SongsofKabir 10198208

INTR O D U CT IO N
HE poet Ka b i r selection from

, a
W hose songs is here for the fi r s t

ti m e o ffered to English rea d ers is one ,
of the most interesting personalities

in the history o f In dian mysticis m .
Born in or near Benares of M o h am m e ,
dan parents and probably about the

,
year 1 44 0 he beca m e in early life a

,
disciple of the celebrated Hindu as

cetic R am an an d a R am anan d a had
.
brought to N orthern I ndia t h e reli

g io n s revival W hich R ém an u j a the ,
great twelfth century reformer of Br ah

-
m an is m
, had initiated in the S outh .
This revival was in part a reaction

against the increasing for m alism of the
orthodox cult in part an assertion of
,
the de m ands of the heart as against

5
Zfi fi fi fit}
é é
6 SONGS OF KA B I R
the intense intellectualism o f t h e Ve

d anta philosophy the exaggerated
,
m onis m which that philosophy pro

clai m ed
. I t took in R am an u j a s
’
preaching the for m of an ardent per

sonal devotion to the G o d Vishnu as ,
representing the personal aspect of the

“
Divine N ature : that m ystical reli
”
gion of love which everywhere makes
its appearance at a certain level of
spiritual culture and which creeds an d
,
philosophies are powerless to kill .
T hough such a devotion is in d ige

nous in H in d uis m and fin d s exp ression
,
in so m e of the oldest parts of the Bhaga

vad G i t a there was in its m edi aeval
,
revival a large e l e m ent of syncretism .
R am ananda through whom its spirit is

,
said to have reached Kab i r appears to

,
have been a m an of wide religious cul

ture and f u l l of m issionary enthusias m
, .
L iving at the mo m ent in which the

i m passioned poetry and deep ph il o s o
IN TR O DUCTI ON 7
p h y o f the great Persian mystics A tt ar , ,
w
S ad i Jal al u dd in R fi m i and H afi z
f
, , ,
ere exercising a powerful infl u en ce

on the religious thoug ht of India he .
,
dreamed o f r eco ii c il iiig th is intense

fl
and per s o n al Mo h am m ed an mys ticis m

‘
with the traditional th eo l g gy o f B r ah n
ma
M
fiisfii T S o m e have regarde d both

these great religious leaders as infl u
enc ed also b y Christian thought and
life : but as t h is is a point upon w h ic h

competent authorities hold widely di
vergent V iews its discussion is not at
,
tempted here We may safely assert

.
,
however that in their teachings two

, ,
perhaps three apparently antag

o n is tic strea m s of intense spiritual
culture met as Jewish and Hellenistic
,
thought m et in the early Christian

Church : an d it is one of the outstand
ing characteristics of Kab i r s geniu s ’
that he was able in his poe m s to fuse

them into one .
8 SONGS OF KA BIR
A great religious reformer t h e ,
founder of a sect to which near ly a

m illion northern Hindus still belong ,
it is yet supre m ely as a mystical poet

that Kab i r lives for u s H is fate has
.
been t h at of m any revealers of Reality .
A h ater of religious exclusivis m and ,
seeking above all t hi ngs to initiate m en

into the liberty of the children of G od ,
hi s followers ha v e honoure d his me m

ory by r e erecting in a new place the
-
barriers which he laboured to cast

down B ut his wonderful songs sur
.
vive the spontaneous expressions of

,
his V ision and hi s love ; and it is by

these not by the didactic teachings
,
associated with his name that he makes

,
his i mm ortal appeal to the heart In .
these poe m s a wide range of mystical

e m otion is brought into play from the
loftiest abstractions the m ost other
,
worldly passion for the Infi n ite to the

,
most inti m ate an d personal realiza

I NTR O DUCTION 9
tion of G od expressed in ho m el y
,
m etaphors and religious symbols

drawn indi ff erently fro m Hindu and
Mohammedan belief I t is impossible .
to say of their author that he was

Brahman or S afi Ved antist or Vaish ,
navite He is as he says hi m se l f
.
, ,
“
A t once the child of A llah and of
”
R am . T hat S upre m e S pirit Whom
he knew and a d ored an d to Whose joy ,
ous friendship he sought to induct the

souls of other men transcended whilst ,
H e included all metaphysical cate

g o r ies all credal d efi n itio n s ; yet eac h
,
contributed something to the d es cr ip

tion of that Infi nite and S i mple T otal
ity Who revealed Hi m self according ,
to their m easure to the fait hf ul lovers

