Kabir calls upon man to wake up from his sleep of eons and obtain the real wish-fulfiling jewel — God-realization. Although physically awake, man has remained spiritually asleep since the day of creation. Kabir says the real indication of a person's spiritual awakening is that the formal practices advocatedby the scriptures appear to him as poison.

Wake up, O man,
Shake off your slumber;
Be alert within, obtain chintamani,
The rare wish-fulfiling jewel.
You have slept, slept on and on;
Countless days you have lost in lethargy.
Get up now
So the plundering thieves
Depart empty-handed
From your house.

This is the sign, O friend,
That you are now awake:
The Vedas and Puranas
Appear to you like poison.

Says Kabir: I'll sleep no more,
For God, the precious jewel,
I have found within my own body.

K.G., p 155:352
Jāgiyā re nar neend nasāi