I. 50.bhram kâ tâlâ lagâ mahal re
The lock of error shuts the gate, open it with the key of love:Thus, by opening the door, thou shalt wake the Beloved.Kabîr says: "O brother! do not pass by such good fortune asthis."
I. 59.sâdho, yah tan thâth tanvure ka
O friend! this body is His lyre; He tightens its strings, anddraws from it the melody of Brahma.If the strings snap and the keys slacken, then to dust must thisinstrument of dust return:Kabîr says: "None but Brahma can evoke its melodies."
I. 65.avadhû bhûle ko ghar lâwe
He is dear to me indeed who can call back the wanderer to hishome. In the home is the true union, in the home is enjoymentof life: why should I forsake my home and wander in the forest?If Brahma helps me to realize truth, verily I will find bothbondage and deliverance in home.He is dear to me indeed who has power to dive deep into Brahma;whose mind loses itself with ease in His contemplation.He is dear to me who knows Brahma, and can dwell on His supremetruth in meditation; and who can play the melody of theInfinite by uniting love and renunciation in life.Kabîr says: "The home is the abiding place; in the home isreality; the home helps to attain Him Who is real. So staywhere you are, and all things shall come to you in time."
I. 76.santo, sahaj samâdh bhalî
O sadhu! the simple union is the best. Since the day when I metwith my Lord, there has been no end to the sport of our love.I shut not my eyes, I close not my ears, I do not mortify mybody;I see with eyes open and smile, and behold His beauty everywhere:I utter His Name, and whatever I see, it reminds me of Him;whatever I do., it becomes His worship.The rising and the setting are one to me; all contradictions aresolved.Wherever I go, I move round Him,All I achieve is His service:When I lie down, I lie prostrate at His feet.
He is the only adorable one to me: I have none other.My tongue has left off impure words, it sings His glory day andnight:Whether I rise or sit down, I can never forget Him; for therhythm of His music beats in my ears.Kabîr says: "My heart is frenzied, and I disclose in my soul whatis hidden. I am immersed in that one great bliss whichtranscends all pleasure and pain."
I. 79.tîrath men to sab pânî hai
There is nothing but water at the holy bathing places; and I knowthat they are useless, for I have bathed in them.The images are all lifeless, they cannot speak; I know, for Ihave cried aloud to them.The Purana and the Koran are mere words; lifting up the curtain,I have seen.Kabîr gives utterance to the words of experience; and he knowsvery well that all other things are untrue.
I. 82.pânî vic mîn piyâsî
I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty:You do not see that the Real is in your home, and you wander fromforest to forest listlessly!Here is the truth! Go where you will, to Benares or to Mathura;if you do not find your soul, the world is unreal to you.
I. 93.gagan math gaib nisân gade
The Hidden Banner is planted in the temple of the sky; there theblue canopy decked with the moon and set with bright jewels isspread.There the light of the sun and the moon is shining: still yourmind to silence before that splendour.Kabîr says: "He who has drunk of this nectar, wanders like onewho is mad."
I. 97.sâdho, ko hai kânh se âyo
Who are you, and whence do you come?Where dwells that Supreme Spirit, and how does He have His sportwith all created things?The fire is in the wood; but who awakens it suddenly? Then itturns to ashes, and where goes the force of the fire?The true guru teaches that He has neither limit nor infinitude.Kabîr says: "Brahma suits His language to the understanding ofHis hearer."
I. 98.sâdho, sahajai kâyâ s'odho
O sadhu! purify your body in the simple way.As the seed is within the banyan tree, and within the seed arethe flowers, the fruits, and the shade:So the germ is within the body, and within that germ is the bodyagain.The fire, the air, the water, the earth, and the aether; youcannot have these outside of Him.O, Kazi, O Pundit, consider it well: what is there that is not inthe soul?The water-filled pitcher is placed upon water, it has waterwithin and without.It should not be given a name, lest it call forth the error ofdualism.Kabîr says: "Listen to the Word, the Truth, which is youressence. He speaks the Word to Himself; and He Himself is theCreator."
I. 102.tarvar ek mûl vin thâdâ
There is a strange tree, which stands without roots and bearsfruits without blossoming;It has no branches and no leaves, it is lotus all over.Two birds sing there; one is the Guru, and the other thedisciple:The disciple chooses the manifold fruits of life and tastes them,and the Guru beholds him in joy.What Kabîr says is hard to understand: "The bird is beyondseeking, yet it is most clearly visible. The Formless is inthe midst of all forms. I sing the glory of forms."
