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

साईं इतना दीजिए, जामें कुटुम समाय ।
मैं भी भूखा न रहूँ, साधु न भूखा जाय।।

Sain itanaa deejiye, jaamen kutum samaaya
Main bhii bhookhaa naa rahoon, saadhu na bhookhaa jaaya

People, as a rule, pray to God for worldly riches, material pleasures, pelf and power. But in this couplet, Kabeerdaas ji asks God for just enough means to sustain his family and provide food for some holy persons as and when required. This prayer also shows how Kabeerdaas ji had risen above greed and was content to live a simple, frugal life. It also shows how he believed in sharing his means with deserving and good people.

रूखी सूखी खाय के, ठंडा पानी पीव ।
देख पराई चूपड़ी, मति ललचावे जीव ।।

Rookhii sookhii khaaya ke, thandaa paanii peev
dekh parai choopadii, mati lalachaave jeev

Kabeerdaas ji set great store by the values of contentment and simplicity in life. In this couplet he is advising people to be content with whatever little they have got and not hanker after riches beyond their means. Rather than craving for the rich spread of wealthy people, they should be satisfied with their simple meal with cool water. According to Kabeerdaas ji, contentment is key to happiness because desires know no limit. He will keep desiring more and more and this will mean more and more pressures and tensions in his life, so much so that he will have no time or energy left for spiritual pursuits and Brahman.