I
Kabir, my rosary is my tongue, on which I repeat God’s name ;
In every age it bringeth peace and comfort to all God’s servants.
II
Kabir, everybody laugheth at my caste ;
I am a sacrifice to this caste in which I repeat the Creator’s name.
III
Kabir, why waverest thou ? Why lettest thou thy mind vacillate ?
God is the Lord of all happiness ; quaff the essence of His name.
[ p. 279 ]
Kabir, if golden earrings were to be made and rubies set in them,
They would appear like burnt reeds if God’s name were not in the wearer’s heart. [1]
V
Kabir, there are few who while alive are dead, [2]
And who fearlessly sing God’s praises ; whithersoever I look there is He to save me.
VI
Kabir, on the day I am dead there shall be rejoicing after me ; [3]
I shall then have met my God, and my friends will worship Him instead of weeping.
VII
Kabir, I am the worst of men ; except myself everybody is good ;
He who holdeth the same opinion is my friend.
VIII
Kabir, worldly love came to me in various disguises,
But my guru preserved me ; worldly love then made me obeisance and departed.
IX
Kabir, destroy that Maya whose death shall make thee happy ;
Every one shall then say it is well ; no one shall deem it ill.
X
Kabir, when the nights are dark, thieves arise ;
They run about with nooses for men ; know that they are accursed of God.
[ p. 280 ]
XI
Kabir, the sandal-tree is good even though surrounded by the dhak-tree ; [4]
If the latter be near the sandal-tree, it will also become fragrant as sandal.
XII
Kabir, the bamboo is drowned in its pride ; [5] may nobody be drowned so !
It may grow near the sandal, but it is never perfumed by it. [6]
XIII
Kabir, man hath lost his faith through mammon, but mammon will not accompany him ;
He hath carelessly struck his foot with an axe by his own hand.
The following is said to have been written in reply to some one who had invited Kabir to attend a religious fair : —
XIV
Kabir, wherever I wandered I saw spectacles everywhere ;
Without the saint who loveth God, the world is in my opinion a desert.
XV
Kabir, the hut of the saints is comfortable ; the village of the false is a furnace.
May fire prey upon that mansion where the name of God is not !
XVI
Kabir; why weep when a saint dieth, since he is merely going home ?
Weep rather for the poor infidel who is sold at every shop. [7]
[ p. 281 ]
Kabir, the infidel is like a dinner of garlic ;
One may sit in the corner and eat it, but its smell becometh manifest at last.
XVIII
Kabir, the body [8] is a churn, the breath of life its churningstaff ;
The saints eat the butter, the world drinketh the buttermilk.
XIX
Kabir, the body is the churn, the breath of life the stream of iced water ; [9]
He who hath churned shall eat the butter, and 50 shall his helpmates also.
XX
Kabir, Maya is a thief who breaketh into and robbeth the shop ; [10]
One man, Kabir, who hath chased her in every direction, [11] she shall not rob. [12]
XXI
Kabir, they who make many friends are not happy in this world ;
But they who keep their minds fixed on the one God ever enjoy happiness.
XXII
Kabir, while the world feareth death, my heart is pleased therewith ;
Since it is only by death supreme bliss is obtained.
XXIII
Kabir, when thou obtainest the jewel of God’s name keep it to thyself, [13] [ p. 282 ]
For there is no bazaar to sell it in, no connoisseur, no purchaser, no price for it.
XXIV
Kabir, love him who hath made God his master ;
Learned men, kings, lords of the soil — of what avail is love for them ?
XXV
Kabir, by loving the one God all other love departeth,
Whether thou wearest long hair, or shavest thy head clean. [14]
XXVI
Kabir, the world is a chamber of soot ; blind are they who enter it, and they become defiled.
I am a sacrifice to those who have entered it, and come forth clean.
XXVII
Kabir, this body shall depart ; if possible detain [15] it :
They who had hundreds of thousands and millions departed barefooted.
XXVIII
Kabir, this body shall depart ; put it on some road
On which it may either hold converse with saints, or sing God’s praises.
XXIX
Kabir, everybody dieth in his turn, but no one even knoweth how to die ;
When thou diest, so die that thou shalt not have to die again. [16]
XXX
Kabir, it is difficult to obtain human birth ; it cometh not again and again ;
As the ripe fruit of the forest, when it falleth to the ground returneth not to the parent-branch.
[ p. 283 ]
Somebody came to visit Kabir, and asked him if Kabir (great) was his name. The following, addressed to God, was his reply : —
XXXI
It is Thou, O God, who art Kabir (great), and whose name is Kabir (great) ;
Man shall only obtain the jewel of the Lord when he despiseth his body.
XXXII
Kabir, utter not idle complaints against God ; nothing shall result from what thou sayest ;
No one can set aside what the merciful One doeth.
XXXIII
Kabir, nobody who is counterfeit can withstand God’s touchstone ;
Only he who in life is dead can bear its ordeal.
XXXIV
Kabir, men wear gaudy robes, and eat betel leaves and betel nut ;
But without the name of the one God they shall be bound and taken to the city of Death.
XXXV
Kabir, my boat is old, and leaketh in a thousand chinks ;
Boats very lightly laden cross over, but those with heavy cargoes [17] founder.
XXXVI
Kabir, man’s bones burn like firewood, his hair burnetii like grass ;
Kabir is sad on seeing everybody burning. [18]
XXXVII
Kabir, be not proud of thy bones wrapped up in skin ;
They who rode excellent horses, and under umbrellas, were at last buried in the earth.
[ p. 284 ]
XXXVIII
Kabir, be not proud on seeing thy lofty dwellings ;
To-day or to-morrow thou shalt lie beneath the earth, and the grass shall grow over thee.
XXXIX
Kabir, be not proud, let none laugh at the poor ;
Now thy bark is on the sea ; who knoweth what shall happen. [19]
XL
Kabir, be not proud on seeing thy beautiful body ;
Thou shalt leave it to-day or to-morrow as a serpent its slough.
XLI
Kabir, if thou must plunder, then plunder, but let thy plunder be the name of God ;
Otherwise thou shalt afterwards repent when life hath left thy bodv.
