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 Kabeer’s poetry correctly.

— Kusum Banthia

हिन्दी में पढ़िये

साधू ऐसा चाहिए, जैसा सूप सुभाय ।
सार सार को गहि रहे, थोथा देहि उड़ाय ।।

Saadhoo aisaa chaahiye, jaisaa soop subhay
Saar saar ko gahi rahe, thothaa dehi udaaya

When Kabeerdaas ji uses the words ‘saadhu/saadhoo/saadho’, he does not mean sannyasin, jogee or fakeers. For him, ‘saadhu’ is a good-natured person with a pure mind and unblemished conduct. He need not be an ascetic. A simple householder who has a mind free from evil and devious emotions, and who is dedicated to the welfare of people can be called a saadhu. In this couplet, Kabeerdass ji, referring to a characteristic of a sadhu likens him to a ‘soop’ — a traylike basket made of bamboo strips. In agriculture, harvested crop is usually a mix of weeds, husks and other unwanted substances with the grain. The ‘soop’ is used to winnow the harvest. In this process, all the chaff is blown away and clean grains are left behind in the tray. Similarly, a saadhu is one who should not only distinguish between good and bad but also adapt the good and discard the bad. Kabeerdaas ji says that a sadhu should, like a ‘soop’, save and conserve the essence of goodness from all around and blow away the useless, meaningless and harmful elements from life.

जाति न पूछो साधु की , पूछ लीजिए ज्ञान ।
मोल करो तरवार का , पड़ी रहन दो म्यान ।।

Jaati na puuchho saadhu ki, pouuchh liijiye gyaan
Mol karo tarvaar kaa, padaa rahan do myaan

In this couplet Kabeerdaas ji advises people to evaluate saintly persons on the basis of their wisdom, not on the basis of their caste or lineage. It is like purchasing a sword where we should pay attention to the quality of sword itself rather than the quality of the sheath.
Here Kabeerdaas ji draws attention to the fact that all human beings are basically similar at birth. Their bodies, the functions and development of their bodies follow the same path. We tend to docket them according to their caste or lineage. But these are all external factors forced on them by people of this world. God has created them equal. That is why, in evaluating people, we should never take recourse to these external factors. The quality that defines them is their knowledge or wisdom not their caste.
Kabeerdass ji was a staunch opponent of caste discrimination. He believed and preached that all people are born in the world as human beings and so should be treated as equals.