Salok Kabeer Jee

¹Saloks Of Devotee Kabeer Jee:

²One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

³Kabeer, my rosary is my tongue, upon which the Lord's Name is strung.

⁴From the very beginning, and throughout the ages, all the devotees abide in tranquil peace. ||1||

⁵Kabeer, everyone laughs at my social class.

⁶I am a sacrifice to this social class, in which I chant and meditate on the Creator. ||2||

⁷Kabeer, why do you stumble? Why does your soul waver?

⁸He is the Lord of all comforts and peace; drink in the Sublime Essence of the Lord's Name. ||3||

⁹Kabeer, earrings made of gold and studded with jewels,

¹⁰look like burnt twigs, if the Name is not in the mind. ||4||

¹¹Kabeer, rare is such a person, who remains dead while yet alive.

¹²Singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, he is fearless. Wherever I look, the Lord is there. ||5||

¹³Kabeer, on the day when I die, afterwards there shall be bliss.

¹⁴I shall meet with my Lord God. Those with me shall meditate and vibrate on the Lord of the Universe. ||6||

¹⁵Kabeer, I am the worst of all. Everyone else is good.

¹⁶Whoever understands this is a friend of mine. ||7||

¹⁷Kabeer, she came to me in various forms and disguises.

¹⁸My Guru saved me, and now she bows humbly to me. ||8||

¹⁹Kabeer, kill only that, which, when killed, shall bring peace.

²⁰Everyone shall call you good, very good, and no one shall think you are bad. ||9||

²¹Kabeer, the night is dark, and men go about doing their dark deeds.

¹They take the noose and run around; but rest assured that God shall destroy them. ||10||

²Kabeer, the sandalwood tree is good, even though it is surrounded by weeds.

³Those who dwell near the sandalwood tree, become just like the sandalwood tree. ||11||

⁴Kabeer, the bamboo is drowned in its egotistical pride. No one should drown like this.

⁵Bamboo also dwells near the sandalwood tree, but it does not take up its fragrance. ||12||

⁶Kabeer, the mortal loses his faith, for the sake of the world, but the world shall not go along with him in the end.

⁷The idiot strikes his own foot with the axe by his own hand. ||13||

⁸Kabeer, wherever I go, I see wonders everywhere.

⁹But without the devotees of the One Lord, it is all wilderness to me. ||14||

¹⁰Kabeer, the dwelling of the Saints is good; the dwelling of the unrighteous burns like an oven.

¹¹Those mansions in which the Lord's Name is not chanted might just as well burn down. ||15||

¹²Kabeer, why cry at the death of a Saint? He is just going back to his home.

¹³Cry for the wretched, faithless cynic, who is sold from store to store. ||16||

¹⁴Kabeer, the faithless cynic is like a piece of garlic.

¹⁵Even if you eat it sitting in a corner, it becomes obvious to everyone. ||17||

¹⁶Kabeer, Maya is the butter-churn, and the breath is the churning-stick.

¹⁷The Saints eat the butter, while the world drinks the whey. ||18||

¹⁸Kabeer, Maya is the butter-churn; the breath flows like ice water.

¹⁹Whoever does the churning eats the butter; the others are just churning-sticks. ||19||

²⁰Kabeer, Maya is the thief, which breaks in and plunders the store.

²¹Only Kabeer is not plundered; he has cut her into twelve pieces. ||20||

²²Kabeer, peace does not come in this world by making lots of friends.

²³Those who keep their consciousness focused on the One Lord shall find eternal peace. ||21||

²⁴Kabeer, the world is afraid of death - that death fills my mind with bliss.

²⁵It is only by death that perfect, supreme bliss is obtained. ||22||

²⁶The Treasure of the Lord is obtained, O Kabeer, but do not undo its knot.

²⁷There is no market to sell it, no appraiser, no customer, and no price. ||23||

²⁸Kabeer, be in love with only that one, whose Master is the Lord.

²⁹The Pandits, the religious scholars, kings and landlords - what good is love for them? ||24||

³⁰Kabeer, when you are in love with the One Lord, duality and alienation depart.

³¹You may have long hair, or you may shave your head bald. ||25||

³²Kabeer, the world is a room filled with black soot; the blind fall into its trap.

³³I am a sacrifice to those who are thrown in, and still escape. ||26||

³⁴Kabeer, this body shall perish; save it, if you can.

³⁵Even those who have tens of thousands and millions, must depart bare-footed in the end. ||27||

³⁶Kabeer, this body shall perish; place it on the path.

³⁷Either join the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, or sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ||28||

³⁸Kabeer, dying, dying, the whole world has to die, and yet, none know how to die.

¹Let those who die, die such a death, that they shall never have to die again. ||29||

²Kabeer, it is so difficult to obtain this human body; it does not just come over and over again.

³It is like the ripe fruit on the tree; when it falls to the ground, it cannot be re-attached to the branch. ||30||

⁴Kabeer, you are Kabeer; your name means great.

⁵O Lord, You are Kabeer. The Jewel of the Lord is obtained, when the mortal first gives up his body. ||31||

⁶Kabeer, do not struggle in stubborn pride; nothing happens just because you say so.