,
of all creeds .
’
Kab i r s story is surrounded by con
tr ad ic to r y legends on none of which ,
reliance can be placed S o m e of these .
emanate from a Hindu so m e from a ,

10 SONGS OF KA B IR
Mohammedan source and c l ai m h im by

,
turns as a S fi fi and a Br ah m an saint .
His na m e however is practically a

, ,
conclusive proof of Moslem ancestry !
'
and the most probable tale is that

which represents him as the actual
or adopted child of a Mohamm edan
weaver of B enares the city in which the
,
chief events of his life took place .
I n fi f teen th century Benares the syn

-
cr e tis tic tendencies of Bhakti religion
h ad reached full development .S fi fi s

and Br ah m ans appear to have m et in
disputation : the most spiritual m em
bers of both creeds frequenting the
teachings of R am ananda whose repu
,
t atio n was then at its height The

.
boy Kab i r in who m the religious pas

,
sion was innate saw in R am anand a

,
his destined teacher ; but knew how

slight were the chances that a H indu
guru would accept a Moha m medan as
disciple H e therefore hid upon the
.
I N TR O DUC T I ON 11
steps of the river G anges where R am a ,
nanda was accusto m ed to bathe ; with

the result that the m aster co m ing
w
,
do n to the water trod upon his body

,
unexpectedly and exclai m e d in his

,
“ ”
astonish m ent , R am ! R am ! the
name of the incarnation under which he
worshipped G od Kab i r then declared
.
that he had receive d the m antra of

initiation fro m R am an an d a s lips and ’
,
was by it ad m itted to discipleship In .
spite of the protests of orthodox Br ah

mans and Mohamm edans both equally ,
annoyed by this contempt of theologi

cal land m arks he persisted in his
,
clai m ; thus exhibiting in action that

very principle of religious synthesis
which R am ananda had sought to e s
t ab lis h in thought R am ananda ap
.
pears to have accepted him and ,
though Moha mm edan legen d s speak

of the fam ous S fi fi P ir T akki of Jhan i
, ,
as Kab i r s master in later life the

’
,
12 SONGS OF KA BIR
Hindu saint is the only hu m an teac h er

to whom in hi s songs he acknowledges
indebte d ness .
The little that we k now of Kab i r s ’
life contradicts m any current ideas

concerning the O riental m ystic Of .
the stages of d iscipline t h rough whic h

h e passe d the m anner in which his
,
spiritual genius develope d we are com ,
pl e tel y ignorant H e see m s to have

.
re m ained for years the disciple of

R am ananda j oining in the theological
,
and philosophical argu m ents whi ch his

m as ter hel d with all the great Mullahs
an d B rah m ans of his day ; an d to
this source we m ay perhaps trace his
acquaintance with the ter m s of H indu
an d S fi fi philosophy H e m ay or may
.
not have sub m itte d to the traditional

education of the H indu or the S fi fi
conte m plative : i t is clear at
_
,
that he never adopted the life of the

pro fessional ascetic or retire d from t h e
,
I NTR O DUCTI ON 13
w
world in order to devote —hi m s elf to
gg fio fi ffizfi io ns and the ex c l u l
n
s iv e pu r s u it of the c o n t embl a
tiye l ife
n
S ide by side with his interior life of

adoration its artistic expression in
,
m usic and words for he was a skilled

m usician as well as a poet he lived
the sane and diligent life of the O rien
tal crafts m an A ll the legends agree
.
on this point : that Kab i r was a weaver ,
a si mple an d unlettered m an wh o ,
earned his l iving at the loo m L ike .
Paul the tent m aker B oeh m e the cob

,
bler Bunyan the tinker T er s teeg en

, ,
the ribbon m aker he knew h o w to

-
,
combine V ision and industry ; the

work of his hands helped rather than
hindere d the i mpassioned m editation
of his heart H ating m ere bodily aus
.
ter ities he was no ascetic but a m ar