I. 107.calat mansâ acal kînhî
I have stilled my restless mind, and my heart is radiant: for inThatness I have seen beyond That-ness. In company I have seenthe Comrade Himself.Living in bondage, I have set myself free: I have broken awayfrom the clutch of all narrowness.Kabîr says: "I have attained the unattainable, and my heart iscoloured with the colour of love."
I. 105.jo dîsai, so to hai nâhîn
That which you see is not: and for that which is, you have nowords.Unless you see, you believe not: what is told you you cannotaccept.He who is discerning knows by the word; and the ignorant standsgaping.Some contemplate the Formless, and others meditate on form: butthe wise man knows that Brahma is beyond both.That beauty of His is not seen of the eye: that metre of His isnot heard of the ear.Kabîr says: "He who has found both love and renunciation neverdescends to death."
I. 126.muralî bajat akhand sadâye
The flute of the Infinite is played without ceasing, and itssound is love:When love renounces all limits, it reaches truth.How widely the fragrance spreads! It has no end, nothing standsin its way.The form of this melody is bright like a million suns:incomparably sounds the vina, the vina of the notes of truth.
I. 129.sakhiyo, ham hûn bhâî vâlamâs'î
Dear friend, I am eager to meet my Beloved! My youth hasflowered, and the pain of separation from Him troubles mybreast.I am wandering yet in the alleys of knowledge without purpose,but I have received His news in these alleys of knowledge.I have a letter from my Beloved: in this letter is an unutterablemessage, and now my fear of death is done away.Kabîr says: "O my loving friend! I have got for my gift theDeathless One."
I. 130.sâîn vin dard kareje hoy
When I am parted from my Beloved, my heart is full of misery: Ihave no comfort in the day, I have no sleep in the night. Towhom shall I tell my sorrow?The night is dark; the hours slip by. Because my Lord is absent,I start up and tremble with fear.Kabîr says: "Listen, my friend! there is no other satisfaction,save in the encounter with the Beloved."
I. 122.kaum muralî s'abd s'un ânand bhayo
What is that flute whose music thrills me with joy?The flame burns without a lamp;The lotus blossoms without a root;Flowers bloom in clusters;The moon-bird is devoted to the moon;With all its heart the rain-bird longs for the shower of rain;But upon whose love does the Lover concentrate His entire life?
I. 112.s'untâ nahî dhun kî khabar
Have you not heard the tune which the Unstruck Music is playing?In the midst of the chamber the harp of joy is gently andsweetly played; and where is the need of going without to hearit?If you have not drunk of the nectar of that One Love, what bootsit though you should purge yourself of all stains?The Kazi is searching the words of the Koran, and instructingothers: but if his heart be not steeped in that love, what doesit avail, though he be a teacher of men?The Yogi dyes his garments with red: but if he knows naught ofthat colour of love, what does it avail though his garments betinted?Kabîr says: "Whether I be in the temple or the balcony, in thecamp or in the flower garden, I tell you truly that everymoment my Lord is taking His delight in me."
I. 73.bhakti kâ mârag jhînâ re
Subtle is the path of love!Therein there is no asking and no not-asking,There one loses one's self at His feet,There one is immersed in the joy of the seeking: plunged in thedeeps of love as the fish in the water.The lover is never slow in offering his head for his Lord'sservice.Kabîr declares the secret of this love.
I. 68.bhâi kôî satguru sant kahâwaî
He is the real Sadhu, who can reveal the form of the Formless tothe vision of these eyes:Who teaches the simple way of attaining Him, that is other thanrites or ceremonies:Who does not make you close the doors, and hold the breath, andrenounce the world:Who makes you perceive the Supreme Spirit wherever the mindattaches itself:Who teaches you to be still in the midst of all your activities.Ever immersed in bliss, having no fear in his mind, he keeps thespirit of union in the midst of all enjoyments.The infinite dwelling of the Infinite Being is everywhere: inearth, water, sky, and air:Firm as the thunderbolt, the seat of the seeker is establishedabove the void.He who is within is without: I see Him and none else.
I. 66.sâdho, s'abd sâdhnâ kîjai
Receive that Word from which the Universe springeth!That word is the Guru; I have heard it, and become the disciple.How many are there who know the meaning of that word?
