Sant Kabir Jayanti 2027संत कबीर जयन्ती

When is Sant Kabir Jayanti?

Observed on Jyeshtha Purnima. Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Sant Kabir Jayanti means

Sant Kabir Jayanti, on Jyeshtha Purnima, honours Kabir Das, the fifteenth-century poet-saint of Varanasi. His short, sharp couplets (dohas) remain among the most quoted verses in Hindi: they mock empty ritual and pride, and point to love of the one God within the heart.

Kabir belonged to no single sect. He criticised the priests and mullahs alike, rejected caste, and taught that God — whom he called Ram, Hari or the formless — is found through love, honesty and the guru's word. His verses appear in the Guru Granth Sahib, and the Kabir Panth follows his teaching.

The story of Sant Kabir Jayanti

Legend says Kabir was found as a baby on a lotus leaf in the Lahartara pond near Varanasi and was raised by Niru and Nima, a Muslim weaver couple; he worked as a weaver all his life. Tradition tells that he became the disciple of the great Vaishnava saint Ramananda by lying on the steps of the Panchganga ghat, where Ramananda stepped on him in the dark and cried "Ram! Ram!" — words Kabir took as his initiation.

Near the end of his life Kabir went to Maghar, a place believed to bring an unhappy rebirth, to show that liberation depends on devotion, not on the place of death. A popular legend says that when Hindus and Muslims argued over his body, they found only flowers under the shroud, which they divided between them.

Sant Kabir Jayanti puja vidhi, step by step

Kabir Jayanti is observed with song, reflection and service rather than elaborate ritual.

What you need

• A book of Kabir's dohas or bhajans
• A lamp
• Simple prasad for sharing

When to do the puja

In 2027 Kabir Jayanti falls on Friday, 18 June (Jyeshtha Purnima). Check the Panchang for your city. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Read the dohas. Read or sing a few of Kabir's couplets with the family and discuss their meaning.
2. Join a satsang. Attend a Kabir satsang or bhajan gathering if there is one near you.
3. Serve. Share food with others, especially those in need, in the spirit of Kabir's equality.

Offerings & food: Simple prasad; the offering of song and reflection

Mantras for Sant Kabir Jayanti

Sant Kabir Jayanti across India

Observed by the Kabir Panth across India, with major gatherings at Kabir Chaura Math in Varanasi and at Maghar in Uttar Pradesh; Kabir's verses are also included in the Guru Granth Sahib

Varanasi

Festivities at Kabir Chaura Math and Lahartara, the places associated with his life.

Maghar (Uttar Pradesh)

A large fair at the site of his passing, where a samadhi and a tomb stand side by side.

Punjab and Madhya Pradesh

Kabir Panthi communities hold satsangs and processions.

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Frequently asked questions