⁷No one can erase the actions of the Merciful Lord. ||32||

⁸Kabeer, no one who is false can withstand the Touchstone of the Lord.

⁹He alone can pass the test of the Lord's Touchstone, who remains dead while yet alive. ||33||

¹⁰Kabeer, some wear gaudy robes, and chew betel leaves and betel nuts.

¹¹Without the Name of the One Lord, they are bound and gagged and taken to the City of Death. ||34||

¹²Kabeer, the boat is old, and it has thousands of holes.

¹³Those who are light get across, while those who carry the weight of their sins on their heads are drowned. ||35||

¹⁴Kabeer, the bones burn like wood, and the hair burns like straw.

¹⁵Seeing the world burning like this, Kabeer has become sad. ||36||

¹⁶Kabeer, do not be so proud of your bones wrapped up in skin.

¹⁷Those who were on their horses and under their canopies, were eventually buried under the ground. ||37||

¹⁸Kabeer, do not be so proud of your tall mansions.

¹⁹Today or tomorrow, you shall lie beneath the ground, and the grass shall grow above you. ||38||

²⁰Kabeer, do not be so proud, and do not laugh at the poor.

²¹Your boat is still out at sea; who knows what will happen? ||39||

²²Kabeer, do not be so proud, looking at your beautiful body.

²³Today or tomorrow, you will have to leave it behind, like the snake shedding its skin. ||40||

²⁴Kabeer, if you must rob and plunder, then plunder the plunder of the Lord's Name.

²⁵Otherwise, in the world hereafter, you will regret and repent, when the breath of life leaves the body. ||41||

²⁶Kabeer, there is no one born, who burns his own home,

²⁷and burning his five sons, remains lovingly attuned to the Lord. ||42||

²⁸Kabeer, how rare are those who sell their son and sell their daughter

²⁹and, entering into partnership with Kabeer, deal with the Lord. ||43||

³⁰Kabeer, let me remind you of this. Do not be skeptical or cynical.

³¹Those pleasures which you enjoyed so much in the past - now you must eat their fruits. ||44||

³²Kabeer, at first, I thought learning was good; then I thought Yoga was better.

³³I shall never abandon devotional worship of the Lord, even though people may slander me. ||45||

³⁴Kabeer, how can the wretched people slander me? They have no wisdom or intelligence.

³⁵Kabeer continues to dwell upon the Lord's Name; I have abandoned all other affairs. ||46||

³⁶Kabeer, the robe of the stranger-soul has caught fire on all four sides.

³⁷The cloth of the body has been burnt and reduced to charcoal, but the fire did not touch the thread of the soul. ||47||

³⁸Kabeer, the cloth has been burnt and reduced to charcoal, and the begging bowl is shattered into pieces.

³⁹The poor Yogi has played out his game; only ashes remain on his seat. ||48||

¹Kabeer, the fish is in the shallow water; the fisherman has cast his net.

²You shall not escape this little pool; think about returning to the ocean. ||49||

³Kabeer, do not leave the ocean, even if it is very salty.

⁴If you poke around searching from puddle to puddle, no one will call you smart. ||50||

⁵Kabeer, those who have no guru are washed away. No one can help them.

⁶Be meek and humble; whatever happens is what the Creator Lord does. ||51||

⁷Kabeer, even the dog of a devotee is good, while the mother of the faithless cynic is bad.

⁸The dog hears the Praises of the Lord's Name, while the other is engaged in sin. ||52||

⁹Kabeer, the deer is weak, and the pool is lush with green vegetation.

¹⁰Thousands of hunters are chasing after the soul; how long can it escape death? ||53||

¹¹Kabeer, some make their homes on the banks of the Ganges, and drink pure water.

¹²Without devotional worship of the Lord, they are not liberated. Kabeer proclaims this. ||54||

¹³Kabeer, my mind has become immaculate, like the waters of the Ganges.

¹⁴The Lord follows after me, calling, "Kabeer! Kabeer!" ||55||

¹⁵Kabeer, tumeric is yelow, and lime is white.

¹⁶You shall meet the Beloved Lord, only when both colors are lost. ||56||

¹⁷Kabeer, tumeric has lost its yellow color, and no trace of lime's whiteness remains.

¹⁸I am a sacrifice to this love, by which social class and status, color and ancestry are taken away. ||57||

¹⁹Kabeer, the door of liberation is very narrow, less than the width of a mustard seed.

²⁰Your mind is larger than an elephant; how will it pass through? ||58||

²¹Kabeer, if I meet such a True Guru, who mercifully blesses me with the gift,

²²then the door of liberation will open wide for me, and I will easily pass through. ||59||

²³Kabeer, I have no hut or hovel, no house or village.

²⁴I hope that the Lord will not ask who I am. I have no social status or name. ||60||

²⁵Kabeer, I long to die; let me die at the Lord's Door.

²⁶I hope that the Lord does not ask, "Who is this, lying at my door?" ||61||

²⁷Kabeer, I have not done anything; I shall not do anything; my body cannot do anything.

