Devotees and lovers of the Lord are usually criticized and slandered by worldly people. Kabir says that he is not bothered by what people say, for like the devoted wife who decorates herself only to please her husband, he has adorned himself with the way of life that pleases the Lord. The person who slanders others takes on himself the burden of the bad karmas of the slandered one; thus while the slanderer sinks under the load of his karmas, he lightens the burden of the devotee.

Slander me, slander me, O men,
Slander me to your heart's content.
My mind, body and soul are engrossed
In the love of my beloved Lord.

Yes, I'm mad, but my husband
Is the Lord; to please Him
I adorn myself with meticulous care.
Slander me, O men, to your heart's content.

As the washerman rids cloth
Of all its dirt and stains,
The slanderer removes layers of dirt
Gathered through the ages;
Like a mother and a father
The slanderer is my well-wisher:
He rids me of the sins
Acquired from birth to birth.

The slanderer is dear to me,
Dear as my own life;
Without any wages, he carries my load.
Says Kabir: All praise
To the slanderer,
For he sinks himself
But helps devotees
To be ferried across.

K.G., p. 153:342
Bhalai nindou bhalai nindou