, ,
ried m an the father of a family

, a
circumstance which H i n du legends of
the monastic type vainly attempt to
14 SONGS OF KA BI R
concea l or exp l ain and it was from

out of the heart of the common li fe
that he sang his rapturous lyrics of
divine love H ere his works c o r r o b o
rate the traditional story of his life .
A gain an d again he extols the l ife of

home the value an d reality of Hifi rnal
,
existence wit h its opportunities for

,
love an d renunciation ; pouring con

te mpt upon the professional sanctity
of the Yogi wh o has a great beard
“
,
and matted l ocks and looks like a ,
”
goat and on all who thin k it m eces
,
sary to flee a world perva d ed by love ,
j oy and b eauty
, the proper theatre
of m an s quest ’
in order to fi nd that
“
O ne Reality Who h as spread His form
” 1
of love throughout al l the world .
It does not need much experience of

ascetic literature to recognize the bold
ness an d originality of this attitu d e in
such a time an d place Fro m the .
1
Ci P m N
. XX I XL XL III LXV I LXXV I
oe s os .
, , , , .
IN TR O DUCTI ON 15
point of V iew of orthodox sanctity ,
whether Hindu or Moha mm edan Ka ,
b i r was plainly a heretic ; and hisfra nk

dislike o f all institutional religion all
i
external observance which was as

thorough and as intense as that of the
Quakers the m selves co m pleted so ,
far as ecclesiastical opinion was con

cerned his reputation as a dangerous
,
“
m an . T h e s im pl e union with Divine
Reality W hich he perpetually extolled ,
as alike the duty and the j oy of every

soul was independent both of ritual
,
and of bodily austerities the G o d !
who m he proclai m ed was neither in

”
Kaaba nor in Kail as h Those who
.
sought H im needed not to g o far ; for

He awaited discovery everywhere m ore ,
“
accessible to the washerwo m an and
the carpenter than to the self — right
eons holy m an .
1
T herefore the whole
apparatus of piety H indu an d Moslem
,
1
P m I II XL I
oe s , , .
16 SONGS OF KA BIR
ali k e the temple an d mosque ido l - -

,
and holy water scriptures and priests

,
were denounced by t hi s in c o n v en
ien tl y clear sighted poet as mere sub
-
s titu tes for reality ; dead things inter

v en in g between the soul and its love
T h e im g
a es ar e al l l ifel es s t h ey cann o t s p eak
,
I k no w fo r I h ave cr ie d al o u d to t h e m
, .
The P u r ana an d th e Ko r an ar e m er e w o r ds
l if t in g u p th e cu r t ain I h av e s een , .
1
This sort of thing cannot be tolerate d

by any organized church ; and it is
not surprising that Kab i r having his ,
head q uarters in Benares the very ,
centre of priestly infl u en c e was sub ,
j ec te d to considerable persecution T he .
well known legend of the beautiful

-
courtesan sent by the Brahm ans to

tempt his virtue and con v erted like , ,
the Magdalen by her sudden encounter

,
with the initiate of a higher love pre ,
serves the memory of the fear and dis

P m XLI I LXV LXV I I
1 oe s , , .
I NT R O DUC T I ON 17
like with which he was regarded by the

ecclesias tical powers O nce at least
.
,
after the performance of a supposed

mir acle of healing he was b rought
,
b efore the Emperor S ikandar Lo d i ,
and charged with clai m ing the posses

sion of divine powers B ut S ikandar .
Lo d i a ruler of considerable culture

, ,
was tolerant of the eccentricities of

saintly persons belonging to hi s o w n
faith
. Kab i r being of Mohammedan
,
b irth was outside the authority of the

,
Br ahmans and technically classed with

,
the S u fi s to whom great theological

,
l atitud e was allowe d Therefore .

,
though he was banished in the in

ter es ts of peace from B enares his life ,
was spared This see m s to have

.
happened in 1 4 9 5 when he was nearly

,
sixty years of age ; it is the last event

m his career of which we have d efi n ite
knowledge Thenceforth he appears
.
to ha v e mo v ed about amongst various

18 SONGS OF KA B IR
cities o f northe r n I ndia t h e centre o f

,
a group of disciples ; continuing in

exile t h at l ife of apostle an d poet of
l o v e to w hich as he declares in one o f
,
“
his songs he was destined from the
,
”
beginning of ti m e . I n 1 5 1 8 an old ,
man broken in h ealt h an d with han d s

, ,
so feeble that he could no longer make

the music w hi ch he loved he died at ,
Maghar near G orakhpur .
A beautiful legend tells u s that after

his deat h his Moha mm edan and Hindu
disciples disputed the possession of
his body ; w h ich the Mohamme d ans
wished to b ury t h e Hin d us to burn
, .
A s they argue d together Kab i r ap ,
p ear ed before them and to l d the m to

