Praises to a Formless God

Nirgun bhakti--devotion to a formless God--has been called a logical absurdity, yet the songs, verses, and narratives of the nirgun poets of North India have played a vital role in both Hinduism and Sikhism since the late fifteenth century. The compositions of famous nirgun poets such as Kabir, Raidas, Guru Nanak, and Dadu Dayal also form an essential part of the vernacular literatures of North India. Other nirgun poets have made major religious and literary contributions to Indian culture but have been little studied by modern scholars. This book discusses, translates, and edits various important compositions by these poets. The texts include songs and narratives about the pious demon Prahlad, hagiographic songs about historical saints, the popular bhajans attributed to Kabir, and the songs sung during the rites of the Kabir Panth. Two longer texts presented here are Jan Gopal's narrative poem, the Prahilad charitra, and Sain's religious debate, the Kabir-Raidas ka samvad.