²⁸I do not know what the Lord has done, but the call has gone out: "Kabeer, Kabeer." ||62||

²⁹Kabeer, if someone utters the Name of the Lord even in dreams,

³⁰I would make my skin into shoes for his feet. ||63||

³¹Kabeer, we are puppets of clay, but we take the name of mankind.

³²We are guests here for only a few days, but we take up so much space. ||64||

³³Kabeer, I have made myself into henna, and I grind myself into powder.

³⁴But You, O my Husband Lord, have not asked about me; You have never applied me to Your Feet. ||65||

³⁵Kabeer, that door, through which people never stop coming and going

³⁶- how can I leave such a door as that? ||66||

³⁷Kabeer, I was drowning, but the waves of virtue saved me in an instant.

¹When I saw that my boat was rotten, then I immediately got out. ||67||

²Kabeer, the sinner does not like devotion to the Lord; he does not appreciate worship.

³The fly abandons the sandalwood tree, and goes after the rotten smell. ||68||

⁴Kabeer, the physician is dead, and the patient is dead; the whole world is dead.

⁵Only Kabeer is not dead; there is no one to mourn for him. ||69||

⁶Kabeer, I have not meditated on the Lord; such is the bad habit I have developed.

⁷The body is a wooden pot; it cannot be put back on the fire. ||70||

⁸Kabeer, it came to pass, that I did whatever I pleased.

⁹Why should I be afraid of death? I have invited death for myself. ||71||

¹⁰Kabeer, the mortals suck at the sugar cane, for the sake of the sweet juice. They should work just as hard for virtue.

¹¹The person who lacks virtue - no one calls him good. ||72||

¹²Kabeer, the pitcher is full of water; it will break, today or tomorrow.

¹³Those who do not remember their Guru, shall be plundered on the way. ||73||

¹⁴Kabeer, I am the Lord's dog; Moti is my name.

¹⁵There is a chain around my neck; wherever I am pulled, I go. ||74||

¹⁶Kabeer, why do you show other people your rosary beads?

¹⁷You do not remember the Lord in your heart, so what use is this rosary to you? ||75||

¹⁸Kabeer, the snake of separation from the Lord abides within my mind; it does not respond to any mantra.

¹⁹One who is separated from the Lord does not live; if he does live, he goes insane. ||76||

²⁰Kabeer, the philosopher's stone and sandalwood oil have the same good quality.

²¹Whatever comes into contact with them is uplifted. Iron is transformed into gold, and ordinary wood becomes fragrant. ||77||

²²Kabeer, Death's club is terrible; it cannot be endured.

²³I have met with the holy man; he has attached me to the hem of his robe. ||78||

²⁴Kabeer, the physician says that he alone is good, and all the medicine is under his control.

²⁵But these things belong to the Lord; He takes them away whenever He wishes. ||79||

²⁶Kabeer, take your drum and beat it for ten days.

²⁷Life is like people meeting on a boat on a river; they shall not meet again. ||80||

²⁸Kabeer, if I could change the seven seas into ink and make all the vegetation my pen,

²⁹and the earth my paper, even then, I could not write the Praises of the Lord. ||81||

³⁰Kabeer, what can my lowly status as a weaver do to me? The Lord dwells in my heart.

³¹Kabeer, the Lord hugs me close in His Embrace; I have forsaken all my entanglements. ||82||

³²Kabeer, will anyone set fire to his home

³³and kill his five sons (the five thieves) to remain lovingly attached to the Lord? ||83||

³⁴Kabeer, will anyone burn his own body?

³⁵The people are blind - they do not know, although Kabeer continues to shout at them. ||84||

³⁶Kabeer, the widow mounts the funeral pyre and cries out, "Listen, O brother funeral pyre.

³⁷All people must depart in the end; it is only you and I." ||85||

¹Kabeer, the mind has become a bird; it soars and flies in the ten directions.

²According to the company it keeps, so are the fruits it eats. ||86||

³Kabeer, you have found that place which you were seeking.

⁴You have become that which you thought was separate from yourself. ||87||

⁵Kabeer, I have been ruined and destroyed by bad company, like the banana plant near the thorn bush.

⁶The thorn bush waves in the wind, and pierces the banana plant; see this, and do not associate with the faithless cynics. ||88||

⁷Kabeer, the mortal wants to walk on the path, carrying the load of others' sins on his head.

⁸He is not afraid of his own load of sins; the road ahead shall be difficult and treacherous. ||89||

⁹Kabeer, the forest is burning; the tree standing in it is crying out,

¹⁰"Do not let me fall into the hands of the blacksmith, who would burn me a second time." ||90||

¹¹Kabeer, when one died, two were dead. When two died, four were dead.

¹²When four died, six were dead, four males and two females. ||91||

¹³Kabeer, I have seen and observed, and searched all over the world, but I have found no place of rest anywhere.

¹⁴Those who do not remember the Lord's Name - why do they delude themselves in other pursuits? ||92||

¹⁵Kabeer, associate with the Holy people, who will take you to Nirvaanaa in the end.

¹⁶Do not associate with the faithless cynics; they would bring you to ruin. ||93||

¹⁷Kabeer, I contemplate the Lord in the world; I know that He is permeating the world.