,
lift the shrou d and look at that whic h

lay beneath They did s o an d found
.
,
in the place of the corpse a heap of

flo w er s ; half of w h ich were burie d by
t h e Mo h ammedans at Maghar and ,
h a lf carrie d by t h e Hindus to the ho l y

I N TR O DUCTI ON 19
city of Benares to b e burne d fi ttin g

conclusion to a life which had m ade
fragrant the most beautiful d octrines
of two great cree d s .
II
The poetry of mysticism mig h t b e
d efi n ed on the one han d as a tempera
mental reaction to the V ision of Reality
on the other as a form of prophecy
, .
A s it is the special vocation of the mys

tical consciou s ness to mediate be tween
two orders going out in loving ado r a
,
tion towards G od and co m ing home to

tell the secrets of Eternity to other
men ; so t h e artistic se lf expression of -
this consciou s ness has also a dou b le

character I t is love poetry b ut lo v e
.
-
,
poetry which is often written with a

missionary intention .
Kab i r s songs are of t his k ind : out

’
births at once of rapture and of charity .
Written in the po p u l ar H ind i not in

_ ,
_ ,
20 SONGS OF KA B IR
t h e l iterary tongue they were deliber

,
ately addressed like the vernacular

p oetry of Jaco p o n e da T od i and
—
Richar d Rolle Eto the people rather
/
than to the professionally religious class L

and all must b e struck by the constant
e m ployment in the m of imagery drawn
from the com m on life? the u n ii Eél
experience It is by the si m plest meta
.
p h o r
, s by constant appeals to needs ,
passions relations which all m en under

,
stand the bridegroom and bride the ,
guru and disciple the pilgrim the , ,
farmer the migrant bird

, that he
drives home his intense conviction of
the reality o f the soul s intercourse
’
with the Transcendent There are in .
his universe no fences between t h e

” “ ”
natural and supernatural worlds
everything is a part of the creative
Play of G od an d therefore
, even in
its humblest details capable of r e
’
vea l ing the Player s min d .
22 SONGS OF KA B IR
physical language ; swift alter nations

between the m ost intensely anthropo
m orphi c the most subtly philosophical
, ,
way s of apprehending m an s c omm un ’
ion wit h t h e Divine The need for this

.
a l ternation an d its entire n atura l ness

,
for t h e min d w h ich e m ploys it is roote d

,
in his concept or V ision of the N ature

, ,
of G o d ; and unless we make some at

tempt to grasp t hi s we shall not g o far
,
in our understanding of his poe m s .
Kab i r belongs to that s m all group o f

supreme mystics amongst whom S t .
A ugustine Ruys b roeck and the S u fi

, ,
poet Jal al u dd in R fi m i are perhaps the

’
c hi ef wh o have ac hi e ved that w h ich

we might call the synthetic V ision o f
God . These have resolved the per
“
pe tu al opposition between the persona l

and i m personal the transcendent and
,
immanent static and dynamic as pects

, _
of the D ivine N ature ; between t h e

“
A bso l ute of p h i l o sop hy an d t h e sure
IN TR O DUCTION 23
true Friend of devotional religion .
They have done this not by taking ,
these apparently inco mpatible concepts

one after the other ; but by ascending
to a height of spiritual intuition at
whi ch they are as Ruysbroeck said
, ,
“ ”
melted and merged in the Unity ,
and perceived as the comp l eting oppo

sites of a perfect Whole T hi s pro
—
.
ceed ing entails for them and both

Kab i r and Ruysbroeck expressly ao
know l edge it — a universe o f t hr ee
or d ers : B ecoming u ~
an d t h at, _
‘ ”
which is More than Being i e G o d 1
, . .
, .
G od is here felt to be not t h e fi n al

abstraction b ut the one actuality
, .
He i nspires supports indeed in h abits

, , ,
both th e du r at ional conditioned fi n ite , ,
world of Becoming and the u n c o n

d iti o n ed
, non successional -
in fi n ite ,
world of Being ; yet utterly transcen ds

the m b oth He is the o m nipresent
.
1 No s . VI I and XL I X .
24 SONGS OF KA BIR
Reality the A ll pervading

