Thus Spake Kabeer 19

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 Kabeerdaas ji’s poetry correctly.

— Kusum Banthia

हिन्दी में पढ़िये

सोना, सज्जन, साधुजन, टूटे जुड़े सौ बार ।
दुरजन कुम्भ कुम्हार का, एकै धक्क दरार ।।

Sonaa, sajaan, saadhujan, toote jude sau baar
Durjan kuumbh kumhaar ka, ekaai dhakk daraar

In this couplet, Kabeerdaas ji mentions a big difference between good and bad persons. Saadhuus or good persons are those who have a pure mind and a strong character. They remain steadfast in the pursuit of the right path and are not afraid of adversities or obstacles in this pursuit. Their character is like gold. If something made of gold breaks it can be mended easily by melting the metal. On the other hand, wicked people are like clay pots made by potters. They get damaged very easily and once a crack occurs in a pot it cannot be mended and does not have any use any longer. Similarly, there is no firmness in the character of the wicked persons. Once they take the wrong path, they never tend to mend their ways nor are they of any use to the society any longer.

तन को जोगी सब करै, मन को करै न कोय ।
सहजै ही सिधि पाइये, जो मन जोगी होय ।।

Tan ko jogii sab karai, man ko karai na koy
Sahajai hi sidhi paaiye, jo man jogii hoy

A yogi is a person who, wanting to get rid of the cycle of birth and death in this world, practices yoga with desire for salvation. Meditation and concentration of mind are very important for this type of spiritual practice though some rules of external behaviour (like dress code, eating, daily routine etc.) are also set. In this couplet Kabeerdaas ji brings out the irony that people tend to give prominence to these external factors and disregard the mental discipline and commitment which are the basic requirements of yoga practice. They wear saffron clothes, grow their hair or shave their heads, perform the prescribed rituals but they have no feeling of detachment in their minds. They are caught in the trap of maya, attachment, greed etc. Kabeerdaas ji says that once they start practicing mental discipline and detachment, they will easily reach their goal of salvation.