XLII
Kabir, few [20] have been born who have applied the fire of divine knowledge to their bodies,
Who have burnt the five evil passions, and with the same fervour continued to love God.
XLIII
Is there any one who will sell me his son ; any one who will sell me his daughter ? [21]
Is there any one who wall go into partnership with Kabir, and deal in God’s name with him ?
XLIV
Kabir, I remind thee, O man — and entertain no doubt on the subject — [ p. 285 ]
Thou canst not exchange the pleasures thou hast already enjoyed for even a morsel of coarse sugar. [22]
XLV
Kabir, I first thought that learning was good, then that the Jog philosophy was better than learning ;
But now I shall never forsake the service of God, even though men revile me for it.
XLVI
Kabir, how can the wretched people who have no divine knowledge in their hearts, revile me ? [23]
Kabir having abandoned every occupation continueth to repeat God’s name.
XLVII
Kabir, the wanderer’s skirt hath caught fire on all sides ; [24]
The tattered garment hath been burnt and reduced to charcoal, but the flame hath not touched the waist-string. [25]
XLVIII
Kabir, the tattered garment hath been burnt and reduced to charcoal, the skull hath burst into atoms ;
The poor Jogi hath had his day, and dust only remaineth where he sat.
XLIX
Kabir, man is like a fish in a little water ; the angler casteth in his net ;
Man shall not escape in this little pond ; he ought to think of returning to the Ocean. [26]
L
Kabir, leave not the Ocean, though it be very brackish ; [27] [ p. 286 ]
If thou search for shelter in every pond, [28] no one shall call thee good.
LI
Kabir, they who had no guru were wafted away ; there was no one to stop them —
Practise meekness and humility, [29] come what may.
LII
Kabir, the bitch of God’s saints is good, but the mother of the infidel is bad ;
The former ever heareth the Lord’s name and praises, the latter goeth to commit sin.
LIII
Kabir, man is like a lean stag ; this world is a lake surrounded by verdure ;
There are hundreds of thousands of hunters and but one life — how long can it escape ? [30]
LIV
Kabir, if thou make thine abode on the bank of the Ganges, thou may est drink pure water ;
But thou shalt not obtain salvation without devotion to God ; the great departed have said this. [31]
LV
Kabir, me whose mind is pure as Ganges water,
God followeth and addresseth, ‘ Kabir ! Kabir !’ [32]
LVI
Kabir, turmeric is yellow and lime white ;
When both colours are blended, the beloved God is met. [33]
[ p. 287 ]
Kabir, turmeric then loseth its yellowness, and not a trace of the whiteness of lime remaineth ;
I am a sacrifice to that love by which tribe and caste and lineage are effaced.
LVIII
Kabir, the door of salvation is narrow, the breadth of the tenth of a grain of mustard ;
The mind is as large as an elephant ; [34] how can it pass through ?
LIX
Kabir, if I meet a true guru and he kindly favour me, The door of salvation shall be made wide, and I can easily pass through.
Kabir’s hut once fell, and people asked him to repair it ; the following was his reply : —
LX
Kabir, I have no hut or shed ; I have no house or village ;
I have no caste or name that God should ask who this man is.
LXI
Kabir, I desire to die, but when I die let it be at God’s gate,
So that God may ask, ‘ Who is this lying at My door ? ’
LXII
Kabir, I did not do this, nor will I do it again, nor am I physically able to do it ;
How do I know what God may have done ? Yet it was all Kabir. [35]
[ p. 288 ]
LXIII
Kabir, the skin of my body shall be shoes for his feet
From whose mouth in his muttering dream issueth God’s name.
LXIV
Kabir, we are puppets of clay, but bear the name of men ;
Though guests for only four days, we occupy very great space.
LXV
Kabir, I have converted myself into henna and thoroughly ground myself,
But, even so, God never inquired about me and never allowed me to touch His feet.
LXVI
Kabir, the door from which no visitor is repelled
How shall I leave, since such a door there is ?
LXVII
Kabir, I was drowning, but the wave of good qualities quickly washed me ashore and saved me ;
When I saw the bark was rotten, I leapt from it at once.
LXVIII
Kabir, the saint is not pleasing to the sinner ; the latter cannot bear the worship of God ;
The fly avoideth the sandal, and goeth where there is an evil odour.
LXIX
Kabir, the physician is dead, the patient is dead, the whole world is dead in spiritual ignorance ;
One person alone, Kabir, for whom none shall weep is not dead.
LXX
Kabir, man meditateth not on God ; such great sin attacheth to him : [ p. 289 ]
The body is a wooden pot ; it cannot be put on the fire a second time. [36]
LXXI
Kabir, it so happened to me that God did what was pleasing to my mind ; [37]
Why fear death when thou hast taken the red lead [38] in thy hand ?
LXXII
Kabir, as one sucketh sugar-cane, so ought one to strive most earnestly [39] for virtue :
None calleth that man good who is without virtue.
LXXIII
Kabir, the body is like an earthen pot filled with water ; it will burst to-day or to-morrow :
If thou remember not thy great God, thou shalt be plundered half-way. [40]
LXXIV
Kabir, I am God’s dog ; Moti [41] is my name ;
There is a string [42] on my neck ; where I am pulled there I go.
LXXV
Kabir, why displayest thou to men thy wooden rosary ?
If thou remember not God in thy heart, what availeth this rosary ?
LXXVI
Kabir, separation from God, like a serpent which yieldeth to no charm, dwelleth in the heart ; [ p. 290 ]
He who is separated from God shall not live, or if he do, he shall become insane. [43]
LXXVII
Kabir, the philosopher’s stone and sandal have one good property in common ;
By the touch of the former iron becometh the best metal ; [44] by the touch of the latter inodorous wood is perfumed.
LXXVIII
Kabir, Death’s club is bad ; it cannot be endured :
I have met a holy man [45] and he hath attached me to his skirt.
LXXIX
Kabir, the physician, saith, ‘ I am the only good physician ; all medicines are in my power ’ :
This thing life is God’s property, He taketh it when He pleaseth.
LXXX
Kabir, take and beat thy drum for ten days ; [46]
This world is like the meeting on a river-boat of persons who shall never meet again. [47]
LXXXI
Kabir, were I to make the seven oceans my ink, the trees of the forest my pens,
And the earth my paper, I should not succeed in writing God’s praises.
