic improvements leading to a relative social progress of mainly peasant lower castes and of women. Religious monuments were built or rebuilt; manuscripts became numerous as aide memoires for the use of the ordinary person. Education and religious culture spread in the vernacular, no longer exclusively in Sanskrit, and became more accessible to the humble. Swaminarayan found in Gujarat among the peasants and craftsmen an audience ready to participate actively in his philosophical sermons. We know about this through the collection of the Vachanamrut.
Raman P. Sinha
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199478866
- eISBN:
- 9780199092079
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199478866.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Indian History, Cultural History
In this chapter Raman P. Sinha makes a bold effort to uncover broad correlations between the verbal content of poetry that is typically set to music and the ragas in which these poems are ...
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In this chapter Raman P. Sinha makes a bold effort to uncover broad correlations between the verbal content of poetry that is typically set to music and the ragas in which these poems are performed—not at the level of specific compositions but in regard to a poet’s entire oeuvre. Using standard editions as his base, he deals with padas attributed to four leading Hindi poets of the early modern period: Kabir, Surdas, Mirabai, and Tulsidas. Correlating the life stories of these poets with the musical dimensions of their poetic output, Sinha comes to a number of thought-provoking conclusions. Chief among them is his observation of a reverse relationship between the variety of ragas used and the variety of life situations out of which they arise. In music as in life, finds Sinha, Mirabai and Kabir stand at opposite ends of the spectrum.Less
In this chapter Raman P. Sinha makes a bold effort to uncover broad correlations between the verbal content of poetry that is typically set to music and the ragas in which these poems are performed—not at the level of specific compositions but in regard to a poet’s entire oeuvre. Using standard editions as his base, he deals with padas attributed to four leading Hindi poets of the early modern period: Kabir, Surdas, Mirabai, and Tulsidas. Correlating the life stories of these poets with the musical dimensions of their poetic output, Sinha comes to a number of thought-provoking conclusions. Chief among them is his observation of a reverse relationship between the variety of ragas used and the variety of life situations out of which they arise. In music as in life, finds Sinha, Mirabai and Kabir stand at opposite ends of the spectrum.