O Sadhu! practise that Word!The Vedas and the Puranas proclaim it,The world is established in it,The Rishis and devotees speak of it:But none knows the mystery of the Word.The householder leaves his house when he hears it,The ascetic comes back to love when he hears it,The Six Philosophies expound it,The Spirit of Renunciation points to that Word,From that Word the world-form has sprung,That Word reveals all.Kabîr says: "But who knows whence the Word cometh?
I. 63.pîle pyâlâ, ho matwâlâ
Empty the Cup! O be drunken!Drink the divine nectar of His Name!Kabîr says: "Listen to me, dear Sadhu!From the sole of the foot to the crown of the head this mind isfilled with poison."
I. 52.khasm na cînhai bâwari
O man, if thou dost not know thine own Lord, whereof art thou soproud?Put thy cleverness away: mere words shall never unite thee toHim.Do not deceive thyself with the witness of the Scriptures:Love is something other than this, and he who has sought it trulyhas found it.
I. 56.sukh sindh kî sair kâ
The savour of wandering in the ocean of deathless life has rid meof all my asking:As the tree is in the seed, so all diseases are in this asking.
I. 48.sukh sâgar men âîke
When at last you are come to the ocean of happiness, do not goback thirsty.Wake, foolish man! for Death stalks you. Here is pure waterbefore you; drink it at every breath.Do not follow the mirage on foot, but thirst for the nectar;Dhruva, Prahlad, and Shukadeva have drunk of it, and also Raidashas tasted it:The saints are drunk with love, their thirst is for love.Kabîr says: "Listen to me, brother! The nest of fear is broken.Not for a moment have you come face to face with the world:You are weaving your bondage of falsehood, your words are full ofdeception:With the load of desires which you. hold on your head, how canyou be light?"Kabîr says: "Keep within you truth, detachment, and love."
I. 35.satî ko kaun s'ikhâwtâ hai
Who has ever taught the widowed wife to burn herself on the pyreof her dead husband?And who has ever taught love to find bliss in renunciation?
I. 39.are man, dhîraj kâhe na dharai
Why so impatient, my heart?He who watches over birds, beasts, and insects,He who cared for you whilst you were yet in your mother's womb,Shall He not care for you now that you are come forth?Oh my heart, how could you turn from the smile of your Lord andwander so far from Him?You have left Your Beloved and are thinking of others: and thisis why all your work is in vain.
I. 117.sâîn se lagan kathin hai, bhâî
Now hard it is to meet my Lord!The rain-bird wails in thirst for the rain: almost she dies ofher longing, yet she would have none other water than therain.Drawn by the love of music, the deer moves forward: she dies asshe listens to the music, yet she shrinks not in fear.The widowed wife sits by the body of her dead husband: she is notafraid of the fire.Put away all fear for this poor body.
I. 22.jab main bhûlâ, re bhâî
O brother! when I was forgetful, my true Guru showed me the Way.Then I left off all rites and ceremonies, I bathed no more in theholy water:Then I learned that it was I alone who was mad, and the wholeworld beside me was sane; and I had disturbed these wise people.From that time forth I knew no more how to roll in the dust inobeisance:I do not ring the temple bell:I do not set the idol on its throne:I do not worship the image with flowers.It is not the austerities that mortify the flesh which arepleasing to the Lord,When you leave off your clothes and kill your senses, you do notplease the Lord:The man who is kind and who practises righteousness, who remainspassive amidst the affairs of the world, who considers allcreatures on earth as his own self,He attains the Immortal Being, the true God is ever with him.Kabîr says: "He attains the true Name whose words are pure, andwho is free from pride and conceit."
I. 20.man na rangâye
The Yogi dyes his garments, instead of dyeing his mind in thecolours of love:He sits within the temple of the Lord, leaving Brahma to worshipa stone.He pierces holes in his ears, he has a great beard and mattedlocks, he looks like a goat:He goes forth into the wilderness, killing all his desires, andturns himself into an eunuch:He shaves his head and dyes his garments; he reads the Gîtâ andbecomes a mighty talker.Kabîr says: "You are going to the doors of death, bound hand andfoot!"
I. 9.nâ jâne sâhab kaisâ hai
I do not know what manner of God is mine.The Mullah cries aloud to Him: and why? Is your Lord deaf? Thesubtle anklets that ring on the feet of an insect when it movesare heard of Him.Tell your beads, paint your forehead with the mark of your God,and wear matted locks long and showy: but a deadly weapon is inyour heart, and how shall you have God?