LXXXII
Kabir, what harm can my weaver caste do me since God dwelleth in my heart ?
God hath embraced Kabir, and released him from all his entanglements.
[ p. 291 ]
LXXXIII
Kabir, there are few willing to burn their own houses, [48]
Destroy their five children, [49] and concentrate their love on God.
LXXXIV
Kabir, there are few who will set fire to their own bodies ; [50]
Fools understand not though Kabir continueth to shout to them.
LXXXV
Kabir, the sati mounted on the pyre crieth out ‘ Hear my friends on this cremation-ground ;
As people have all departed, so do we at last.’
LXXXVI
Kabir, the mind is a bird which flieth and flieth in every direction ;
Man is rewarded according to the company he keepeth.
LXXXVII
Kabir, the position thou wast seeking thou hast found ;
Thou hast changed into God whom thou thoughtest was different.
LXXXVIII
Kabir, I am dying of evil company like the plantain near the wild caper ;
The latter waveth and the former is pierced by its thorns, so avoid the apostate.
LXXXIX
Kabir, men [51] affect to travel with the burden of other men’s sins on their heads ;
Why fear they not the burden of their own, since the road in front of them is difficult to travel ?
[ p. 292 ]
XC
Kabir, a standing forest tree [52] which is burning calleth out —
‘May I not fall into the power of the smith [53] who would burn me again in his forge.’ [54]
One day Kabir was sitting on the bank of the Ganges. He saw a hunter who had shot a deer. The deer had two young ones in her womb. Both these died. The buck then came, and was also shot by the hunter. The latter went to pick up the animal and was mortally bitten by a snake. The hunter’s wife then came and died through grief, or because the snake bit her too. Thus died four males and two females.
XCI
Kabir, on the death of one two died ; on the death of two, four ;
On the death of four, six?died — four males and two females. [55]
XCII
Kabir hath seen and searched the world, but found no abiding place anywhere :
Why doth he, who hath not thought of God’s name, lose himself in other speculations ?
XCIII
Kabir, associate with the saint ; he will save thee at last ;
Associate not with the infidel ; his company will be thy ruin.
XCIV
Kabir, knowing that God is everywhere diffused in the world, [56] I have remembered Him in this life ; [ p. 293 ]
They who have thought not of God’s name, have been born in vain.
XCV
Kabir, hope in God ; all other hope is hopeless :
They who are bereft of God’s name shall admit its power when they fall into hell.
XCVI
Kabir hath made many disciples and followers, but hath not made God his friend :
He set out to meet God, but his heart failed him halfway.
XCVII
Kabir, what shall poor man do if God assist him not ?
Whatever branch I put my foot on bendeth beneath me.
XCVIII
Kabir, sand shall fall into the mouths of those who practise not what they preach to others ;
They watch others’ property, while their own fields are being eaten up.
XCIX
Kabir, associate with holy men even though thou eat only barley bran :
What will be, will be ; associate not with the apostate even though he give thee better fare.
C
Kabir, by association with the saints the love of God doubleth day by day :
The infidel is like a black blanket ; he becometh not white by washing.
CI
Kabir, thou hast not shaved thy heart ; why shave thy hair ?
Man’s sins are the work of his heart ; shaving the head is out of place.
CII
Kabir, forsake not God ; if thy body and wealth must go, let them go. [ p. 294 ]
They whose hearts are devoted to God’s lotus feet, shall be absorbed in His name.
CIII
Kabir, the strings of the instrument we play upon are all broken ; [57]
What can the poor instrument do when the player [58] hath departed ?
CIV
Kabir, shave the mother of that guru from whom doubt departeth not ;
He is drowned himself in the four Veds and he drowneth his disciples therein.
CV
Kabir. man concealeth all the sins he committeth ;
But at last they are all disclosed when Dharmraj maketh his inquirv.
CVI
Kabir, ceasing to remember God thou hast reared a numerous family :
Thou continuest to practise thine avocations though thy brethren and relations are no more. [59]
CVII
Kabir, the woman who ceasing to remember God goes to awake at night [60] to practise witchcraft,
Shall be born again as a serpent, and eat her own offspring. [61]
[ p. 295 ]
Kabir, the woman who ceasing to remember God fasteth in honour of Hoi, [62]
Shall be born again as a donkey and carry a weight of four mans. [63]
CIX
Kabir, very great skill is required to utter God’s name in the heart ;
If the acrobat who performeth on the high pole fall, he cannot survive. [64]
CX
Kabir, blest is his mouth who uttereth God’s name ;
His whole village shall be blest, to say nothing of the poor creature himself.
CXI
Kabir, the family is fortunate in which a slave of God is born ;
The family in which a slave of God is not born shall be fruitless as the dhak-tree.
CXII
Kabir hath seen hundreds of thousands of horses, elephants, and carriages, and banners wave as thick as clouds —
Begging, when the days pass in remembering God, is better than all this state.
CXIII
Kabir, I have traversed the whole world with my drum on my shoulder ;
I have seen and carefully examined [65] everything, and J find no one hath a friend.
[ p. 296 ]
CXIV
Kabir, pearls were scattered on the road ; a blind man came that way and saw them not ;
Without the light of the Lord of the world everybody like the blind man passeth the pearls by.
It is said that Kamal, Kabir’s son, met a rich leper who was going in despair to drown himself in the Ganges. Kamal begged him to desist and promised to cure him. Kamal took up some Ganges water in the palm of his hand, breathed on it, repeated the name of God, and then threw the water on the leper. The latter was instantaneously cured. He rewarded Kamal with a large gift of money. In the following couplet Kabir censures his son for having accepted it : —
CXV
Kabir’s family was ruined when his son Kamal was born ;
Ceasing to remember God he brought home wealth.
CXVI
Kabir, go to meet a holy man but take no one with thee ; [66]
Do not go back ; go on, come what may.
CXVII
Bind not thyself, O Kabir, with the rope [67] by which the world is bound ;
As salt is lost in flour, so shall this gold-like body disappear.
