Kabeerdaas ji is categorized as a saint but his thoughts and compositions are not confined to religion, spirituality, meditation and bhajans alone.  He also deals with worldly life – the character and behaviour of individuals; practices (and malpractices) rampant in society; evils of caste system which divides people into ‘high’ and ‘low’ classes, etc.  He also goes in depth in denouncing superstitions and hypocrisy prevalent in practice of religions and sects in general.  He considers them as obstructions in the way of health, peace and happiness of society.  We should take all these things into account if we want to understand and interpret Kabeer’s poetry correctly.

— Kusum Banthia

हिन्दी में पढ़िये

बड़ा हुआ तो क्या हुआ, जैसे पेड़ खजूर ।
पंथी को छाया नहीं, फल लागे अति दूर ।।

Badaa huaa to kyaa huaa, jaise ped khajoor
Panthi ko chhaayaa nahin, phal laage ati door

Someone who holds a high and prestigious post, or, is well educated and learned or, is very rich is usually considered a ‘big’ person. Kabeerdaas ji does not think so. These things can enhance the stature of a man in society but if he does not use these qualities for the good of society, for making the life of common people easier, for taking them forward with himself, his high position is of no use. It is like a date palm tree which has spreading fronds and sweet fruits but the fronds do not provide shade to shelter travellers from the Sun and the fruits are inaccessible for hungry people.
True greatness does not consist in personal grandeur but in selfless service to society.
In many other couplets, Kabeerdaas ji has highlighted the importance of charitable acts.

काम, क्रोध, मद, लोभ की, जब लग घट में खानि ।
कहा मूर्ख कहा पंडिता, दोनों एक समानि ।।

Kaam, krodh mad lobh kii, jab lag ghat men khaani
Kahaa moorkh kahaa panditaa, dono ek samaanii

According to Kabeerdas ji, the greatness of a person does not lie in his external, worldly excellence but in his inner qualities. In this world illiterate persons are considered inferior to educated, scholarly persons who are held in high esteem. Kabeerdaas ji is against accepting education as standard of excellence. As long as vices like worldly desires, anger (leading to foul temper, fretting and misdemeanour), arrogance, and, greed (hankering after more and more of everything and going to any extent for this) remain in him, he cannot be considered noble or great despite all his scholarship. There would be no distinction between him and an unlettered, stupid person.
In this couplet, Kabeerdaas ji is trying to inspire people to break free of their vices. He is also setting a different standard in society for judging the superiority of people.
Notes:
Ghat’ (घट) literally means a pitcher in which water is carried or stored. Kabeerddaas ji, as well as many other saint poets have used this word for human body which houses the soul. Usually, this word means not the body alone but also the mind (मन) of the person.
‘Khaani’ (खानि) literally means mine or quarry. Metaphorically it also means ‘storehouse’. Kabeerdaas ji sees the human mind as a storehouse where the vices keep germinating and are also stored.