'Ulat Bansi' (upside-down sayings), a style of paradoxical verses, is a distinctive contribution of which Bhakti poet?

"Ulat Bansi" (or "ulatbamsi", meaning "upside-down sayings" or "inverted speech") is a distinctive style of paradoxical verses, associated especially with the 15th-century Bhakti poet Kabir.

What is Ulat Bansi?

It is a style of poetry in which ordinary experience is turned upside down, through strange and paradoxical images.

For example, verses may describe a cow being milked by the calf, a river catching fire, the ocean drowning in a drop, or a sheep swallowing a lion.

These images are meant to shock the listener and make him think beyond ordinary logic.

They express deep spiritual truths that cannot be described in ordinary language, such as the nature of the formless God and the experience of the divine within.

They also mock the false beliefs and rituals of both Hindus and Muslims.

NCERT on Kabir:

NCERT notes that Kabir's verses have been compiled in three distinct but overlapping traditions: the "Kabir Bijak" (preserved by the Kabirpanth in Varanasi and elsewhere), the "Kabir Granthavali" (associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan), and many of his compositions in the Adi Granth Sahib.

It notes that Kabir's poems are in several languages and dialects; some are written in the special language of nirguna poets, the "sant bhasha".

Others, known as "ulatbansi" (upside-down sayings), are written in a form in which everyday meanings are inverted.

These hint at the difficulties of capturing the nature of the Ultimate Reality in words.

About Kabir:

• He lived in the 15th century (traditionally 1398-1518), at Varanasi.
• He was brought up by a Muslim weaver family.
• He was a Nirguna Bhakti saint, who worshipped the formless God.
• He criticised idol worship, caste distinctions, rituals and the authority of priests and mullahs.
• He used simple, everyday language and images from the life of weavers and ordinary people.
• His sayings (dohas, sakhis) are still widely quoted.
• He is traditionally believed to have been a disciple of Ramananda.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Tulsidas, Surdas and Mirabai were Saguna bhakti poets who did not develop this style.