CXVIII
Kabir, the soul shall fly away and the body be buried ; man knoweth not when his time shall come ; [68]
Yet even now he will not let covetousness escape from his eyes.
[ p. 297 ]
CXIX
Kabir, may I behold Thee, O God, with mine eyes, hear Thy name with mine ears,
Utter Thy name with my tongue, and put Thy lotus feet within my heart !
cxx
Kabir hath escaped from heaven and hell by the favour of the true guru ;
I bask for ever and ever [69] in the joy of God’s lotus feet.
CXXI
Kabir, say how can I guess the joy of God’s lotus feet ;
Their beauty cannot be described ; it can only be realized when seen.
CXXII
Kabir, even if I see them, to whom shall I describe them ? no one would be satisfied with my words ;
God is His own parallel ; I dwell in the delight of singing His praises.
CXXIII
Kabir, the kulang pecketh its food and at the same time remembereth its young ; it pecketh, and pecketh, and pecketh and remembereth its young ;
As its young are dear to the kulang, so is worldly love to the mind.
CXXIV
Kabir, the sky is overcast with clouds ; lakes and tanks are filled with rain-water ;
Yet what shall be the condition of those who choose to remain thirsty as the chatrik ? [70]
CXXV
Kabir, the sheldrake which at night is separated from her mate, meeteth him in the morning ;
But the man who is separated from God meeteth Him again neither in the mofning nor in the evening.
[ p. 298 ]
CXXVI
Kabir, O shell, remain in the ocean ; if thou leave it, Thou shalt have to scream at sunrise at every temple. [71]
CXXVII
Kabir, what dost thou, O man, by sleeping ? arise and weep through fear of hell and its torments :
How can he whose dwelling is in the grave sleep in peace ? [72]
CXXVIII
Kabir, what dost thou by sleeping ? why not arise and repeat God’s name ?
One day thou shalt sleep stretched out at full length in the grave.
CXXIX
Kabir, what dost thou by sleeping ? awake, arise ;
Attach thyself to Him from whom thou art separated.
CXXX
Kabir, leave not the way of holy men, walk on their road ;
Purify thyself by the sight of them, and repeat God’s name on meeting them.
CXXXI
Kabir, associate not with the infidel ; flee far away from him;
If thou touch a black pot, some filth shall attach to thee.
CXXXII
Kabir, thou hast not thought of God, and old age hath come upon thee ;
When the door of thy house is on fire, what can be taken out and saved ?
[ p. 299 ]
Kabir, the work which the Creator did was accomplished once for all.
There is no God but Him, the one Creator.
CXXXIV
Kabir, when the fruit trees begin to bear fruit, and the mango beginneth to ripen,
The fruit reacheth its owner if meantime the crows [73] have not eaten it.
CXXXV
Kabir, men purchase and worship an idol, and obstinately go on pilgrimages ;
Like actors they imitate one another, but they only err and lose their way.
CXXXVI
Kabir, men have turned a stone into God ; everybody worshippeth it ;
They who abide in this belief are drowned in the sable stream.
CXXXVII
Kabir, books [74] form a prison, the doors of which are the writing thereon :
Stones [75] have drowned the world ; pandits have pillaged the road.
CXXXVIII
Kabir, do now the work of to-morrow ; and if thou do it now, do it at once ;
Nothing can be done hereafter when Death standeth over thy head.
[ p. 300 ]
CXXXIX
Kabir, I have seen such and such a person polished like wax ; [76]
He appeareth quick and very virtuous, but he is without understanding and unholy.
CXL
Kabir, Death will not disgrace mine understanding [77]
Since I have repeated the name of the Cherisher who created him.
CXLI
Kabir, God is as musk ; all His saints are as the bumblebees around it :
The more Kabir’s service, the more God dwelleth in his heart.
CXLII
Kabir, man falleth into the clutches of family ; God is left in the background :
Dharmrafs myrmidons fall on man in the midst of his pomp.
CXLIII
Kabir, better than an infidel is a pig [78] which keepeth the village clean ;
When the poor infidel dieth, nobody will mention him.
CXLIV
Kabir, men have amassed hundreds of thousands and millions, kauri by kauri ;
But when departing they get nothing ; even their waistcloths are taken from them.
CXLV
Kabir, were one to be a follower of Vishnu and wear a beautiful [79] necklace, what would it avail him ? [ p. 301 ]
He may be externally gold twelve times purified, but within he is only stuffed with wax.
CXLVI
Kabir, become the broken stones of the road ; lay aside thine intellectual pride ;
If such a servant there be, he shall meet God.
CXLVII
Kabir, but what would it avail to be the broken stones ? they would hurt the traveller’s feet ;
O God, Thy servant should be as the dust of the earth. [80]
CXLVIII
Kabir, but what would it avail to be dust which fiieth and falleth on men’s bodies ?
The servant of God ought to be like water which cleanseth all the limbs. [81]
CXLIX
Kabir, but what would it avail to be water ? it becometh cold or hot according to the season ;
Every servant of God ought to be perfect like God Himself.
CL
Flags wave on the tops of lofty mansions full of gold and of women —
Better than all are the bread of alms [82] and singing God’s praises in the company of His saints.
CLI
Kabir, the wilderness where God is worshipped is better than a city ;
The place without the beloved God is in my opinion as the city of Death.
[ p. 302 ]
CLII
At the ferry of Sahajsun where the Ganges and the Jamna meet, [83]
Kabir hath built a hut where saints and men of God seek the way.
CLIII
Kabir, were man to continue to the end loving God [84] as he was born,
Millions of precious stones, to say nothing of one poor diamond, would not be equal to him.
CLIV
Kabir, I have seen a strange thing — a diamond was sold in a shop ;
In the absence of a purchaser who knew its worth, it went for a kauri. [85]
CLV
Kabir, where there is divine knowledge there is virtue ; where there is falsehood there is sin ;
Where there is covetousness there is death ; where there is forgiveness there is God Himself.
CLVI
Kabir, what availeth it to abandon worldly love if pride be not also abandoned ?
Munis and their spiritual superiors perished by pride ; their pride ate them all up.
CLVII
Kabir, a true guru met me and shot one word at me ;
When it struck me I fell to the earth ; there was a hole made in my heart.
