Kabir Sahib, otherwise known as “The Weaver Saint of Benares”, lived in Northern India between the years 1380 and 1460. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest mystics of all times. His verses, hymns and compositions are almost universally known in India, where they are sung with great love and devotion to this day.
He was extremely outspoken in his opposition to the folly and futility of the external religious practices adopted by both Hindus and Muslims. Despite that, he was revered and respected by the followers of both faiths.
He was held in high esteem by his contemporaries. Two of his disciples were Raja Vir Singh and Shah Ibrahim Adham, king of Bokhara. The latter, keen on his spiritual search, learned about Kabir at Kashi. Being accepted as one of Kabir’s disciples was not, however, an easy task for the King, who repeatedly begged Kabir for the invaluable gift of Initiation.
In the beginning, Kabir was reluctant to grant that boon, because he was very conscious of the fact that, as a monarch, Ibrahim would have a great sense of self-importance, and this trait is not desirable in a person who intends to tread the Spiritual Path. So, Kabir turned down his repeated requests. Finally, Kabir agreed to initiate the King on the condition that he would consent to work for him as a servant. Can you imagine the pride the King must have had to swallow in order to agree to be the servant of a poor weaver? But the King’s thirst for knowledge was such that he agreed to such a condition.
After the King spent six years performing menial tasks, Kabir put him to a test, intended to establish if he had lost his self-importance. The King failed the test miserably. Kabir then decided that the King was still not humble enough to deserve the boon of initiation. So, he prolonged the probation period by another six years. After that, the King was finally initiated into the Royal Path of God realization.