People put on saffron, yellow, blue or white robes, necklaces of beads, and pose as holy men. With hardly any devotion, they are full of pride about their love for God. Kabir says that in the Lord's court these sham devotees are given no merit and cannot gain admittance. Far from realizing the Lord, they have not even recognized their own true self. Kabir points out that the true devotee vanquishes his ego or I-ness, and through love and devotion loses his identity in that of the Lord, becoming one with Him.

Of what use are they to the Lord,
Who do not try to realize their true self?
With hardly a drop of devotion in them,
They are swollen with self-esteem;
Such devotees are legion,
But of what value are they to the Lord?

Those who have no love for the Lord,
Who do not long to see Him,
Who merely wear a rosary around their neck
Like the necklace of buckets
Round the axle of a persian wheel,
What worth are they to the Lord?

One who annihilates his ego
Is the true and loving devotee;
He, O Kabir, is the same
As the Lord.

K.G., p. 100:137
Te hari ke āvahi kihi kāmā