Audiobooks by Kabir | LoveReading

Whilst Europe endured the Dark Ages in the 6th & 7th Centuries devotees of Shiva and Vishnu in Southern India were creating the Bhakti Movement. Some of these exponents, as in our volume, were bestowed with the title of saint but some had the additional title of sant, swami or goswami.Broadly speaking, Bhakti poetry, as in Hinduism itself, is divided into 'Nirguna', the idea that the divine is formless as exampled by Kabir and 'Saguna' which interprets the divine as having physical form as captured by Mirabai. The rapid spread, of the Bhakti movement, with its theme of love and devotion to God, proffered by these rebellious poet saints, did, over the following centuries, meld with much needed Hindu reforms and went to the heart of human existence. These 'God possessing' rather than 'God fearing' poets rejected hierarchies and intermediaries in their spiritual devotion and were critical of rules, regulations and ritual observances administered by Brahmin priests in the sacred but elitist court and temple Sanskrit. Their poems, in their local language, emphasised personal devotion as a route to salvation with kind deeds and a humble life rather than ritual mediation, stretched the fabric of society. They were all from lower castes and many were women giving the movement an egalitarian spirit that helped reinforce the message that god's love was all-encompassing for every person willing to surrender to the divine. Furthermore, their verse was accessible, simple, innovative with new poetic forms and often expressed in songs with a fierce passion and ecstasy that demonstrated the movement's focus on inner, mystical and authentic devotion and humility. Impromptu performances with provocative outbursts of singing and dancing in unconventional settings or public gatherings evolved into poetic presentations and community recitals as the rapid popularity of the movement spread. Although the language is every day and simple, many verses carry undercurrents of complex ideas, philosophical and psychological dilemmas, nuance and humour

Guru Nanak, Kabir, Mirabai (Author), David Shaw-Parker, Ghizela Rowe, Laurel Lefkow (Narrator)

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15 Minutes Of Love Poems - Volume 8

Love. What is love?The question is asked by each of us but the answer remains elusive. Dictionaries summon up many words but none fulfill. Love itself is often ethereal, felt but only seen in a glance, a look, a fleeting touch. Part of Love’s beauty is perhaps in the fact that the question never can be adequately answered; its ephemeral, a chimera of the heart and only felt. Our own experiences are unique and personal to ourselves and of little help defining it for another.Love is perhaps best expressed through poetry. As Plato said 2500 years ago “At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet”. Writing a love poem for ones’ partner is seen as the most romantic of gestures. It opens our hearts to another's. Lovers love.Here, in this volume history’s greatest poets convey thoughts, feelings and sentiments of love to you in quick (or bite-size) conversations of verse that can slip into your day and your partner's heart.

Kabir, Lord Byron, Wb Yeats (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Islamic Poetry - Volume 1 - The Mystics

Islam is one of the world’s great religions and over the centuries one of its strongest voices. For Peace. For Tolerance. For the realisation that we are all in this World together. Whatever our individual beliefs much of its teachings are wise words for us all.As Islam moved from its Arabian heartland to a wider geographic area so its core message remained albeit adapted to different lands, to different ears. Poets were ever eager to provide an alternate way of delivering the ‘message’ in beautiful verse. Their simplicity was embracing, their ornateness a humble offering to greater forces.The poems here are both profound and wide-ranging. They give verse to thoughts that still preoccupy mankind as central to their message is love and humility. Civilisations may come and go, rise and fade, but culture and its arts linger on in oral histories and the written word.The contribution of these Mystic or Sufi poets comes in many forms. They view the world in ways that give us pause to reconsider our own. Obviously, translations come in many shades and hues and even if the translator colours the original meaning of the poem, the essential truths remain.In this volume we have gathered many of the most celebrated of these ancient and classical verses by poets of the caliber and brilliance of Rumi, Kabir, Hafiz and many others. Their wise words illuminate much of what we search for.

Hafiz, Kabir, Rumi (Author), David Shaw-Parker, Richard Mitchley, Shyama Perara (Narrator)

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The Poetry of Kabir

Kabir, meaning Great and one of the 99 names of God in Arabic, was a mystic and poet, born around 1440 in Varanasi to poor Muslim parents. Another account claims he was the child of a Brahmin widow. He himself said he was "at once the child of Allah and Ram."Kabir grew up learning his father’s craft of weaving and overcame many obstacles to become a disciple of Saint, or Swami, Ramananda, the leading pioneer of the Bhakti movement, which promoted salvation for all. Kabir did not renounce his worldly life; he married, had children, and was disdainful of professional piety, which led to his later persecution by religious authorities. His progressive philosophy spoke of social equality and his spiritual synthesis combined Hindu tenets of karma and reincarnation with Muslim beliefs of one god and no idolatry or caste system. We know that Kabir had no formal education and was almost illiterate. He expressed his poems as ‘bāņīs’ meaning utterances in Hindi. His songs and couplets were part of a strong oral tradition in the region and spread across northern India but were also written down by two of his disciples; Bhāgodās and Dharmadās. His inventive and imaginative style captured wide attention and provided a path to spiritual awakening which for Kabir was mainly the path of love and brotherhood and not to be divorced from daily life: “All our actions performed anywhere are our duties, and work is worship”, he said. His works are still revered today by Muslims, Sufis, Sikhs and Hindus and Kabir remains one of the most quoted mystic poets of all time. Kabir is thought to have lived an exceptionally long life and probably died in 1518. It is said that his Hindu followers wanted him cremated and his Muslim followers wanted his body buried and a fight therefore ensued. When they finally lifted the cloth that covered his body they found not flesh but flowers.

Kabir (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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