[ p. 303 ]
CLVIII
Kabir, what can the true guru do if his disciples be at fault?.
Not one word of his impresseth the spiritually blind : it is like blowing into a bamboo.
CLIX
Kabir, the lady of a monarch who possesseth horses, elephants, and carriages in abundance,
Is not equal to the female water-carrier of a saint of God.
CLX
Q. O Kabir, why revilest thou the king’s lady ? Why honourest thou God’s handmaiden ?
A . The former parteth her hair with evil intentions ; the latter remembereth God’s name.
CLXI
Kabir, I propped myself up with God’s name, and steadied myself ; the true guru gave me courage :
I purchased large diamonds on the bank of lake Mansarowar.
CLXII
Kabir, God is the diamond, God’s servant the jeweller who hath taken the gem and set up a shop for it ;
As soon as an assayer is found, the price of the diamond shall be ascertained.
CLXIII
Kabir, as thou rememberest God when occasion requireth, so remember Him always ;
Make thine abode in the immortal city ; God will restore the wealth thou hast lost.
CLXIV
Kabir, for worship two beings are necessary, one the saint, and the other God—
God who bestoweth salvation, and the saint who causeth us to repeat His name.
[ p. 304 ]
CLXV
Kabir, crowds followed the pandits by the way they went ; The one road to God by which Kabir hath been ascending is difficult.
CLXVI
Kabir, man acteth out of regard for his family and thus dieth from worldly troubles ;
Who hath family pride when he is placed on the cremationground ?
CLXVII
Kabir, O wretched people, ye shall be ruined through your great regard for the opinion of others ;
Know that the fate of your neighbours shall also be yours.
CLXVIII
Kabir, good is the meal of alms made of different kinds [86] of corn ;
I have no claim on any one for it ; great is the country and great its government. [87]
CLXIX
Kabir, heart-burning ariseth from claims ; he who hath no claim is without anxiety ;
He who hath no claim deemeth Indar poor in comparison with himself.
CLXX
Kabir, the lake is filled to the brim, yet few can drink the water ; [88]
With great good fortune hast thou found it ; drink it in handfuls, Kabir.
[ p. 305 ]
Kabir, as the stars pass away in the morning, so doth this body pass away ;
But the two letters of God’s name pass not away ; Kabir holdeth them fast.
CLXXII
Kabir, the house of wood is on fire on all sides ; [89]
The pandits perish in the fire while the illiterate escape.
CLXXIII
Kabir, dispel doubts, leave the books of the pandits ;
Having searched the Sanskrit books fix thy thoughts on God’s feet,
CLXXIV
Kabir, saints abandon not their saintship, even though they meet millions who are not saints :
Even though sandal be entwined with serpents, it loseth not its coolness. [90]
CLXXV
Kabir, the mind becometh cool when it hath obtained the knowledge of God :
The fire which burnetii the world is as water to God’s servant. [91]
CLXXVI
This world is the Creator’s play ; hardly any one understandeth this ;
The Master Himself or the slave at His court [92] understandeth it.
CLXXVII
Kabir, it is well for me that I felt the fear of God and forgot all else : [ p. 306 ]
From hail I melted into water, and flowing on I blended with the Ocean. [93]
CLXXVIII
Kabir, God having collected dust made bodies like a physician’s powders —
Spectacles for four days, but after all they are only dust.
CLXXIX
Kabir, all bodies are as the rising and setting of the sun and moon; [94]
But if they meet not God and the guru, they all turn into dust again.
CLXXX
Where the Fearless One is, there is no fear of others ; where there is fear, there God is not :
Kabir speaketh thus deliberately ; O saints, give me willing ear.
CLXXXI
Kabir, they who know naught pass their time in the sleep of peace :
While they who think they know have their fill of trouble.
CLXXXII
Kabir, they who are subdued by worldly love utter many cries, but different is the cry of the pir : [95]
Kabir who was struck on a vulnerable spot [96] fell where he stood.
CLXXXIII
Kabir, slight is the stroke of a lance ; though struck by it man may breathe for a time ;
But he who can endure the stroke of the Word is a guru, [97] and I am his slave.
[ p. 307 ]
CLXXXIV
Kabir, why, O Mulla, ascendest thou the minaret ? the Lord is not deaf :
Search within thy heart for Him for whose sake thou callest to prayer.
CLXXXV
Why doth the Shaikh who is without resignation, perform a pilgrimage to the Kaaba ?
Kabir, how can God be for him whose heart is not firm in his faith ?
CLXXXVI
Kabir, offer thy homage to God, by remembering whom trouble shall depart ;
The Lord will be manifest in thy heart, and the fire [98] which burneth thee shall be extinguished.
CLXXXVII
Kabir, to use force is tyranny though thou call it lawful ;
When thine accounts are called for at God’s office, what shall be thy condition ?
CLXXXVIII
Kabir, an excellent dinner is khichari [99] seasoned with sufficient salt to make it palatable ;
Who would cut his own throat by eating meat with his bread ? [100]
CLXXXIX
Kabir, know that the guru will have touched thy heart when worldly love and ambition have been effaced ;
Joy and sorrow shall not then affect thee ; thou shalt become God Himself. [101]
cxc
Kabir, there are different ways of saying Ram ; [102] there is one point to be considered : [ p. 308 ]
He whom everybody calleth Ram was only a mountebank. [103]
CXCI
Kabir, call Him Ram who is omnipresent ; we must discriminate in mentioning the two Rams ;
The one Ram (God) is contained in all things ; the other (Ram Chaudar) is only contained in one thing, himself: [104]
CXCII
Kabir, in the house in which saints are not served God is not served ;
That house is like a cremation-ground, and ghosts dwell therein.
CXCIII
Kabir, I have become dumb, insane, deaf,
And lame from the stroke of the true guru’s arrow.
CXCIV
Kabir, the brave true guru shot an arrow at me ;
On its striking me I fell to the ground with a hole in my heart. [105]
cxcv
Kabir, the pure rain of heaven [106] hath fallen on barren soil ; [ p. 309 ]
Know that without good association it becometh like the ashes of a furnace ;
CXCVI
But, Kabir, when the pure rain of heaven meeteth absorbing soil, [107]
It cannot be removed, however much clever men may worry themselves.