III. 102.ham se rahâ na jây
I hear the melody of His flute, and I cannot contain myself:The flower blooms, though it is not spring; and already the beehas received its invitation.The sky roars and the lightning flashes, the waves arise in myheart,The rain falls; and my heart longs for my Lord.Where the rhythm of the world rises and falls, thither my hearthas reached:There the hidden banners are fluttering in the air.Kabîr says: "My heart is dying, though it lives."
III. 2.jo khodâ masjid vasat hai
If God be within the mosque, then to whom does this world belong?If Ram be within the image which you find upon your pilgrimage,then who is there to know what happens without?Hari is in the East: Allah is in the West. Look within yourheart, for there you will find both Karim and Ram;All the men and women of the world are His living forms.Kabîr is the child of Allah and of Ram: He is my Guru, He is myPir.
III. 9.s'îl santosh sadâ samadrishti
He who is meek and contented., he who has an equal vision, whosemind is filled with the fullness of acceptance and of rest;He who has seen Him and touched Him, he is freed from all fearand trouble.To him the perpetual thought of God is like sandal paste smearedon the body, to him nothing else is delight:His work and his rest are filled with music: he sheds abroad theradiance of love.Kabîr says: "Touch His feet, who is one and indivisible,immutable and peaceful; who fills all vessels to the brim withjoy, and whose form is love."
III. 13.sâdh sangat pîtam
Go thou to the company of the good, where the Beloved One has Hisdwelling place:Take all thy thoughts and love and instruction from thence.Let that assembly be burnt to ashes where His Name is not spoken!Tell me, how couldst thou hold a wedding-feast, if the bridegroomhimself were not there?Waver no more, think only of the Beloved;Set not thy heart on the worship of other gods, there is no worthin the worship of other masters.Kabîr deliberates and says: "Thus thou shalt never find theBeloved!"
III. 26.tor hîrâ hirâilwâ kîcad men
The jewel is lost in the mud, and all are seeking for it;Some look for it in the east, and some in the west; some in thewater and some amongst stones.But the servant Kabîr has appraised it at its true value, and haswrapped it with care in the end of the mantle of his heart.
III. 26.âyau din gaune kâ ho
The palanquin came to take me away to my husband's home, and itsent through my heart a thrill of joy;But the bearers have brought me into the lonely forest, where Ihave no one of my own.O bearers, I entreat you by your feet, wait but a moment longer:let me go back to my kinsmen and friends, and take my leave ofthem.The servant Kabîr sings: "O Sadhu! finish your buying andselling, have done with your good and your bad: for there areno markets and no shops in the land to which you go."
III. 30.are dil, prem nagar kä ant na pâyâ
O my heart! you have not known all the secrets of this city oflove: in ignorance you came, and in ignorance you return.O my friend, what have you done with this life? You have takenon your head the burden heavy with stones, and who is tolighten it for you?Your Friend stands on the other shore, but you never think inyour mind how you may meet with Him:The boat is broken, and yet you sit ever upon the bank; and thusyou are beaten to no purpose by the waves.The servant Kabîr asks you to consider; who is there that shallbefriend you at the last?You are alone, you have no companion: you will suffer theconsequences of your own deeds.
III. 55.ved kahe sargun ke âge
The Vedas say that the Unconditioned stands beyond the world ofConditions.O woman, what does it avail thee to dispute whether He is beyondall or in all?See thou everything as thine own dwelling place: the mist ofpleasure and pain can never spread there.There Brahma is revealed day and night: there light is Hisgarment, light is His seat, light rests on thy head.Kabîr says: "The Master, who is true, He is all light."
III. 48.tû surat nain nihâr
Open your eyes of love, and see Him who pervades this world Iconsider it well, and know that this is your own country.When you meet the true Guru, He will awaken your heart;He will tell you the secret of love and detachment, and then youwill know indeed that He transcends this universe.This world is the City of Truth, its maze of paths enchants theheart:We can reach the goal without crossing the road, such is thesport unending.Where the ring of manifold joys ever dances about Him, there isthe sport of Eternal Bliss.When we know this, then all our receiving and renouncing isover;Thenceforth the heat of having shall never scorch us more.
