President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said Sant Kabir Das showed the path of equality and harmony to society and inspired it to do away with the evils, pomp and discrimination.
Kovind, who reached Maghar in Sant Kabir Nagar district on Sunday morning from Gorakhpur, planted saplings along with Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on World Environment Day and after that he inaugurated several projects, including Sant Kabir Academy and Research Institute.
President Kovind was also presented a telegraphic angavastram written by Kabir Das by the chief minister and a memento of the One District One Product scheme. A short film related to tourism was also shown during the programme.
Addressing the programme, President Kovind said that the place of Nirvana of Sant Kabir Das was a wonderful example of communal unity.
“Here the mausoleum and the tomb are built together. Even after 700 years have passed, his teachings and speech are popular from the common man to the intelligentsia,” he said.
President Kovind said that the earth becomes pure with the arrival of saints.
“Sant Kabir lived in Maghar for about three years. This land, which was considered barren and cursed, blossomed with his arrival. On the invitation of Kabir Das ji, the Siddha Purush of Nath Peeth also came here. Due to his influence, the pond here was filled with water. Kabir Das ji was a true Pir.
He understood the suffering of the people and used to take measures to remove that suffering,” he said.
President Kovind said that the whole life of Kabir Das ji was the best example of human religion. “Kabir Das ji did fine spinning of social interaction to bring harmony in the divided society of that time. Painted beautifully with the colours of knowledge, created a strong fabric of unity and coordination and wove the sheet of building a harmonious society. He covered this sheet very carefully and never allowed it to become dirty,” he said.
President Kovind said that Kabir was born in a poor and deprived family, but he never considered that deprivation as his weakness, but made it his strength. He said Kabir Das always emphasised that humanity cannot be protected without having sympathy for the weakest section of society.
“Our society accepted his speech and education wholeheartedly. This is the reason that the names of many big civilizations of the world have been erased, even then our country is standing firmly on its feet with its inexhaustible heritage,” he said.
President Kovind said that Kabir Das always tried to remove superstitions, evils, pomp and discrimination and this was the reason that he left Kashi at the last moment and went to Maghar.
“He was a simple saint. He believed that God was not an external entity. God pervades every particle. Kabir Das ji also lived the household life like a saint. His sacred speech influenced everything from Srimant Shankar Dev in the Far East to Sant Tukaram in the West and Guru Nanak in the North to Guru Ghasidas in Chhattisgarh,” he said.