¹⁸Those who do not contemplate the Name of the Lord - their birth into this world is useless. ||94||

¹⁹Kabeer, place your hopes in the Lord; other hopes lead to despair.

²⁰Those who dissociate themselves from the Lord's Name - when they fall into hell, then they will appreciate its value. ||95||

²¹Kabeer has made many students and disciples, but he has not made God his friend.

²²He set out on a journey to meet the Lord, but his consciousness failed him half-way. ||96||

²³Kabeer, what can the poor creature do, if the Lord does not give him assistance?

²⁴Whatever branch he steps on breaks and collapses. ||97||

²⁵Kabeer, those who only preach to others - sand falls into their mouths.

²⁶They keep their eyes on the property of others, while their own farm is being eaten up. ||98||

²⁷Kabeer, I will remain in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, even if I have only coarse bread to eat.

²⁸Whatever will be, will be. I will not associate with the faithless cynics. ||99||

²⁹Kabeer, in the Saadh Sangat, love for the Lord doubles day by day.

³⁰The faithless cynic is like a black blanket, which does not become white by being washed. ||100||

³¹Kabeer, you have not shaved your mind, so why do you shave your head?

³²Whatever is done, is done by the mind; it is useless to shave your head. ||101||

³³Kabeer, do not abandon the Lord; your body and wealth shall go, so let them go.

³⁴My consciousness is pierced by the Lord's Lotus Feet; I am absorbed in the Name of the Lord. ||102||

³⁵Kabeer, all the strings of the instrument I played are broken.

³⁶What can the poor instrument do, when the player has departed as well. ||103||

³⁷Kabeer, shave the mother of that guru, who does not take away one's doubt.

¹He himself is drowning in the four Vedas; he drowns his disciples as well. ||104||

²Kabeer, whatever sins the mortal has committed, he tries to keep hidden under cover.

³But in the end, they shall all be revealed, when the Righteous Judge of Dharma investigates. ||105||

⁴Kabeer, you have given up meditating on the Lord, and you have raised a large family.

⁵You continue to involve yourself in worldly affairs, but none of your brothers and relatives remain. ||106||

⁶Kabeer, those who give up meditation on the Lord, and get up at night to wake the spirits of the dead,

⁷shall be reincarnated as snakes, and eat their own offspring. ||107||

⁸Kabeer, the woman who gives up meditation on the Lord, and observes the ritual fast of Ahoi,

⁹shall be reincarnated as a donkey, to carry heavy burdens. ||108||

¹⁰Kabeer, it is the most clever wisdom, to chant and meditate on the Lord in the heart.

¹¹It is like playing on a pig; if you fall off, you will find no place of rest. ||109||

¹²Kabeer, blessed is that mouth, which utters the Lord's Name.

¹³It purifies the body, and the whole village as well. ||110||

¹⁴Kabeer, that family is good, in which the Lord's slave is born.

¹⁵But that family in which the Lord's slave is not born is as useless as weeds. ||111||

¹⁶Kabeer, some have lots of horses, elephants and carriages, and thousands of banners waving.

¹⁷But begging is better than these comforts, if one spends his days meditating in remembrance on the Lord. ||112||

¹⁸Kabeer, I have wandered all over the world, carrying the drum on my shoulder.

¹⁹No one belongs to anyone else; I have looked and carefully studied it. ||113||

²⁰The pearls are scattered on the road; the blind man comes along.

²¹Without the Light of the Lord of the Universe, the world just passes them by. ||114||

²²My family is drowned, O Kabeer, since the birth of my son Kamaal.

²³He has given up meditating on the Lord, in order to bring home wealth. ||115||

²⁴Kabeer, go out to meet the holy man; do not take anyone else with you.

²⁵Do not turn back - keep on going. Whatever will be, will be. ||116||

²⁶Kabeer, do not bind yourself with that chain, which binds the whole world.

²⁷As the salt is lost in the flour, so shall your golden body be lost. ||117||

²⁸Kabeer, the soul-swan is flying away, and the body is being buried, and still he makes gestures.

²⁹Even then, the mortal does not give up the cruel look in his eyes. ||118||

³⁰Kabeer: with my eyes, I see You, Lord; with my ears, I hear Your Name.

³¹With my tongue I chant Your Name; I enshrine Your Lotus Feet within my heart. ||119||

³²Kabeer, I have been spared from heaven and hell, by the Grace of the True Guru.

³³From beginning to end, I abide in the joy of the Lord's Lotus Feet. ||120||

³⁴Kabeer, how can I even describe the extent of the joy of the Lord's Lotus Feet?

³⁵I cannot describe its sublime glory; it has to be seen to be appreciated. ||121||

³⁶Kabeer, how can I describe what I have seen? No one will believe my words.

³⁷The Lord is just as He is. I dwell in delight, singing His Glorious Praises. ||122||

¹Kabeer, the flamingo pecks and feeds, and remembers her chicks.

²Kabeer, the sky is overcast and cloudy; the ponds and lakes are overflowing with water.

³Like the rainbird, some remain thirsty - what is their condition? ||124||

⁴Kabeer, the chakvi duck is separated from her love through the night, but in the morning, she meets him again.