He is the Ultimate Rest unbounded:He has spread His form of love throughout all the world.From that Ray which is Truth, streams of new forms areperpetually springing: and He pervades those forms.All the gardens and groves and bowers are abounding with blossom;and the air breaks forth into ripples of joy.There the swan plays a wonderful game,There the Unstruck Music eddies around the Infinite One;There in the midst the Throne of the Unheld is shining, whereonthe great Being sits—Millions of suns are shamed by the radiance of a single hair ofHis body.On the harp of the road what true melodies are being sounded!and its notes pierce the heart:There the Eternal Fountain is playing its endless life-streams ofbirth and death.They call Him Emptiness who is the Truth of truths, in Whom alltruths are stored!
There within Him creation goes forward, which is beyond allphilosophy; for philosophy cannot attain to Him:There is an endless world, O my Brother! and there is theNameless Being, of whom naught can be said.Only he knows it who has reached that region: it is other thanall that is heard and said.No form, no body, no length, no breadth is seen there: how can Itell you that which it is?He comes to the Path of the Infinite on whom the grace of theLord descends: he is freed from births and deaths who attainsto Him.Kabîr says: "It cannot be told by the words of the mouth, itcannot be written on paper:It is like a dumb person who tastes a sweet thing—how shall itbe explained?"
III. 60.cal hamsâ wâ des' jahân
O my heart! let us go to that country where dwells the Beloved,the ravisher of my heart!There Love is filling her pitcher from the well, yet she has norope wherewith to draw water;There the clouds do not cover the sky, yet the rain falls down ingentle showers:O bodiless one! do not sit on your doorstep; go forth and batheyourself in that rain!There it is ever moonlight and never dark; and who speaks of onesun only? that land is illuminate with the rays of a millionsuns.
III. 63.kahain Kabîr, s'uno ho sâdho
Kabîr says: "O Sadhu! hear my deathless words. If you want yourown good, examine and consider them well.You have estranged yourself from the Creator, of whom you havesprung: you have lost your reason, you have bought death.All doctrines and all teachings are sprung from Him, from Himthey grow: know this for certain, and have no fear.Hear from me the tidings of this great truth!Whose name do you sing, and on whom do you meditate? O, comeforth from this entanglement!He dwells at the heart of all things, so why take refuge in emptydesolation?If you place the Guru at a distance from you, then it is but thedistance that you honour:If indeed the Master be far away, then who is it else that iscreating this world?When you think that He is not here, then you wander further andfurther away, and seek Him in vain with tears.Where He is far off, there He is unattainable: where He is near,He is very bliss.Kabîr says: "Lest His servant should suffer pain He pervades himthrough and through."Know yourself then, O Kabîr; for He is in you from head to foot.Sing with gladness, and keep your seat unmoved within your heart.
III. 66.nâ main dharmî nahîn adharmî
I am neither pious nor ungodly, I live neither by law nor bysense,I am neither a speaker nor hearer, I am neither a servant normaster, I am neither bond nor free,I am neither detached nor attached.I am far from none: I am near to none.I shall go neither to hell nor to heaven.I do all works; yet I am apart from all works.Few comprehend my meaning: he who can comprehend it, he sitsunmoved.Kabîr seeks neither to establish nor to destroy.
III. 69.satta nâm hai sab ten nyârâ
The true Name is like none other name!The distinction of the Conditioned from the Unconditioned is buta word:The Unconditioned is the seed, the Conditioned is the flower andthe fruit.Knowledge is the branch, and the Name is the root.Look, and see where the root is: happiness shall be yours whenyou come to the root.The root will lead you to the branch, the leaf, the flower, andthe fruit:It is the encounter with the Lord, it is the attainment of bliss,it is the reconciliation of the Conditioned and theUnconditioned.
III. 74.pratham ek jo âpai âp
In the beginning was He alone, sufficient unto Himself: theformless, colourless, and unconditioned Being.Then was there neither beginning, middle, nor end;Then were no eyes, no darkness, no light;Then were no ground, air, nor sky; no fire, water, nor earth; norivers like the Ganges and the Jumna, no seas, oceans, and waves.Then was neither vice nor virtue; scriptures there were not, asthe Vedas and Puranas, nor as the Koran.Kabîr ponders in his mind and says, "Then was there no activity:the Supreme Being remained merged in the unknown depths of Hisown self."The Guru neither eats nor drinks, neither lives nor dies:Neither has He form, line, colour, nor vesture.He who has neither caste nor clan nor anything else—how may Idescribe His glory?He has neither form nor formlessness,He has no name,He has neither colour nor colourlessness,He has no dwelling-place.
