A Warning
Kabir, like all other Saints, warns man of the transient nature of the world and its relationships. The human body is subject to disease and death. Man lavishes it with care, feels proud of it and does everything possible to preserve it, but cannot avoid its inevitable fate.
Why be proud of your body —
A body that is fickle and false;
When death overtakes it,
It is not allowed to remain
In its own home a moment longer.
With milk and sugar,
With butter and cheese,
You nurture the body with care;
When life departs, that same body
Is cast out from the house
And consigned to flames.
The body, once cosseted
With creams and perfumes,
Will one day
Burn on the pyre
In the company of logs of wood.
Thus does Kabir the slave ruminate:
One day this will also be my fate.
K.G., p. 91:93
Jhoote tan ko kahā garbaiye
Deem not your mansion beautiful.
You may adorn the palace
With gold and jewels,
But without repetition
Of the Lord's Name
It is a heap of dust.
Deem not your mansion beautiful.
Its tawdry glitter has lured
The minds of one and all;
No one can gain
Peace and joy in it.
Mighty kings and emperors,
Great chiefs and rulers,
All in the end turned to dust.
Deem not your mansion beautiful.
Pure and sublime
Is the company of Saints,
Where flock true devotees of the Lord.
Free from all worldliness
They sing His praises
And remain content
Even with a piece of dry bread.
In the Saints' company adore Him,
Adore Him who is the essence of all,
And thus sever your ties with Yama.
Deem not your mansion beautiful.
Only a rare valiant one, O Kabir,
Takes to the path of divine love.
K.G., p. 89:85
Grihi jini jānau roorau re
In the same warning tone, Kabir says in this third poem that since the body does not remain with us after death, how can the objects of the world, which become ours through the body, continue to belong to us? All friends and relations gather round us for their own selfish ends; they come in contact with us to fulfil previous karmic obligations, and when the obligations are over, either they leave us or we leave them. Kabir calls this world a daily market that winds up in the evening, where we undertake the transactions of giving and taking according to our karmas. We should realize the real nature of things and adopt that path which will enable us to become free from physical bonds forever.
'Mine, oh mine', says everyone;
They all try to own the world,
But only involve themselves
In attachment and jealousy
And come into a body again and again.
Monks and monarchs of old
And men of might would say,
'Mine, oh mine' — and pass away.
What is mum, what is dad,
What is son, what is spouse?
The world is a daily market;
Only a devotee of God
Knows this reality.
Monks and men of might would say,
'Mine, oh mine' — and pass away.
I am an alien, who can I call on,
Who is mine in this foreign land?
I have explored the entire world;
Other than you, O Lord, there is no one
Whose help I can depend upon.
Monks and men of might would say,
'Mine, oh mine' — and pass away.
Those who eat meat sanctioned
By the decree of scripture,
And deem it a virtue
To avoid meat that is forbidden,
How can they gain a place in heaven?
They know not the secret
Of the five elements,
They'll be cast into the dungeons of hell.
Monks and men of might would say,
'Mine, oh mine' — and pass away.
For the sake of your kith and kin
You perform devious deeds, you sin;
You think they belong to you,
And say, 'They are mine, they are mine.'
For their own selfish ends
They crowd around you;
No one is yours, O friend.
Monks and men of might would say,
'Mine, oh mine' — and pass away.
Follow the course
That will take you across
The dreadful ocean;
Live in the world
But do not harm anyone
Because, says Kabir,
For all that you do
You will have to answer
To the Lord, your Husband.
Monks and men of might would say,
'Mine, oh mine' — and pass away.
K.G., p. 92:102
Meri meri duniyā karte
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