⁵Those who are separated from the Lord do not meet Him in the day, or in the night. ||125||

⁶Kabeer: O conch shell, remain in the ocean.

⁷If you are separated from it, you shall scream at sunrise from temple to temple. ||126||

⁸Kabeer, what are you doing sleeping? Wake up and cry in fear and pain.

⁹Those who live in the grave - how can they sleep in peace? ||127||

¹⁰Kabeer, what are you doing sleeping? Why not rise up and meditate on the Lord?

¹¹One day you shall sleep with your legs outstretched. ||128||

¹²Kabeer, what are you doing sleeping? Wake up, and sit up.

¹³Attach yourself to the One, from whom you have been separated. ||129||

¹⁴Kabeer, do not leave the Society of the Saints; walk upon this Path.

¹⁵See them, and be sanctified; meet them, and chant the Name. ||130||

¹⁶Kabeer, do not associate with the faithless cynics; run far away from them.

¹⁷If you touch a vessel stained with soot, some of the soot will stick to you. ||131||

¹⁸Kabeer, you have not contemplated the Lord, and now old age has overtaken you.

¹⁹Now that the door of your mansion is on fire, what can you take out? ||132||

²⁰Kabeer, the Creator does whatever He pleases.

²¹There is none other than Him; He alone is the Creator of all. ||133||

²²Kabeer, the fruit trees are bearing fruit, and the mangoes are becoming ripe.

²³They will reach the owner, only if the crows do not eat them first. ||134||

²⁴Kabeer, some buy idols and worship them; in their stubborn-mindedness, they make pilgrimages to sacred shrines.

²⁵They look at one another, and wear religious robes, but they are deluded and lost. ||135||

²⁶Kabeer, someone sets up a stone idol and all the world worships it as the Lord.

²⁷Those who hold to this belief will be drowned in the river of darkness. ||136||

²⁸Kabeer, the paper is the prison, and the ink of rituals are the bars on the windows.

²⁹The stone idols have drowned the world, and the Pandits, the religious scholars, have plundered it on the way. ||137||

³⁰Kabeer, that which you have to do tomorrow - do it today instead; and that which you have to do now - do it immediately!

³¹Later on, you will not be able to do anything, when death hangs over your head. ||138||

³²Kabeer, I have seen a person, who is as shiny as washed wax.

³³He seems very clever and very virtuous, but in reality, he is without understanding, and corrupt. ||139||

³⁴Kabeer, the Messenger of Death shall not compromise my understanding.

³⁵I have meditated on the Lord, the Cherisher, who created this Messenger of Death. ||140||

³⁶Kabeer, the Lord is like musk; all His slaves are like bumble bees.

¹The more Kabeer worships Him, the more the Lord abides within his mind. ||141||

²Kabeer, the mortal has fallen into the grip of family life, and the Lord has been set aside.

³The messengers of the Righteous Judge of Dharma descend upon the mortal, in the midst of all his pomp and ceremony. ||142||

⁴Kabeer, even a pig is better than the faithless cynic; at least the pig keeps the village clean.

⁵When the wretched, faithless cynic dies, no one even mentions his name. ||143||

⁶Kabeer, the mortal gathers wealth, shell by shell, accumulating thousands and millions.

⁷But when the time of his departure comes, he takes nothing at all with him. He is even stripped of his loin-cloth. ||144||

⁸Kabeer, what good is it to become a devotee of Vishnu, and wear four malas?

⁹On the outside, he may look like pure gold, but on the inside, he is stuffed with dust. ||145||

¹⁰Kabeer, let yourself be a pebble on the path; abandon your egotistical pride.

¹¹Such a humble slave shall meet the Lord God. ||146||

¹²Kabeer, what good would it be, to be a pebble? It would only hurt the traveller on the path.

¹³Your slave, O Lord, is like the dust of the earth. ||147||

¹⁴Kabeer, what then, if one could become dust? It is blown up by the wind, and sticks to the body.

¹⁵The humble servant of the Lord should be like water, which cleans everything. ||148||

¹⁶Kabeer, what then, if one could become water? It becomes cold, then hot.

¹⁷The humble servant of the Lord should be just like the Lord. ||149||

¹⁸The banners wave above the lofty mansions, filled with gold and beautiful women.

¹⁹But better than these is dry bread, if one sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord in the Society of the Saints. ||150||

²⁰Kabeer, the wilderness is better than a city, if the Lord's devotees live there.

²¹Without my Beloved Lord, it is like the City of Death for me. ||151||

²²Kabeer, between the Ganges and Jamunaa Rivers, on the shore of Celestial Silence,

²³there, Kabeer has made his home. The silent sages and the humble servants of the Lord search for the way to get there. ||152||

²⁴Kabeer, if the mortal continues to love the Lord in the end, as he pledged in the beginning,

²⁵no poor diamond, not even millions of jewels, can equal him. ||153||

²⁶Kabeer, I saw a strange and wonderful thing. A jewel was being sold in a store.

²⁷Because there was no buyer, it was going in exchange for a shell. ||154||

²⁸Kabeer, where there is spiritual wisdom, there is righteousness and Dharma. Where there is falsehood, there is sin.