III. 76.kahain Kabîr vicâr ke
Kabîr ponders and says: "He who has neither caste nor country,who is formless and without quality, fills all space."The Creator brought into being the Game of Joy: and from the wordOm the Creation sprang.The earth is His joy; His joy is the sky;His joy is the flashing of the sun and the moon;His joy is the beginning, the middle, and the end;His joy is eyes, darkness, and light.Oceans and waves are His joy: His joy the Sarasvati, the Jumna,and the Ganges.The Guru is One: and life and death., union and separation, areall His plays of joy!His play the land and water, the whole universe!His play the earth and the sky!In play is the Creation spread out, in play it is established.The whole world, says Kabîr, rests in His play, yet still thePlayer remains unknown.
III. 84.jhî jhî jantar bâjai
The harp gives forth murmurous music; and the dance goes onwithout hands and feet.It is played without fingers, it is heard without ears: for He isthe ear, and He is the listener.The gate is locked, but within there is fragrance: and there themeeting is seen of none.The wise shall understand it.
III. 89.mor phakîrwâ mângi jây
The Beggar goes a-begging, butI could not even catch sight of Him:And what shall I beg of the Beggar He gives without my asking.Kabîr says: "I am His own: now let that befall which may befall!"
III. 90.naihar se jiyarâ phât re
My heart cries aloud for the house of my lover; the open road andthe shelter of a roof are all one to her who has lost the cityof her husband.My heart finds no joy in anything: my mind and my body aredistraught.His palace has a million gates, but there is a vast ocean betweenit and me:How shall I cross it, O friend? for endless is the outstretchingof the path.How wondrously this lyre is wrought! When its strings arerightly strung, it maddens the heart: but when the keys arebroken and the strings are loosened, none regard it more.I tell my parents with laughter that I must go to my Lord in themorning;
They are angry, for they do not want me to go, and they say: "Shethinks she has gained such dominion over her husband that shecan have whatsoever she wishes; and therefore she is impatientto go to him."Dear friend, lift my veil lightly now; for this is the night oflove.Kabîr says: "Listen to me! My heart is eager to meet my lover: Ilie sleepless upon my bed. Remember me early in the morning!"
III. 96.jîv mahal men S'iv pahunwâ
Serve your God, who has come into this temple of life!Do not act the part of a madman, for the night is thickeningfast.He has awaited me for countless ages, for love of me He haslost His heart:Yet I did not know the bliss that was so near to me, for my lovewas not yet awake.But now, my Lover has made known to me the meaning of the notethat struck my ear:Now, my good fortune is come.Kabîr says: "Behold! how great is my good fortune! I havereceived the unending caress of my Beloved!"
I. 71.gagan ghatâ ghaharânî, sâdho
Clouds thicken in the sky! O, listen to the deep voice of theirroaring;The rain comes from the east with its monotonous murmur.Take care of the fences and boundaries of your fields, lest therains overflow them;Prepare the soil of deliverance, and let the creepers of love andrenunciation be soaked in this shower.It is the prudent farmer who will bring his harvest home; heshall fill both his vessels, and feed both the wise men and thesaints.
III. 118.âj din ke main jaun balihârî
This day is dear to me above all other days, for to-day theBeloved Lord is a guest in my house;My chamber and my courtyard are beautiful with His presence.My longings sing His Name, and they are become lost in His greatbeauty:I wash His feet, and I look upon His Face; and I lay before Himas an offering my body, my mind, and all that I have.What a day of gladness is that day in which my Beloved, who is mytreasure, comes to my house!All evils fly from my heart when I see my Lord."My love has touched Him; my heart is longing for the Name whichis Truth."Thus sings Kabîr, the servant of all servants.
I. 100.kôi s'untâ hai jñânî râg gagan men
Is there any wise man who will listen to that solemn music whicharises in the sky?For He, the Source of all music, makes all vessels full fraught,and rests in fullness Himself.He who is in the body is ever athirst, for he pursues that whichis in part:But ever there wells forth deeper and deeper the sound "He isthis—this is He"; fusing love and renunciation into one.Kabîr says: "O brother! that is the Primal Word."
I. 108.main kâ se bûjhaun
To whom shall I go to learn about my Beloved?Kabîr says: "As you never may find the forest if you ignore thetree, so He may never be found in abstractions."
III. 12.samskirit bhâshâ padhi lînhâ
I have learned the Sanskrit language, so let all men call mewise:But where is the use of this, when I am floating adrift, andparched with thirst, and burning with the heat of desire?To no purpose do you bear on your head this load of pride andvanity.Kabîr says: "Lay it down in the dust, and go forth to meet theBeloved. Address Him as your Lord."