CXCVII
Kabir, I was going on a pilgrimage to the Kaaba, and I met God on the way ;
The Lord fell a-quarrelling with me, ‘ Who ordered thee to go to that place ? ’
CXCVIII
Kabir, I have often made the pilgrimage to the Kaaba — how many times, O Kabir ?
O my Master, what fault have I committed that Thou wilt not speak to me ?
CXCIX
Kabir, when God produceth His record, what shall be the fate of him
Who violently killeth animals and calleth it lawful ?
CC
Kabir, to use violence is tyranny ; God will call for thy defence ;
When thine account is produced from His office, thou shalt be beaten on the mouth.
CCI
Kabir, to render thine account is easy, if thy heart be pure ;
In that True Court no one shall molest thee. [108]
CCII
Saith Kabir, O duality, in earth and heaven thou art very difficult to destroy ; [109] [ p. 310 ]
The six religious systems and the eighty-four Sidhs are involved in doubt.
CCIII
Kabir, whatever there is in me is not mine ; whatever there is, is Thine, O God.
If Thine own property be rendered unto Thee, what doth it cost me ?
CCIV
Kabir, by repeating, ‘ Thou, Thou,’ I have become Thou, O God ; I have not remained in myself ;
When the difference between Thee and me was removed, wherever I looked there wast Thou.
CCV
Kabir, man meditateth sin and entertaineth delusive hopes ;
None of his desires is satisfied ; he depart eth in despair.
CCVI
Kabir, he who remembereth God is happy in this world ;
He whom the Creator protecteth wavereth not either in this world or the next.
CCVII
Kabir, I was being pressed like a handful of sesame when the true guru rescued me ;
He came and appeared to me by primal and ancient destiny.
CCVIII
Kabir, my days have been spent in evading payment of my debts to God ; interest goeth on increasing ;
I worshipped not God, nor had I my account torn up when Death arrived.
Guru Arjan has here inserted the three following couplets : —
CCIX
Kabir, man is a barking dog which runneth after carrion : [110]
By grace I have obtained the true guru who hath delivered me.
[ p. 311 ]
ccx
Kabir, the earth belongeth to the holy, but thieves have taken possession of it ;
The earth feeleth not their weight ; to them it is clear gain. [111]
CCXI
Kabir, on account of the husk rice is beaten with a mallet ;
So when men sit in bad company, Dharmraj shall call them to account.
Here Kabir’s couplets continue : —
CCXII
‘O Namdev, worldly love hath bewitched thee,’ said his friend Trilochan ;
‘ Why printest thou chintzes and thinkest not on God ? ’
CCXIII
Namdev replied, ‘ Repeat God’s name with thy lips, O Trilochan,
‘Perform all thy duties with thy hands and feet, but let thy heart be with God.’
Guru Arjan again interposes : —
CCXIV
O Kabir, no one hath any concern with me nor I with any one ;
I am contained in Him who hath created this world.
Kabir’s instructions are resumed : —
CCXV
Kabir, when flour hath fallen into the mud, none of it is saved ;
It is that which is chewed while being ground that availeth. [112]
[ p. 312 ]
CCXVI
Kabir, man knoweth everything, and yet he knowingly committeth sin ;
What advantage is it to a man to have a lamp in his hand if he fall into a well ?
CCXVII
Kabir, my love is for the Friend ; foolish people try to dissuade me ;
How can it be proper to break with Him to whom belong my life and soul ?
CCXVIII
Kabir, why killest thou thyself on account of houses, and mansions, and their decoration,
When three and a half cubits, or at most three and three quarters, shall be thy lot ?
CCXIX
Kabir, if God do not what I desire, what availeth my desiring it ;
God doeth what He Himself desireth, not what I desire.
The following couplet of Guru Amar Das, is here found : —
CCXX
God produceth anxiety in man, and also freeth him therefrom ;
Nanak, praise Him who taketh care of all.
A couplet of Guru Arjan here follows : —
CCXXI
Kabir, man thinketh not of God ; he goeth astray through greed;
He dieth committing sin, and his life is at an end in a moment.
Here Kabir’s couplets continue : —
CCXXII
Kabir, the body is a frail vessel of only frail metal ; [ p. 313 ]
If thou wish to make it permanent, worship God, otherwise it will perish.
CCXXIII
Kabir, call out the name of God ; sleep not listlessly ;
By calling out night and day God may sometime hear thy cries.
CCXXIV
Kabir, the body is a plantain grove, the heart an elephant maddened by passion, which breaketh it down ;
The jewel of divine knowledge is the goad, and a rare saint the tamer [113] of the elephant.
CCXXV
Kabir, God’s name is a jewel, the mouth a purse to hold it ; open it before him who can appreciate the jewel ;
If any purchaser be found, he may take it at a high price. [114]
CCXXVI
Kabir, man knoweth not God’s name while bringing up a numerous family ;
He dieth in the midst of his worldly duties, and is not heard of in the outer world.
CCXXVII
Kabir, in the twinkling of an eye and in a moment life passeth away ;
Since the mind freeth not itself from entanglements, Death beateth his drum, and leadeth away his victim in triumph.
CCXXVIII
Kabir, God is as a tree, abandonment of the world as its fruit;
The saint who hath abandoned bootless discussions [115] as its shade.
[ p. 314 ]
CCXXIX
Kabir, plant the seed of such a tree as shall bear perennial fruit,
Whose shade shall be cool, whose fruit shall be profuse, and on which birds [116] shall play.
ccxxx
Kabir, the Giver is a tree whose fruit is mercy which sheddeth favours on men ;
When the birds which it sheltereth migrate, [117] they say ‘ O Tree, mayest thou be fruitful ! ’
CCXXXI
Kabir, association with saints is obtained by destiny ;
By such association the boon of salvation is obtained, and the difficult road to God not obstructed.
CCXXXII
Kabir, even for a ghari, half a ghari, or half that again,
Converse held with the saints is clear gain.
CCXXXIII
Kabir, the mortals who eat bhang and fish [118] and drink wine,
Shall all go to hell, whatever pilgrimages, fastings, and daily devotion they may perform.