²⁹Where there is greed, there is death. Where there is forgiveness, there is God Himself. ||155||

³⁰Kabeer, what good is it to give up Maya, if the mortal does not give up his pride?

³¹Even the silent sages and seers are destroyed by pride; pride eats up everything. ||156||

³²Kabeer, the True Guru has met me; He aimed the Arrow of the Shabad at me.

³³As soon as it struck me, I fell to the ground with a hole in my heart. ||157||

³⁴Kabeer, what can the True Guru do, when His Sikhs are at fault?

³⁵The blind do not take in any of His Teachings; it is as useless as blowing into bamboo. ||158||

³⁶Kabeer, the wife of the king has all sorts of horses, elephants and carriages.

¹But she is not equal to the water-carrier of the Lord's humble servant. ||159||

²Kabeer, why do you slander the wife of the king? Why do you honor the slave of the Lord?

³Because one combs her hair for corruption, while the other remembers the Name of the Lord. ||160||

⁴Kabeer, with the Support of the Lord's Pillar, I have become steady and stable.

⁵The True Guru has given me courage. Kabeer, I have purchased the diamond, on the banks of the Mansarovar Lake. ||161||

⁶Kabeer, the Lord is the Diamond, and the Lord's humble servant is the jeweller who has set up his shop.

⁷As soon as an appraiser is found, the price of the jewel is set. ||162||

⁸Kabeer, you remember the Lord in meditation, only when the need arises. You should remember Him all the time.

⁹You shall dwell in the city of immortality, and the Lord shall restore the wealth you lost. ||163||

¹⁰Kabeer, it is good to perform selfless service for two - the Saints and the Lord.

¹¹The Lord is the Giver of liberation, and the Saint inspires us to chant the Naam. ||164||

¹²Kabeer, the crowds follow the path which the Pandits, the religious scholars, have taken.

¹³There is a difficult and treacherous cliff on that path to the Lord; Kabeer is climbing that cliff. ||165||

¹⁴Kabeer, the mortal dies of his worldly troubles and pain, after worrying about his family.

¹⁵Whose family is dishonored, when he is placed on the funeral pyre? ||166||

¹⁶Kabeer, you shall drown, you wretched being, from worrying about what other people think.

¹⁷You know that whatever happens to your neighbors, will also happen to you. ||167||

¹⁸Kabeer, even dry bread, made of various grains, is good.

¹⁹No one brags about it, throughout the vast country and great empire. ||168||

²⁰Kabeer, those who brag, shall burn. Those who do not brag remain carefree.

²¹That humble being who does not brag, looks upon the gods and the poor alike. ||169||

²²Kabeer, the pool is filled to overflowing, but no one can drink the water from it.

²³By great good fortune, you have found it; drink it in handfuls, O Kabeer. ||170||

²⁴Kabeer, just as the stars disappear at dawn, so shall this body disappear.

²⁵Only the letters of God's Name do not disappear; Kabeer holds these tight. ||171||

²⁶Kabeer, the wooden house is burning on all sides.

²⁷The Pandits, the religious scholars, have been burnt to death, while the illiterate ones run to safety. ||172||

²⁸Kabeer, give up your skepticism; let your papers float away.

²⁹Find the essence of the letters of the alphabet, and focus your consciousness on the Lord. ||173||

³⁰Kabeer, the Saint does not forsake his Saintly nature, even though he meets with millions of evil-doers.

³¹Even when sandalwood is surrounded by snakes, it does not give up its cooling fragrance. ||174||

³²Kabeer, my mind is cooled and soothed; I have become God-conscious.

³³The fire which has burnt the world is like water to the Lord's humble servant. ||175||

³⁴Kabeer, no one knows the Play of the Creator Lord.

³⁵Only the Lord Himself and the slaves at His Court understand it. ||176||

³⁶Kabeer, it is good that I feel the Fear of God; I have forgotten everything else.

¹The hail-stone has melted into water, and flowed into the ocean. ||177||

²Kabeer, the body is a pile of dust, collected and packed together.

³It is a show which lasts for only a few days, and then dust returns to dust. ||178||

⁴Kabeer, bodies are like the rising and setting of the sun and the moon.

⁵Without meeting the Guru, the Lord of the Universe, they are all reduced to dust again. ||179||

⁶Where the Fearless Lord is, there is no fear; where there is fear, the Lord is not there.

⁷Kabeer speaks after careful consideration; hear this, O Saints, in your minds. ||180||

⁸Kabeer, those who do not know anything, pass their lives in peaceful sleep.

⁹But I have understood the riddle; I am faced with all sorts of troubles. ||181||

¹⁰Kabeer, those who are beaten cry a lot; but the cries of the pain of separation are different.

¹¹Struck by the Mystery of God, Kabeer remains silent. ||182||

¹²Kabeer, the stroke of a lance is easy to bear; it takes away the breath.

¹³But one who endures the stroke of the Word of the Shabad is the Guru, and I am his slave. ||183||

¹⁴Kabeer: O Mullah, why do you climb to the top of the minaret? The Lord is not hard of hearing.

