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

तुरुक मसीहत देहर हिंदू, आप आप को धाय
अलख पुरुष घट भीतरे, ताका पर न पाय ।।

Turuk maseehat dehar Hindoo, aap aap ko dhaaya
Alakh purush ghat bheetare, Taakaa par na paaya

Kabeerdaas ji was strictly against the rites and rituals through which people tend to define different religions. In this couplet too, he begins by pointing out that the Muslims go to mosques and Hindoos go to temples to worship God. So, they appear to be different. None of them realizes that their heart itself is the abode of the Supreme Being. He is unfathomable, invisible to the earthly eyes, but permeates entire existence.
Kabeerdaas ji here wants to emphasize the essential oneness of all religions and the harm that the rites and rituals of worldly ‘religions’ cause by dividing human beings and leading them away from God — the Supreme Being.

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हंसा बगुला एक सा, मानसरोवर माँहि ।
बगा ढंढोरे माछरी, हंसा मोती खाहिं।।

Hansaa bagulaa ek saa, Mansarovar maanhi
Bagaa dandhore maachharii, hansaa motii khaanhi

In India swan is looked upon as a symbol of purity, wisdom and unblemished mind. Despite living in water, it does not eat fish or insects but feeds on pearls. It is also believed to consume milk after separating it from water. In literature, it is often used as a symbol of pure soul and divine knowledge. In this couplet also Kabeerdaasji chooses swan and heron to represent an enlightened soul and a lowly earthly being respectively.
Swans and herons, both live in the holy lake –– Maansarovar. Both of them are white aquatic birds living within the same eco-system. Still there is a great difference between their nature and behaviour. The heron keeps scouring the water in search of fish but the food of the swan is pearls. Though this example, Kabeerdaas ji wants to establish the fact that the character of a person is not formed or moulded by his circumstances. It is inborn. In a given circumstance, a wise and knowledgeable person will choose only the best and most benevolent option but an ignorant person will remain involved in lowly worldly pursuits only.