, within
-
Who m the worlds are being told like

”
beads . In His personal aspect He
”
is the beloved Fak i r teaching and ,
companioning each soul Consi d ered .
“
as Immanent S pirit H e is the Mind ,
”
within the mind B ut all these are at
.
best partial aspects of His nature ,
mutuall y corrective ! Las the Persons in _
the Christian doctrine of the Trinity

—to which this theological diagra m
bears a striking resemblance r epr e
sent different and co m pensating ex p er i

e n ces of the Divine Unity within which
they are r es u m ei ? A s Ruysbroeck

discerned a plane of reality upon which
we can speak no more of Father S on , ,
and H oly S pirit but only of O ne B eing

, ,
the very substance of the Divine Per

” “
sons ; so Kab i r sa y s that beyond
both the li m ited and the li m it l ess is
” 1
He the Pure Being
, .
1
No . V II .
INT R O DUCTI ON 25
Brahma then is the I nefl ab l e Fact

, ,
’
“
co mpared with which the distinction
of the Conditioned from the Unc o nd i
”
tio n ed is but a word at once the '
utterly transcendent O ne of A bsolutist

philosophy and the personal Lover
,
“
of the individual soul common to
all to each as one Chris ,
tian m ystic h as i t T he need felt by .
‘
Kab i i for both these ways of describing
Reality is a proof of the richness and
balance of his spiritual experience ;
which neither cos m ic nor anthropo
morphic sy m bols taken alone could , ,
exp ress More absolute than the A b

.
s o lute more personal than the human

,
m ind B rah m a therefore exceeds whilst

,
H e includes all the concepts of phi

l o s o phy all the passionate intuitions
,
of the heart He is the G reat Affir m a

.
tion the font of energy ; the s o u r ce o i

, _
lif e a n d love ; the unique satisfaction

of de sire His creative word is the 0m
.
26 SONGS OF KA B I R
or E v er l asting Yea T h e negati v e .
philosophy whic h strips from the Di

v ine N ature a ll Its attributes an d
d efi ning Him only by t h at w hi c h He is
“
not reduces Him to an E m pti
ness is abhorrent to t h is most V ital
,
of poets Bra h ma h e says

.
,m ay ,
never be foun d in abstractions He .
is t h e O ne Lo v e who pervades t h e
wor l d discerned in His fullness only
,
b y the eyes o f l o v e ; an d those wh o

k now Hi m t h us s h are t h oug h t h ey ,
may never tell t h e j oyous and inef

,
1
fable secret of the universe .
N ow Kab i r achie v ing this synthesis

,
between t h e persona l an d cosmic as

peets of the Divine N ature elu d es the ,
three great dangers whic h threaten

mys tical re l igion .
First he escapes t h e excessi v e emo

,
tio n al is m the tendency to an ex

,
e l usi v e l y anthr opomorphic devotion ,
No s . V II XXV I LXXV I
, , . XC .
I N TR O DUCTION 27
which resu l ts from an unrestricted cult

of Di v ine Personality especially under
,
an incarnational for m ; seen in India

in the exaggerations of Krishna wor Y
ship in Europe in the s entimental
,
extravagances of certain C h ristian

s aints .
N ext he is protecte d from the sou l

,
destroying conclusions of pure monis m ,
inevitab l e i f its logical implications are

pressed home that is the i d entity
'
of substance between G od and the soul ,
with its corollary of the total ab s o r p

tion of that soul in the Being of G od
as the goa l of the s piritual life For.
the thorough going monist the soul

-
,
in so far as it is real is substantially

,
identical with G od ; and the true

object of existence is the making patent
of this latent identity the realization
,
which fi n d s expression in the Ved antist

“
formula That art thou But Kab i r
.
says that Bra hma and the creature are

28 SONGS OF KA B IR
ever distinct yet ever united

, that
the wise man knows the spiritual as
“
well as the m aterial world to b e no
” 1
m ore than H is footstool The soul s .
’
union with Hi m is a love union a mut ,
ual inhabitation ; that essentially dual

is tic relation which all m ystical religion
expresses not a self mergence whic h
,
-
leaves no place for personality This .
eternal distinct ion the m ysterious ,
union in separateness of G o d and the

- -
soul is a necessary doctrine of all

,
sane m ysticis m ; for no scheme which

fails to fi n d a place for it can represent
more than a fragm ent of that soul s ’
intercourse with the spiritual world .
Its affi r m atio n was one of the distin

g u is h in g features of the V ais hn av ite
reformation preached by R am an u j a ;
the principle of which descended
through R am ananda to Kab i r .
Last the warm ly hu m an and direct