¹⁵Look within your own heart for the One, for whose sake you shout your prayers. ||184||

¹⁶Why does the Shaykh bother to go on pilgrimage to Mecca, if he is not content with himself?

¹⁷Kabeer, one whose heart is not healthy and whole - how can he attain his Lord? ||185||

¹⁸Kabeer, worship the Lord Allah; meditating in remembrance on Him, troubles and pains depart.

¹⁹The Lord shall be revealed within your own heart, and the burning fire within shall be extinguished by His Name. ||186||

²⁰Kabeer, to use force is tyranny, even if you call it legal.

²¹When your account is called for in the Court of the Lord, what will your condition be then? ||187||

²²Kabeer, the dinner of beans and rice is excellent, if it is flavored with salt.

²³Who would cut his throat, to have meat with his bread? ||188||

²⁴Kabeer, one is known to have been touched by the Guru, only when his emotional attachment and physical illnesses are eradicated.

²⁵He is not burned by pleasure or pain, and so he becomes the Lord Himself. ||189||

²⁶Kabeer, it does make a difference, how you chant the Lord's Name, 'Raam'. This is something to consider.

²⁷Everyone uses the same word for the son of Dasrath and the Wondrous Lord. ||190||

²⁸Kabeer, use the word 'Raam', only to speak of the All-pervading Lord. You must make that distinction.

²⁹One 'Raam' is pervading everywhere, while the other is contained only in himself. ||191||

³⁰Kabeer, those houses in which neither the Holy nor the Lord are served

³¹- those houses are like cremation grounds; demons dwell within them. ||192||

³²Kabeer, I have become mute, insane and deaf.

³³I am crippled - the True Guru has pierced me with His Arrow. ||193||

³⁴Kabeer, the True Guru, the Spiritual Warrior, has shot me with His Arrow.

³⁵As soon as it struck me, I fell to the ground, with a hole in my heart. ||194||

³⁶Kabeer, the pure drop of water falls from the sky, onto the dirty ground.

¹You must acknowledge this, that without the Sangat, the Holy Congregation, it turns into burnt ashes. ||195||

²Kabeer, the pure drop of water falls from the sky, and mixes with the dust.

³Millions of clever people may try, but they will fail - it cannot be made separate again. ||196||

⁴Kabeer, I was going on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and God met me on the way.

⁵He scolded me and asked, "Who told you that I am only there?" ||197||

⁶Kabeer, I went to Mecca - how many times, Kabeer?

⁷O Lord, what is the problem with me? You have not spoken to me with Your Mouth. ||198||

⁸Kabeer, they oppress living beings and kill them, and call it proper.

⁹When the Lord calls for their account, what will their condition be? ||199||

¹⁰Kabeer, it is tyranny to use force; the Lord shall call you to account.

¹¹When your account is called for, your face and mouth shall be beaten. ||200||

¹²Kabeer, it is easy to render your account, if your heart is pure.

¹³In the True Court of the Lord, no one will seize you. ||201||

¹⁴Kabeer: O duality, you are mighty and powerful in the earth and the sky.

¹⁵The six Shaastras and the eighty-four Siddhas are entrenched in skepticism. ||202||

¹⁶Kabeer, nothing is mine within myself. Whatever there is, is Yours, O Lord.

¹⁷If I surrender to You what is already Yours, what does it cost me? ||203||

¹⁸Kabeer, repeating, "You, You", I have become like You. Nothing of me remains in myself.

¹⁹When the difference between myself and others is removed, then wherever I look, I see only You. ||204||

²⁰Kabeer, those who think of evil and entertain false hopes

²¹- none of their desires shall be fulfilled; they shall depart in despair. ||205||

²²Kabeer, whoever meditates in remembrance on the Lord, he alone is happy in this world.

²³One who is protected and saved by the Creator Lord, shall never waver, here or hereafter. ||206||

²⁴Kabeer, I was being crushed like sesame seeds in the oil-press, but the True Guru saved me.

²⁵My pre-ordained primal destiny has now been revealed. ||207||

²⁶Kabeer, my days have passed, and I have postponed my payments; the interest on my account continues to increase.

²⁷I have not meditated on the Lord and my account is still pending, and now, the moment of my death has come! ||208||

²⁸Fifth Mehl:

²⁹Kabeer, the mortal is a barking dog, chasing after a carcass.

³⁰By the Grace of good karma, I have found the True Guru, who has saved me. ||209||

³¹Fifth Mehl:

³²Kabeer, the earth belongs to the Holy, but it is being occupied by thieves.

³³They are not a burden to the earth; they receive its blessings. ||210||

³⁴Fifth Mehl:

³⁵Kabeer, the rice is beaten with a mallet to get rid of the husk.

³⁶When people sit in evil company, the Righteous Judge of Dharma calls them to account. ||211||

³⁷Trilochan says, O Naam Dayv, Maya has enticed you, my friend.

³⁸Why are you printing designs on these sheets, and not focusing your consciousness on the Lord? ||212||

³⁹Naam Dayv answers, O Trilochan, chant the Lord's Name with your mouth.

¹With your hands and feet, do all your work, but let your consciousness remain with the Immaculate Lord. ||213||

²Fifth Mehl:

³Kabeer, no one belongs to me, and I belong to no one else.

