confronted each other, each wanting to take the
body for their own rituals. Before they could come
to blows, however, they pulled up the shroud only
to find there a heap of flowers, which they happily
divided in half.
There is hardly a person who grew up in North
India over the last 400 years who has not been
able to recite many verses of “Kabir” by heart. His
work is deeply ingrained in the culture of North
India. This said, his poetry combines highly eso-
teric NAT H YOGI symbolism, highly mystical non-
dual devotion that envisions a “divinity” beyond
any form or description, a deep criticism of the
orthodoxy of both Muslims and Hindus, and a
strong social critique of the hierarchy of Hindu
society. In his poetry he again and again evokes
the watchword Ram without any sectarian con-
tent. It is a mantric word used to point toward the
highest consciousness that sees beyond the veil or
M AYA of this world.
Kabir’s poems are found in the Guru Granth
Sahib of the Sikhs (see SIKHISM); in the Panchvani,
a compilation of sayings of five northern saints;
and in the Bijak, an anthology attributed to Kabir
alone. All of these were first published around the
17th century, although the Guru Granth Sahib
in its formative stages may have contained these
poems earlier.
Further reading: P. D. Barthwal, The Nirgun School of
Hindi Poetry (Benares: The Indian Bookshop, 1936);
Linda Hess and Shukdev Singh, trans., The Bijak
of Kabir (San Francisco: North Point Press, 1983);
David Lorenzen, Kabir Legends and Ananda-Das’s Kabir
Parachai (Albany: State University of New York Press,
1991); Karine Schomer and W. H. McCleod, eds., The
Sant Tradition of India (Berkeley: Berkeley Religious
Studies Series and Motilal Banarsidass, 1987); Charlotte
Vaudeville, trans., Kabir, 2 vols. (Oxford: Oxford Uni-
versity Press, 1974).
Kailasanatha Temple See ELLORA.
Kailash, Mount (Mount Kailas or Mount
Kailasha)
Kailash (from kelasa, crystal) is the name of a
mountain peak about 18,000 feet up in the HIMA-
LAYAS. It is sacred to both Hindus and Tibetan
Buddhists. In Indian mythology it is seen as the
abode of the Lord SHIVA and of KUBERA, the god of
wealth and of the northern direction. Mythology
places it to the south of Mount MERU. Kailash is
sometimes also said to be the source of the GANGES
River. Throughout history it has been an impor-
tant Hindu pilgrimage site.Further reading: Bhagavan Hamsa, The Holy Mountain,
Mansarovar, and Mount Kailas: Being the Story of a Pil-
grimage to Lake Marias and of Initiation on Mount Kailas
(London: Faber & Faber, 1934); Veena Sharma, Kailash
Mansarovar: A Sacred Journey (New Delhi: Lotus Collec-
tion, Roli Books, 2004).kaivalya
Kaivalya (from SANSKRIT kevala, sole or only) liter-
ally means “isolation” and refers to the liberated
state of the self, when it is “isolated” completely
from the pulls and distortions of PRAKRITI, or
natural reality. The term originated in the ancient
SAMKHYA tradition and is important in the yoga
tradition of PATANJALI. Both living and dead per-
sons may be in the state of kaivalya. It is a unique
state where one becomes absorbed in the root-
consciousness of the Self (purusha) alone. Bliss is
not an element of traditional kaivalya.Further reading: M. N. Parthasarathi, Journey to Alone-
ness: Commentaries on the Kaivalya Upanishad (Mumbai:
Eeshwar, 2001); Ian Whicher, The Integrity of the Yoga
Darsana: A Reconsideration of Classical Yoga (Albany:
State University of New York Press, 1998).Kali
The name Kali has two derivations. In the sense of
“she who is black” it is from kala (black). In theK 220 Kailasanatha Temple