To describe the Ultimate Reality, Kabir used the terms - Alakh (unseen) and Nirakar (formless). This philosophy belongs to:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Vedantic Tradition
Option (1) Yogic Tradition — Incorrect. From the yogic traditions Kabir took other terms with mystical meanings, such as shabda (sound) and shunya (emptiness), not alakh and nirakar.
Option (2) Tantric Tradition — Incorrect. Tantric practices were forms of worship often associated with the goddess, open to women and men, in which caste was often ignored within the ritual. Kabir’s terms for the Ultimate Reality are not drawn from them.
Option (3) Vedantic Tradition — Correct. Kabir used terms drawn from Vedantic traditions – alakh (the unseen), nirakar (formless), Brahman and Atman – to describe the Ultimate Reality.
Option (4) Buddhist Tradition — Incorrect. Buddhism is the tradition of the Buddha’s teachings on conduct and compassion. Kabir drew his names for the Ultimate Reality from Islam, Vedanta and the yogic traditions, not from Buddhism.
NCERT (2026-27): “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.…” |