⁴The One who created the creation - into Him I shall be absorbed. ||214||

⁵Kabeer, the flour has fallen into the mud; nothing has come into my hands.

⁶That which was eaten while it was being ground - that alone is of any use. ||215||

⁷Kabeer, the mortal knows everything, and knowing, he still makes mistakes.

⁸What good is a lamp in one's hand, if he falls into the well? ||216||

⁹Kabeer, I am in love with the All-knowing Lord; the ignorant ones try to hold me back.

¹⁰How could I ever break with the One, who owns our soul and breath of life. ||217||

¹¹Kabeer, why kill yourself for your love of decorations of your home and mansion?

¹²In the end, only six feet, or a little more, shall be your lot. ||218||

¹³Kabeer, whatever I wish for does not happen. What can I accomplish by merely thinking?

¹⁴The Lord does whatever He wishes; it is not up to me at all. ||219||

¹⁵Third Mehl:

¹⁶God Himself makes the mortals anxious, and He Himself takes the anxiety away.

¹⁷O Nanak, praise the One, who takes care of all. ||220||

¹⁸Fifth Mehl:

¹⁹Kabeer, the mortal does not remember the Lord; he wanders around, engrossed in greed.

²⁰Committing sins, he dies, and his life ends in an instant. ||221||

²¹Kabeer, the body is like a clay vessel or a brittle metal pot.

²²If you wish to keep it safe and sound, then vibrate and meditate on the Lord; otherwise, the thing shall break. ||222||

²³Kabeer, chant the Name of the Beautifully-haired Lord; do not sleep unaware.

²⁴Chanting His Name night and day, the Lord will eventually hear your call. ||223||

²⁵Kabeer, the body is a banana forest, and the mind is an intoxicated elephant.

²⁶The jewel of spiritual wisdom is the prod, and the rare Saint is the rider. ||224||

²⁷Kabeer, the Lord's Name is the jewel, and the mouth is the purse; open this purse to the Appraiser.

²⁸If a buyer can be found, it will go for a high price. ||225||

²⁹Kabeer, the mortal does not know the Lord's Name, but he has raised a very large family.

³⁰He dies in the midst of his worldly affairs, and then he is not heard in the external world. ||226||

³¹Kabeer, in the blink of an eye, moment by moment, life is passing by.

³²The mortal does not give up his worldly entanglements; the Messenger of Death walks in and beats the drum. ||227||

³³Kabeer, the Lord is the tree, and disillusionment with the world is the fruit.

³⁴The Holy man, who has abandoned useless arguments, is the shade of the tree. ||228||

³⁵Kabeer, plant the seeds of such a plant, which shall bear fruit throughout the twelve months,

³⁶with cooling shade and abundant fruit, upon which birds joyously play. ||229||

³⁷Kabeer, the Great Giver is the tree, which blesses all with the fruit of compassion.

³⁸When the birds migrate to other lands, O Tree, you bear the fruits. ||230||

³⁹Kabeer, the mortal finds the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, if he has such destiny written upon his forehead.

¹He obtains the treasure of liberation, and the difficult road to the Lord is not blocked. ||231||

²Kabeer, whether is is for an hour, half an hour, or half of that,

³whatever it is, it is worthwhile to speak with the Holy. ||232||

⁴Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana, fish and wine

⁵- no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. ||233||

⁶Kabeer, I keep my eyes lowered, and enshrine my Friend within my heart.

⁷I enjoy all pleasures with my Beloved, but I do not let anyone else know. ||234||

⁸Twenty-four hours a day, every hour, my soul continues to look to You, O Lord.

⁹Why should I keep my eyes lowered? I see my Beloved in every heart. ||235||

¹⁰Listen, O my companions: my soul dwells in my Beloved, and my Beloved dwells in my soul.

¹¹I realize that there is no difference between my soul and my Beloved; I cannot tell whether my soul or my Beloved dwells in my heart. ||236||

¹²Kabeer, the Brahmin may be the guru of the world, but he is not the Guru of the devotees.

¹³He rots and dies in the perplexities of the four Vedas. ||237||

¹⁴The Lord is like sugar, scattered in the sand; the elephant cannot pick it up.

¹⁵Says Kabeer, the Guru has given me this sublime understanding: become an ant, and feed on it. ||238||

¹⁶Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, then cut off your head, and make it into a ball.

¹⁷Lose yourself in the play of it, and then whatever will be, will be. ||239||

¹⁸Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, play it with someone with committment.

¹⁹Pressing the unripe mustard seeds produces neither oil nor flour. ||240||

²⁰Searching, the mortal stumbles like a blind person, and does not recognize the Saint.

²¹Says Naam Dayv, how can one obtain the Lord God, without His devotee? ||241||

²²Forsaking the Diamond of the Lord, the mortals put their hopes in another.

²³Those people shall go to hell; Ravi Daas speaks the Truth. ||242||

²⁴Kabeer, if you live the householder's life, then practice righteousness; otherwise, you might as well retire from the world.

²⁵If someone renounces the world, and then gets involved in worldly entanglements, he shall suffer terrible misfortune. ||243||