The term used by Kabir from Vedantic traditions to define the ‘unseen’ is:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Alakh
Option (1) Bani — Incorrect. Bani means the word or utterance; it is heard in gurbani, the name of the hymns of the Adi Granth Sahib, and is not one of Kabir’s terms for the unseen.
Option (2) Nirakar — Incorrect. Kabir did take nirakar from the Vedantic traditions, but it means “formless”, not “unseen”.
Option (3) Shabada — Incorrect. Shabda means “sound”, and Kabir drew it from the yogic traditions, not from Vedanta.
Option (4) Alakh — Correct. Among the terms Kabir drew from the Vedantic traditions to describe the Ultimate Reality was alakh (the unseen).
Note: The meaning of the term in Option (1), ‘Bani’, is not given in NCERT (2025-26); it is explained here for the benefit of the students.
NCERT (2025-26): “8.1 Weaving a divine fabric: Kabir … Also striking is the range of traditions Kabir drew on to describe the Ultimate Reality. These include Islam: he described the Ultimate Reality as Allah, Khuda, Hazrat and Pir. He also used terms drawn from Vedantic traditions, alakh (the unseen), nirakar (formless), Brahman, Atman, etc. Other terms with mystical connotations such as shabda (sound) or shunya (emptiness) were drawn from yogic traditions.…” |