Over the years, my interest in the Kabir Panth and Kabir has often centred on the social dimensions of the beliefs and practices that they have advocated and, more specifically, on the dissent they have expressed against the more dominant socio-religious ideology of varnashramadharma. In general, I have argued in favour of the view that the social and religious dissent that Kabir and his followers have fostered has had important consequences, even though there never existed much chance for them to break the hegemony of upper-caste dominance. The present essay will criticize some of the arguments that have been used by other scholars to largely discount the importance of the socio-religious dissent promoted by Kabir and his followers against the varnashramadharma ideology. The essay will also discuss some of the ideas about Kabir's socio-religious ideology presented by Purushottam Agrawal in his new book, Akath Kahani Prem ki: Kabir ki Kavita aur unka Samay. First, however, I need to, very briefly, review a few of the salient features of the dissent found in the compositions of Kabir and the Kabir Panth.

Kabir's compositions are remarkable for his insistence on the necessity for both religious and social reform. He attacks not only superficial and superstitious religious rituals in both Hindu religion and Islam but also the sacred authority of religious texts: the Vedas, the Puranas and the Koran. He also attacks the pretensions to social superiority of high-class persons, particularly Brahmins and kazis, often with amusing but quite vicious satire. Today, he would undoubtedly be hauled before a court of justice for his insults to both the Hindu and Muslim religions and for fomenting religious conflict.