III. 110.carkhâ calai surat virahin kâ
The woman who is parted from her lover spins at the spinningwheel.The city of the body arises in its beauty; and within it thepalace of the mind has been built.The wheel of love revolves in the sky, and the seat is made ofthe jewels of knowledge:What subtle threads the woman weaves, and makes them fine withlove and reverence!Kabîr says: "I am weaving the garland of day and night. When myLover comes and touches me with His feet, I shall offer Him mytears."
III. 111.kotîn bhânu candra târâgan
Beneath the great umbrella of my King millions of suns and moonsand stars are shining!He is the Mind within my mind: He is the Eye within mine eye.Ah, could my mind and eyes be one! Could my love but reach to myLover! Could but the fiery heat of my heart be cooled!Kabîr says: "When you unite love with the Lover, then you havelove's perfection."
I. 92.avadhû begam des' hamârâ
O sadhu! my land is a sorrowless land.I cry aloud to all, to the king and the beggar, the emperor andthe fakir—Whosoever seeks for shelter in the Highest, let all come andsettle in my land!Let the weary come and lay his burdens here!
So live here, my brother, that you may cross with ease to thatother shore.It is a land without earth or sky, without moon or stars;For only the radiance of Truth shines in my Lord's Durbar.Kabîr says: "O beloved brother! naught is essential save Truth."
I. 109.sâîn ke sangat sâsur âî
Came with my Lord to my Lord's home: but I lived not with Him andI tasted Him not, and my youth passed away like a dream.On my wedding night my women-friends sang in chorus, and I wasanointed with the unguents of pleasure and pain:But when the ceremony was over, I left my Lord and came away, andmy kinsman tried to console me upon the road.Kabîr says, "I shall go to my Lord's house with my love at myside; then shall I sound the trumpet of triumph!"
I. 75.samajh dekh man mît piyarwâ
O friend, dear heart of mine, think well! if you love indeed,then why do you sleep?If you have found Him, then give yourself utterly, and take Himto you.Why do you loose Him again and again?If the deep sleep of rest has come to your eyes, why waste yourtime making the bed and arranging the pillows?Kabîr says: "I tell you the ways of love! Even though the headitself must be given, why should you weep over it?"
II. 90.sâhab ham men, sâhab tum men
The Lord is in me, the Lord is in you, as life is in every seed.O servant! put false pride away, and seek for Him within you.A million suns are ablaze with light,The sea of blue spreads in the sky,The fever of life is stilled, and all stains are washed away;when I sit in the midst of that world.Hark to the unstruck bells and drums! Take your delight in love!Rains pour down without water, and the rivers are streams oflight.One Love it is that pervades the whole world, few there are whoknow it fully:They are blind who hope to see it by the light of reason, thatreason which is the cause of separation—The House of Reason is very far away!How blessed is Kabîr, that amidst this great joy he sings withinhis own vessel.It is the music of the meeting of soul with soul;It is the music of the forgetting of sorrows;It is the music that transcends all coming in and all goingforth.
II. 98.ritu phâgun niyarânî
The month of March draws near: ah, who will unite me to my Lover?How shall I find words for the beauty of my Beloved? For He ismerged in all beauty.His colour is in all the pictures of the world, and it bewitchesthe body and the mind.Those who know this, know what is this unutterable play of theSpring.Kabîr says: "Listen to me, brother' there are not many who havefound this out."
II. 111.Nârad, pyâr so antar nâhî
Oh Narad! I know that my Lover cannot be far:When my Lover wakes, I wake; when He sleeps, I sleep.He is destroyed at the root who gives pain to my Beloved.Where they sing His praise, there I live;When He moves, I walk before Him: my heart yearns for my Beloved.The infinite pilgrimage lies at His feet, a million devotees areseated there.Kabîr says: "The Lover Himself reveals the glory of true love."
II. 122.kôî prem kî peng jhulâo re
Hang up the swing of love to-day! Hang the body and the mindbetween the arms of the Beloved, in the ecstasy of love's joy:Bring the tearful streams of the rainy clouds to your eyes, andcover your heart with the shadow of darkness:Bring your face nearer to His ear, and speak of the deepestlongings of your heart.Kabîr says: "Listen to me, brother! bring the vision of theBeloved in your heart."