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

पंडित पढ़ि गुनि पचि मुये, गुरु बिन मिलै न ग्यान ।
ग्यान बिना नहिं मुक्ति है, सत्त शब्द परमान ।।

Pandit padhi guni pach muye, guru bin milai na gyaan
Gyaan binaa nahin mukti hai, satta shabda paramaan

Kabeerdaas ji believed that guidance by a guru is indispensable for a seeker in search of Absolute Truth. In this world, there are great scholars who have spent their lives studying tomes full of information and wisdom and ingested the knowledge thus acquired; but REAL knowledge comes only through the instructions by a guru.
It should be noticed that Kabeerdaas ji uses “gyaan” — Knowledge, not in the worldly, but the spiritual sense. This is the knowledge of the Supreme Being, The Absolute Truth, and it can be acquired only through the guidance of guru who himself has mastered it.

गुरु गुरु में भेद है, गुरु गुरु में भाव ।
सोई गुरु नित बंदिये, शब्द बतावै दाव ।।

Guru Guru men bhed hai, guru guru men bhaav
Sei guru nit bandiye, shabd batavai daav

While emphasizing the importance of guru, Kabeerdaas ji has also differentiated between true and false gurus. Simply studying religious texts and donning a monk’s garb does not make a person fit to become a guru. There are also cheats and avaricious persons who pose as knowledgeable gurus by flaunting the outward action and appearance of men of God. A real guru is one who has gone through the rigors of ‘saadhanaa’ — penance and meditation and succeeded in attaining Supreme Knowledge. Kabeerdaas ji is here cautioning the seekers against false or fake gurus and advising them to carefully choose and worship a guru who would lead them to the right path and teach them how to succeed in their quest for.