,
1
No s . V II and IX .
30 SONGS OF KAB IR
the l iving c h anging growing exp res

, ,
sion of B rah m a s l ove an d j oy A s

’
.
these twin passions presi d e over the

“
generation of hu m an l ife so beyond ,
the m ists of pleasure an d pain Kab ir ,
fi n d s them governing the creati v e acts

of G od His manifestation is love ;
.
His acti v ity is j oy Creation springs .
from one glad act of affi r m atio n : the

Everlasting Yea perpetually uttered ,
W ithin the depths o f the Divine N a

ture .
1
I n accordance with this con
cep t of the universe as a Love G a m e -
which eternally goes forward a pr o g r es ,
sive manifestation of Brah m a one of

the m any notions which he adopted
from the co m mon stock of H indu reli
g io u s ideas and illuminated by his
,
poetic genius move m ent rhythm , ,
perpetual change forms an integra l ,
’
part of Kab i r s vision of Reality .
Though the Eternal and A bsolute is

N0 8 . X VI I XXV I LXXV I L XXXI I
, . . .
I N TR O DUCTI ON 31
e v er present to h is consciousness yet ,
his concept of the Divine N ature is

essentially dynamic It is by the sym.
bols of motion that he most often tries

to con v ey it to u s : as in h is constant
reference to dancing or the strangely ,
m odern picture of that Eterna l S wing

“
of the Universe w h ic h is h el d b y t h e
” 1
cords of love .
I t is a marke d c h aracteristic o f m ys ti
cal literature that the great contempla
tiv es in their effort to con v ey to u s the
,
nature of their com m union wit h the

supersensuous are ine v itably dri v en to
,
employ so m e for m of sensuous i m agery

coarse and inaccurate as t h ey k now
suc h i m agery to b e even at t h e best
, .
O ur norma l human consciousness is so

comple tely co m mitted to dependence
on the senses that the fruits of intui
,
tion itself are instincti v e l y re f err ed to

them . I n that intuition it seems
1
No . XV I .
32 SONGS O F KA B IR
to the mystics that all the di m cr av

ings an d partial apprehensions of
sense fi n d perfect f u l fi lm en t Hence .
their constant declaration that they s ee

the uncreated light they hear the celes ,
tial m elody they tas te the sweetness

,
of the Lord they know an ineffable ,
fragrance they feel the very contact of

,
“
l ove. H i m verily seeing and fully
feeling Hi m spiritually hearing and
,
Him delectably smelling and sweetly

”
swallowing as Julian of N orwich has
,
it
. In those a m ongst them who de
vel o p psycho sensorial automatisms -
,
these parallels between sense and spirit

may present them selves to conscious
ness in the form of hallucinations : as
the light seen by S uso the m usic heard ,
by Rolle the celestial perfumes which

,
fi ll ed S t Catherine of S iena s cell the

’
.
,
physical wounds felt by S t Francis .
and S t Teresa T hese are excessive

. .
dramatizations of the sy m bo li sm under

I NT R O DUCTI ON 33
wh ic h the mystic tends instinctively

to represent hi s spiritual intuition to
the surface consciousness Here in .
,
the special sense perception which he

-
feels to be most expressive of Reality ,
his peculiar idiosyncrasies co m e out .
N ow Kab i r as we might expect i n

,
one whose reactions to the spiritual

order were so wide and various uses ,
by turn all the sy mbols of sense He .
“
tells u s that he has seen without
”
sight the effulgence of Brahma tasted ,
the divine nectar felt the ecstatic con

,
tact of Reality s m elt the fragrance of

,
the heavenly fl o wer s But he was .
essentially a poet and musician ’
rhythm and har m ony were to him the

garm ents of beauty and trut h H ence .
in his lyrics he shows hi m self to b e ,
like Richard Rolle above all things a

,
m usical m ystic Creation he says

.
,
again and again is full of m usic : it 733

,
music A t the heart of the Universe

34 SONGS OF KA B IR
white m usic is bl osso m ing lov e

weaves the melody whilst renunciation ,
beats the ti m e I t can be heard in t h e.
ho m e as well as in the h eavens ; dis

cerne d by the ears of common m en as
we ll as by t h e trained sen s es of the
ascetic Moreover the body of every
.
,
man is a lyre o n which Brah m a “

the ,
”
source of all music plays Every , .
“
where Kab i r discerns the Unstruck
”
Music of the Infi n ite that celestial
melo d y which the ange l played to S t .
Francis that ghostly symp h ony which

