Kabir (15th century) is hailed as one of India's greatest exponents of devotional poetry. His powerful and inspired songs helped fuel India's Bhakti movement-a movement emphasizing devotion to God and the chanting of His Name. Even today Kabir's words can be heard echoing throughout the cities and villages of India and Pakistan. One scholar writes: 1n the whole sweep of north Indian religion there is no voice more stringent, more passionate, more confident than that of Kabir."
Kabir was uneducated and spent most of his life as a poor weaver in the back streets of Benares. He was not of the proper class to have a Guru or receive any teachings on spirituality, yet his poetry is filled with mystical insights and profound teachings which baffled the great pundits of his time. Kabir's profound insights into truth, philosophy, and the nature of man came about from his direct experience of God-an experience that went beyond the ken of the intellect and worldly knowledge.
One major theme in Kabir's teaching revolved around the repetition of God's Name Uapa). Kabir rejected all outer religious practice-and one reason why Kabir emphasized repeating God's Name was that this powerful practice was available to all people of all classes.
Source : Jonathan Star, The Inner Treasure
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