The Bijak of Kabir

The Bijak of Kabir is a book on Kabir''s works which has been co-authored by Linda Hess and Shukdeo Singh. A profound introduction is given by Hess in the book. While the writing is passionate and clear it retains its high scholarly standards. Kabir was one of the most renowned poet-saints of India. His works were mostly oral in the form of verses which have been recited and sung across North India for half a millennium.Though he was illiterate he is well-known for his unconventional often-shocking messages that compelled his audience to come out of their rigidness pretensions and superstitions to face the ultimate truth. There have been thousands of poems composed by Kabir orally however over the centuries very few written collections could be retained. for the followers of Kabir the Bijak is one of the most sacred books.Kabir has always stood against rigid boundaries of religion and believed that God is beyond everything. Though religions like the Sant Mat movement and Sikhism have tried to claim Kabir as their own man this book explains how it is impossible to bind Kabir to any particular religion. The translation done by the two authors is graceful and accurate.The Bijak of Kabir was published by OUP USA in the year 2002 and is available in paperback format. The introduction serves as a brief exploration of Kabir''s poems. While many books about Kabir show his devotional nature both the authors in this book have exhibited his crazy and wild side.