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

प्रेम न बारी ऊपजै, प्रेम न हाट बिकाय ।
राजा परजा जेहि रुचै, सीस देइ लइ जाय ।।

Prem na baari oopjai, prem na haat bikaaya
Raja parajaa jehi ruchai, sees dehi lai jaaya

The literal meaning of this couplet would be – Love does not grow in your kitchen garden nor can you buy it in a market. Whether you are a king or a pauper, if you fancy it, you will have to pay for it with your head (life).
To go deep into its meaning, we first have to understand Kabeerdaas ji’s concept of ‘love’ here. It is not earthly love between human beings but spiritual love between ‘aatmaa'(individual soul) and Paramaatmaa (Brahman – The Supreme Being). Actually, aatmaa is not a separate, independent entity but Brahman itself. The separateness is just an illusion created by Maayaa. Under the guidance of a real guru the aatmaa realizes the truth and a strong urge to merge with Brahman overwhelms it. This urge is the feeling called LOVE by Kabeerdass ji. This feeling is not fleeting or superficial. It is a deep spiritual emotion where the urge to become one with the Beloved is so strong that the seeker is ready to surrender himself body and soul. This is exactly what Kabeerdass ji means by paying with one’s head.

जो घट प्रेम न संचरै, सो घट जानि मसान ।
जैसे खाल लुहार की, साँस लेत बिनु प्रान ।।

Jo ghat prem na sancharai, so ghat jaani masaan
Jaise khaal luhaar kii, saans letu bin praan

Love is an emotion which connects person with persons and individual soul with the Supreme Being. Thus, it is important not only for worldly life but also for spiritual practices. That is why Kabeerdaas ji considers love to be essence of life. Emphasizing this fact, he says in this couplet that a heart without love is like a cremation ground (which is a place devoid of life). A person cannot be considered alive just because he is breathing. The leathern bellow of a blacksmith also sucks in and releases air (like in and out breathing) but it cannot be called a living being. Kabeerdass ji implies that simply breathing and performing daily actions and duties are not signs of life. It is only love which makes life worth living. It gives meaning to life and makes it useful for society as well as spiritual pursuits.