,
fi ll ed the soul of Ro l le with ecstatic j oy 1

.
The one fi g u r e which he adopts from

the Hindu Pantheon and constantly
uses is that of Krishna the Divine
,
Flute Player 2
H e sees the supernal
.
music too in its visual embodiment as

, , ,
rhythmical m ovement : that m ys ter i

ous dance of the u niverse before the
1 X V II XV III XXX I X XLI L I V LXXV I
N0 3 .
, , , , , ,
LXXXIII LXX X I X X C V I I
,
2
No s L L II I LXV III
, . .
, , .
IN TR O DUCTI ON 35
face of Brah m a which is at once an

,
act of worship and an expression of the

,
infi n ite rapture of the Im manent G od 1

.
Ye t in this wide and rapturous V ision

of the universe Kab i r never loses touch
with diurnal existence never forgets ,
the common life His feet are fi r m ly

.
plante d upon earth ; his lofty and pas

s io n ate apprehensions are perpetually
controlled by the activity of a sane and

V igorous intellect by the alert co mm on
,
sense so often found in persons of real

mystica l genius The constant insist
.
ence on si m plicity and directness the ,
hatred of all abstractions and phil o s o

phis in g s,
2
the ruthless criticism o f ex
ternal religion : these are amongst his
most marke d c h aracteristics G od is .
t h e Root w h ence a ll mani festations ,
“ ” “ ”
materia l an d s piritua l ali ke pro ,
ceed ; and G od is t h e on ly nee d o f I
1
N0 8 XXV I
. , X XX II LX XV I
, .
2
No s LXXV
.
, LXXV III LXXX
, , XC .
36 SONGS OF KA B IR
man h appiness shall be yours when

” 1
you come to the Root Hence to .
those wh o keep their eye on the one “
”
thing nee dfu l d eno m inations creeds
, , ,
ceremonies t h e conclusions of phi los

,
o ph y
, the disciplines of asceticism are ,
matters of co mp arati v e indi fference .
They represent merely the different

angles from which the soul may ap
proac h that simple union with B ra hma
which is its goal ; and are useful only
in so far as they contribute to this
consummation S o thoroug h going is
.
-
’
Kab i r s eclecticism that he see m s by
,
turns Ved antist and V ais hn av ite Pan ,
theist and Transcendentalist Br ahm an ,
and S u fi In the effort to tell t h e

truth about that inefi abl e apprehension
'
so vast and yet so near w hich controls ,
his life he seizes and twines together

,
as he might have woven together

contrasting threa d s upon his l oom
N LXXX 1 o . .
38 SONGS OF KA B IR
L il a or S port o f G od t h e O cean of ,
Bliss the Bir d of the S oul M ay a the

, , ,
Hundred petalled Lotus -

and the ,
“
Form less For m Many again are .
, ,
soaked in S u fi imagery and feeling .
O thers use as their material the ordi

nary surroundings and incidents of
Indian life : the temple bells the cere ,
mony of the lamps marriage suttee , , ,
pilgrimage the characters of the ,
seasons ; al l felt by h im in their

mystical aspect as sacraments of t h e ,
soul s re l ation with B rah m a I n many

’
.
of these a p articularly beautiful and

intimate feeling for N ature is shown 1
.
I n the collection of songs here trans

lated there will be foun d exa m ples which
,
’
illustrate nearly every aspect of Kab ir s
thought and all the fl u c tu atio n s of
,
the mystic s e m otion : the ecstasy the

’
despair the still beatitude the eager

, ,
self devotion the flashes of wide ill u m i

-
,
1
No s . XV XXI II LXV II LX XX V I I X CV III
, , , , .
I N TR O DUCTI O N 39
nation t h e mo m ents o f intimate l o v e

, .
H is wide and deep V ision of the uni

“ ”
verse the Eternal S port of creation
,
( LXXX I I ) the worlds being told l ike

,
”
beads within the Being of G o d ( X I V ,
XVI XVII LXXVI ) is here seen ba l

, , ,
an c e d by his lovely and delicate sense o f
intimate com munion with the Divine