CCXXXIV
Kabir, if I cast down mine eyes and take the Friend into my heart,
I enjoy every pleasure with my Beloved, and I disclose this to no one.
The fifth Guru here interposes : —
[ p. 315 ]
CCXXXV
For the eight watches, the sixty-four gharis of the day, my soul looketh towards Thee, O God.
Why cast down mine eyes since I behold the Beloved in every heart ?
CCXXXVI
Hear, my companions, either my soul dwelleth in my Beloved or my Beloved in my soul.
I know not whether my soul is in my heart, or my Beloved dwelleth in my soul.
CCXXXVII
Kabir, the Brahman is the guru of the world, but he is not the guru of the saints ;
He killeth himself over the perplexities of the four Veds.
CCXXXVIII
God is as sugar scattered in the sand, but the elephant cannot pick it up ;
Saith Kabir, the guru gave this excellent advice, ‘ Become an ant and eat it.’ [119]
CCXXXIX
Kabir, if thou desire the Beloved, cut off thy head and make it into a ball ; [120]
While playing attain such a state of ecstasy that thou shalt be satisfied with whatever happeneth thee.
CCXL
Kabir, if thou desire the Beloved, play with a true guru ;
If unripe oil-seeds be pressed, neither oil-cake nor oil will be obtained. [121]
Here a couplet of Namdev is introduced : —
[ p. 316 ]
CCXLI
Man searching for God stumbleth like a blind man and recognizeth not the saint ;
Saith Namdev, how shalt thou obtain God without the mediation of His saints ?
The following lines of Rav Das are here inserted : —
CCXLII
He . who forsaking God the diamond year-net h for other gods,
Shall go to hell, verily saith Rav Das.
CCXLIII
O Kabir, if thou embrace a domestic life, act honestly ; otherwise abandon the world ;
But if any one, having abandoned the world, again become entangled with it, great indeed shall be his misfortune.
This is understood to be a satire on Indian bankers who generally wear large earrings. ↩︎
That is, who practise humility and efface their pride. ↩︎
Also translated— On the day my pride is dead there shall be rejoicing. ↩︎
The Butea Frondosa. ↩︎
It holds its head high, yet it is hollow in the centre. ↩︎
They who are hardened in their pride are not improved by association with the humble. ↩︎
Who has to undergo transmigration. ↩︎
Maya here means body, because it is the result of illusion. ↩︎
Put into the churn in India in the hot weather to assist the churning process. ↩︎
Who breaks into the heart, and robs it of its virtues. ↩︎
Others translate— Kabir hath cut her up in twelve pieces. ↩︎
Kabir chased her to arrest her, but she ran in every direction, literally, by twelve ways to avoid hirn, and so she cannot rob him. ↩︎
Literally — Open not the knots of thy dress in which it is tied. ↩︎
Some understand this line to mean — Whether thou adoptest a worldly or an ascetic life. Sanyasis or hermits shave their heads. ↩︎
Let not thy human birth go in vain. ↩︎
That thou shalt have no more transmigration. ↩︎
Of sin is meant. ↩︎
This was written after witnessing a cremation. ↩︎
Thou mayest be brought low thyself, and men will laugh at thee. ↩︎
In the original, none, but this apparently is an exaggeration of religious enthusiasm. ↩︎
This slok is an allegory. By son Kabir meant soul, and by daughter body. Is there any one who will devote his soul and body to God’s worship? Another explanation is the following — Is there any one who will give me his son— his heart— in exchange for my daughter, religious instruction. ↩︎
The pleasures thou hast enjoyed are useless to thee now. ↩︎
That is, what care I for their reviling? ↩︎
Death has attacked man’s body. ↩︎
The soul. ↩︎
The little water and the little pond mean the world. The ocean is God from whom man emanated, and with whom he ought to seek refuge from the angler’s net, that is, death. ↩︎
Forsake not God’s service even though it be attended with hardship. ↩︎
If thou have recourse to the gods and goddesses of the vulgar. ↩︎
Also translated — make humility thy religion. ↩︎
Man is like a hungry stag let loose on the grassy margin of a lake. He revels in the rich pasture afforded him, has no time for other reflection, and consequently becomes an easy prey to Death the hunter. ↩︎
Also translated — Saying this, Kabir departed from Banaras for Magahar. ↩︎
Also translated — Kabir, God followeth those whose minds are pure as Ganges water, and saith that they are superior to it. ↩︎
Turmeric and lime stand for men of different castes. Turmeric means men of low castes, lime men of high castes. High caste men were originally fair in comparison with the brown aborigines of India. When turmeric and lime are blended, a red product used for sacrificial marks on the forehead results. When holy men of different castes meet, God is obtained by their association, and their castes disappear. ↩︎
Man is very proud. ↩︎
This slok has already been given in the life of Kabir. ↩︎
Human birth shall not be again obtained by those who meditate not on God. ↩︎
God admitted me to His service. ↩︎
That is, why fear death which is imminent and unavoidable ? ↩︎
Literally — to weep and die in one’s efforts to obtain it. ↩︎
All the good works you l^ave performed shall only help you halfway ; but, if you have meditated on God, you shall be saved. ↩︎
Moti — literally pearl— is a common Indian name for a favourite dog. ↩︎
God’s love. ↩︎
The serpent shall sting him, and he shall either die or become insane. ↩︎
Gold. ↩︎
Ramanand. ↩︎
Be happy while you may. ↩︎
Compare — The world 's a city full of straying streets, And death the market-place where each one meets. ↩︎
To mortify their flesh. ↩︎
The five evil passions as dear to men as their children. ↩︎
To subdue their concupiscence. ↩︎
The Brahmans. ↩︎
The body. ↩︎
The god of death. ↩︎
That is, subject me to transmigration after the miseries of this life. ↩︎
This enigmatical couplet is thus explained— On the death of spiritual ignorance, superstition and attachment to worldly things die. When these two evils die, then die lust, anger, worldly love, and covetousness. When these four deadly sins die, then die birth and death (jointly called transmigration), joy, grief, hope, and desire. The first four are feminine, the last two are masculine. ↩︎
That is, not in the temple, or the mosque, or in any other place especially set apart for religious worship. ↩︎
The body has grown old, and its limbs have become useless. ↩︎
Life. ↩︎
That is, thou wilt not take warning by the fate of others. ↩︎
