In the absence of guidance from a spiritual adept, man pursues the path of external observances, reading scriptures and visiting holy places; but true knowledge, which is an internal experience, eludes him. In these couplets, Kabir describes the Master as the torch-bearer of divine knowledge, an adept who has himself merged in the Lord and enables the seeker to do the same. He dispels the darkness of delusions, removes all worldly fears, protects the disciple from becoming a prey to worldly cravings and lures, gives him the spiritual strength to travel on the path, opens his inner eye to see the Lord, and teaches him the way to play the game of life in this world and win the prize of union with God. The devotee who merges in the Master loses all prejudices of caste, colour, religion and lineage and obtains real love for the Lord.

Kabir, I was trailing
The shadows of rituals,
Of customs and holy books;
But my Master came
And placed a lamp in my hand.

K.G., p. 2:11

A lamp brimming
With the oil of love he gave,
With a wick that will never run short;
In its light
I have finished all transactions,
I will never again visit
This marketplace.

K.G., p. 2:12

When Kabir met the Master
The light of knowledge
Illuminated his heart;
Let me never forget Him!
In Him I found a savior —
Through the grace of the Lord.

K.G., p. 2:13

K.G., p. 2:14

It is a great blessing
That I found the Master;
Without Him I would have
Led myself to ruin,
As the moth flies into the flame
The moment it sees the lamp.

K.G., p. 2:19

From the throne of realization
My Master gave me
Solace and strength;
Without any fear,
Without a shade of doubt,
Worship the Absolute, says Kabir.

K.G., p. 2:23

I gained poise, I attained
The state of Truth
When my Master gave me
Wisdom and strength;
Kabir now trades in divine diamonds
On the banks of the Crystal Lake.

K.G., p. 3:29

K.G., p. 1:3

When the perfect Master I met
All my worries were driven away;
He made my soul immaculate —
Now he is ever at my side.

K.G., p. 4:35

The chaupar is laid
At the crossroads
In the market between
The high and the low;
Says Kabir, the Lord's slave:
With the Master's guidance
Play the game well.

K.G., p. 3:31

I took the dice of love,
I made my body the pawn;
As taught by my Master
I threw the dice —
Thus played Kabir
And won the game.

K.G., p. 3:32

K.G., p. 3:33

Kabir, clouds laden with love
In abundance poured down on me;
Within, my soul was drenched,
And around me
Even the desert turned green.

K.G., p. 3:34