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

माटी कहे कुम्हार से , तू क्या रौंदे मोय ।
इक दिन ऐसा आयगा , मैं रूँदूँगी तोय ।।

Maatii kahe kumhaar se, tu kya rownde moy
Ik din aisa aayega, main rowndoongi toy

When a person lives in this world, he gathers and enjoys the means of happiness here. He does not even realize that not only these pleasures and the means providing them are temporary but he himself has come in this world for a very short period. Kabeerdaas ji conveys the message through the example of a potter’s clay. A potter prepares the mud for making pots by first digging the soil, then make it pliable by adding water to it and trampling upon it. Kabeerdaas ji sees this action of trampling and kneading the soil with feet as a symbol of man’s ego and arrogance. He is completely oblivious of his own vulnerability. Kabeerdaas ji comments on this situation through a protest by the clay. The clay calls out to the potter, ‘today you are crushing me under your feet but a day will come when you yourself will die, be buried and be crushed by me.’
Kabeerdaas ji wants people to remember that however strong or powerful they may be on this earth, they are sure to die and become one with the dust one day. Worldly power and riches should not make him arrogant. He should always remember that they are ephemeral and mould his behaviour in accordance with the ultimate end.

माली आवत देखि कै कलियन करी पुकार ।
फूली फूली चुनि लिए , काल्हि हमारी बार ।।

Maali AAavat dekh ke, kaliyan karii pukaar
Phoolii phoolii chun liye, kaalhi hamaarii baar

The meaning of this couplet is, when the buds see the gardener coming, they start saying nervously – those of us who have become flowers are being picked up today. Tomorrow, when we bloom, we will suffer the same fate. We will also be picked in the same way and taken away. Through this couplet, Kabeerdaas ji is sending a warning to worldly beings about their fate. Like the buds we are also happy and comfortable in this world and its pleasures. We don’t even realize that this is only a temporary phase. Death is the gardener who will pick us like the buds when the time comes and we will have to leave all these pleasures behind. This is the fate of all buds. This is the fate of all the worldly creatures.
Through these words Kabeerdaas ji is cautioning the people about the inevitable end. We should always be aware of this fact and not lose ourselves in the ephemeral temptations of this world. We should also be mentally prepared to leave the world and live in a manner which would ensure eternal peace after death.