ir's disciples such as the Sukh Nidhan attributed
to Srut Gopal (and written according to Westcott about 1729) and the
still later Amar Mul, which is said to be representative of the modern
Kabirpanth, show a greater inclination to Pantheism, though caste and
idolatry are still condemned. In these works, which relate the
conversion of Dharm Das afterwards one of Kabir's principal followers,
Kabir is identified with the Creator and then made a pantheistic deity
much as Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita.[661] He is also the true Guru
whose help is necessary for salvation. Stress is further laid on the
doctrine of Sabda, or the divine word. Hindu theology was familiar
with this expression as signifying the eternal self-existent
revelation contained in the Vedas. Kabir appears to have held that
articulate sound is an expression of the Deity and that every letter,
as a constituent of such sound, has a meaning. But these letters are
due to Maya: in reality there is no plurality of sound. Ram seems to
have been selected as the divine name, because its brevity is an
approach to this unity, but true knowledge is to understand the
Letterless One, that is the real name or essence of God from which all
differentiation of letters has vanished. Apart from some special
metaphors the whole doctrine set forth in the Sukh Nidhan and Amar
Mul is little more than a loose Vedantism, somewhat reminiscent of
Sufiism.[662]

The teaching of Kabir is known as the Kabirpanth. At present there are
both Hindus and Mohammedans among his followers and both have
monasteries at Maghar where he is buried. The sect numbers in all
about a million.[663] It is said that the two divisions have little in
common except veneration of Kabir and do not intermix, but they both
observe the practice of partaking of sacred meals, holy water,[664]
and consecrated betel nut. The Hindu section is again divided into two
branches known as Father (Bap) and Mother (Mai).

Though there is not much that is original in the doctrines of Kabir,
he is a considerable figure in Hindi literature and may justly be
called epoch-making as marking the first fusion of Hinduism and Islam
which culminates and attains political importance in the Sikhs. Other
offshoots of his teaching are the Satnamis, Radha-swamis and
Dadupanthis. The first were founded or reorganized in 1750 by a
certain Jag-jivan-das. They do not observe caste and in theory adore
only the True Name of God but in practice adm