It is a traditional belief of most of the religions that by verbal repetition of one of the many names of God one will gain salvation, or by merely reading and reciting scriptures and sacred hymns one can attain God-realization Kabir says that hunger or thirst cannot be allayed by uttering the words 'food' or 'water' to satisfy his hunger and thirst. Similarly, a seeker has to learn the secret of the practice of Naam, undertake meditation and experience the spiritual truth within himself; mere reading or talking about the experiences will be of no avail.

Kabir also explains that a man cannot adore a prophet or holy man of the past, whom he has not seen or met or with whom he has not come in physical contact, because while man is in the physical world the object of his love and devotion has to be someone he can perceive with the physical senses. Thus Kabir points out the importance of a living Master who, though inwardly on the level of God, is accessible to the seeker on the physical level in the form of a man and can respond to his love and guide him on the path.

O Pundit, all your sermons are lies.
If by merely uttering 'Ram'
The world could be emancipated,
Then by repeating 'sugar'
The mouth should be sweetened,
By saying 'fire'
One's feet should burn,
By saying 'water'
One's thirst should be quenched;
If by repeating 'food'
One's hunger were allayed,
Then surely by saying 'Ram'
The world would be emancipated.

Trained by men, a parrot cries 'Hari, Hari',
But it knows nothing of Hari's lofty state;
If it should ever escape to the forest
It would no more remember Hari.
What purpose will be served
By merely uttering the name,
Without seeing, without feeling, without touching?
If by saying 'wealth' one could become rich,
Then no one would remain poor.

O Pundit, your real love
Is for worldly pleasures and riches,
And you ridicule the true devotees of the Lord.
Says Kabir: Without devotion to the One God
You will be bound and taken
To the city of Yama.

Bijak, Shabd 40
Pandit bād badai so jhootā