After the cremation of a corpse and before the bones are collected strangers go to the burning-place at night, and practise incantations with the object of retaining the ghost of the departed so as to be serviceable to them in their worldly objects. When the relatives of the departed know of the ceremony, they do not allow it. ↩︎
It is supposed that a female snake draws a circle round her eggs and then breaks them herself. The young snakes which can go outside the circle are allowed to depart and live, but those not so able the mother is said to eat. ↩︎
Hoi is a representation of the goddess of small-pox. A festival is held by women in her honour in the month of Kartik, eight days before the Diwali. Unmarried women make clay images of her with the object of obtaining their desires. These images are thrown into water after the Diwali. In the Panjab Hoi is known as Sanjhi. ↩︎
At that time the man (maund) only weighed thirty-five pounds avoirdupois. At present it weighs eighty pounds. ↩︎
If man, having once entered the path of devotion deflect from it, he shall find no abiding place. ↩︎
Thok bajana is to clink a vessel with the middle finger to test its soundness. ↩︎
That is, do not wait for a companion? It may also mean—take not with you a companion who may want you to change your mind, and turn back on the way. ↩︎
Worldly love. ↩︎
Also translated— He expresses his wishes to his relations by signs. ↩︎
Literally — in the beginning and the end. ↩︎
Those who accept not the teaching of holy men which is as plentiful as rain. ↩︎
That is, O man, remain absorbed in the contemplation of God, otherwise thou shalt have to undergo many births. At Hindu temples it is a custom to blow shells in the morning to summon worshippers. ↩︎
Unless we have repented before death. ↩︎
If the evil passions of men do not mar their good works, they shall reach God. Kanh is also an insect which destroys fruit. The meaning of the slok is — Man may perform penance and many acts of worship, but all will be unavailing if there be a flaw, in his devotion, if his heart be not right. ↩︎
The writings in which idolatry and pilgrimages are prescribed. ↩︎
Idol worship. ↩︎
Bracelets made of white wax are worn by women. They are showy but unsubstantial. ↩︎
That is, he will do as I request him. ↩︎
He is the village scavenger, and is remembered when the poor infidel is forgotten. ↩︎
Also translated— four necklaces as some followers of Vishnu wear. ↩︎
Which is soft, and hurts not the travellers feet. ↩︎
When soiled by the dust. ↩︎
Madhukari. This word is derived from the Sanskrit madhuhar, the bee which extracts honey from every flower. ↩︎
The gyanis generally translate this — In the sukhmana where the breath of the left and right nostrils meet. ↩︎
The belief is that the foetus in the womb prays to God, but when a child is born and brought into contact with the world, his devotion fails. ↩︎
Divine grace so priceless was spurned by the common herd, and only valued at a kauri. ↩︎
And thus affording variety. ↩︎
That is, the world is wide, and great is the empire of the holy. The words dawa kahu ko nahin are also translated — To which no one hath a claim. ↩︎
The saints are filled with holiness, yet few accept instruction from them, The verse is also translated — The lake is full, but there is a dike in front owing to which few can drink the water. The dike means worldly love, which hinders men from having recourse to the guru. ↩︎
That is, evil passions assail the body. ↩︎
As poisonous serpents have no effect on sandal- wood, so the evil do not corrupt the holy. ↩︎
The evil passions which inflame mankind produce no impression on him. ↩︎
Diwani may also mean divine enthusiast deemed mad -by the world. ↩︎
Kabir’s heart was at first cold and hard as hail. When the fire of divine love shone on it, it melted into water, which, flowing on, blended with the ocean of God. ↩︎
Animals bodies are born and die. ↩︎
Also translated— Many cry out that they arc struck by God’s love, but the pain they exhibit tells a different story. The word pir has two meanings : (a) a priest or saint ; (b) pain. ↩︎
That is, the heart. ↩︎
It can on by be endured by a guru. ↩︎
Some read nai and translate— The fire of thy heart shall be extinguished by God’s name? ↩︎
Rice and dal boiled together. ↩︎
Kabir was a vegetarian, and objected to the slaughter of animals. ↩︎
Thu shalt have no consciousness of existence distinct from God. ↩︎
Rani is the name of God throughout Kabir and the other Bhagats compositions. Sometimes Har, Hari, Gobind, and other names are used, but it is understood that the reference is always to the Supreme God, the Lord of creation. ↩︎
Although in some of their hymns Kabir and some of the other Bhagats of the Granth Sahib appear to have believed in the Hindu incarnations, they occasionally ridiculed them. ↩︎
Some Sikhs translate this and the preceding slok as follows
CXC
Kabir, there are different ways of uttering Ram; in this there is an important point.
People in general utter Ram one way, and the saints another way.
CXCI
Kabir, utter Ram, Ram, but use discrimination in uttering it.
Some while doing so are engaged in their various pursuits while others are absorbed in the one God. ↩︎
That is y the- guru’s exhortation made an impression on my heart. ↩︎
The true guru’s instruction. ↩︎
When the guru’s instruction is communicated to men capable of receiving it. ↩︎
Literally — catch thee by the coat. ↩︎
If tubari be read as one word, the translation will be— In earth and heaven there are two beggar’s bowls — desire and covetousness— difficult to destroy. ↩︎
Literally — a skeleton. ↩︎
In this line if bharan be read as one word, the translation will be — The earth feeleth their weight; O God, remove them. ↩︎
Human life is the time for man to work out his salvation. It is too late when the soul has departed. ↩︎
Khewat, literallyl—the pilot who steers the elephant. ↩︎
He may even give his Jife for it. ↩︎
The saint, like a tree’s shade, affords comfort to man. ↩︎
Holy men. ↩︎
The saints wander abroad to blazon God’s goodness. ↩︎
In Kabir’s time the Banaras pandits used to partake largely of fish. ↩︎
The humble succeed where the proud fail. ↩︎
Such is the sacrifice that must be made to enable man to play with the saints, and share in their bliss. ↩︎
Nothing can be obtained from a false guru’s instruction. ↩︎