Friend Lover Teacher of the soul
, ,
( X, X I XXII I XXX
, V LI L XXX V , , , ,
LXXXVI L XXXV I I I XCII XCII I ; , , ,
abo v e all the beautiful poem XXX I V )

, .
A s these apparently paradoxical V iews

of R eality are resolved in Br ah m a ,
so all other opposites are reconciled

in H im : bondage and liberty love and ,
renunciation pleasure an d pain ( XV II , ,
XX V XL LXXXIX )
, Union with , .
H im is the one thing that m atters to

the soul its destiny and its need ( L I
, ,
LII , L IV LXX LXXIV XC II I , , , ,
XCVI ) and this union this discovery ,
of G od is the si m plest and most natural

,
40 SONGS OF KA BIR
of a ll things i f we would but grasp it

( XL I XLVI LVI LXX II LXXVI
, , , , ,
L XXVI II XCVII ) The union how

, .
,
ever is brought about by love not by

, ,
knowledge or ceremonial O bservances

( XXXVII I LIV LV LIX XCI ) ; , , , ,
and th e apprehension which that union

“
confers is ine ffable neither T his
”
nor That as Ruysbroeck has it ( I X
, ,
XL VI LXXVI ) Real worship and

, .
communion is in S pirit and in Trut h

( X L
, XLI L V I L X I I I, LXV L XX ) , , , ,
there f ore idolatry is an insult to the

D ivine Lover ( XL II LXIX ) and the ,
devices of professional sanctity are

useless apart f rom charity and purity
of soul ( LI V LX V LXVI ) S ince all, , .
t h ings and especially the heart o f

,
m an are G od inhabited G od possessed

,
-
,
-
( XXV I LVI , LXXV I LXXXIX , , ,
XCV II ) He may b est b e foun d in the

,
here and now : in the norm al hu m an

- -
, ,
“
bodily existence t h e mud of m ateria l ,
I N TR O DUC T I O N 41
l ife ( I II I V V I XX I XXXIX XL
, , , , , ,
XL II I XL V I II LXX I I )
,
“
We can
, .
reach the goal without crossing the

”
road ( L XXV I ) not the cloister but
the ho m e is the proper theatre of m an s ’
efforts and if he cannot fi nd G od

there he need not hope for success by
,
“
going farther afi el d In the ho m e is
.
”
reality . There love and detach m ent ,
bondage and freedo m j oy and pain play ,
b y turns upon the soul ; and it is from

their c o nflic t that the Unstruck Music
“
of the I nfi nite proceeds Kab ir says .
N one but B rah m a can evoke its

”
melodies .
II I
’
This v ersion of Kab i r s songs is
c h iefl y the work of M r R ab in d r an ath .
Tagore the trend of whose m ystical

,
genius makes hi m as all who read

these poe m s will see — a peculiarly
’
sy mpat h etic interpreter o f Kab i r s
V ision and t h ought It has been b ased

.
upon the printed Hind i text wit h

Bengali translation of M r Ks h iti Mo.
han S en ; who has gathered fro m many

sources someti m es from books and
m anuscripts so m eti m es fro m the lips
, .
of wandering ascetics and m instrels

a l arge co l lection o f poe m s and hy m ns
’
to w h ich Kab i r s na m e is attache d and ,
carefully sifted the authentic songs

fro m the m any spurious works now
attributed to hi m These painstak ing
.
l abours alone have m ade t h e pres ent

undertaking possible .
We have also had before u s a m anu

script Englis h translat ion of 1 1 6 songs
made by Mr A j it Ku m ar Chak ravarty
.
from Mr Ks hiti Mohan S en s text

.
’
and a prose essay upon Kab i r fro m

the same hand From these we have
.
derived great assistance A consider

.
able number o f rea d ings from the

translation ha v e been a d opte d b y u s ;
I NT R O DUC T I ON 43
w hi lst severa l of the facts m entioned

in the essay have been incorporated
into this introduction O ur m ost grate
.
ful thanks are d ue to Mr A j it Ku m ar

.
Chakravarty for the extremely gener

ous and u n s elfi s h manner in whic h h e
h as place d his wor k at our d isposal.
E U
. .
46 SONGS OF KA B IR
For t h e priest the warrior the tra d es

, ,
man and all the thirty six castes

,
-
,
alike are seeking for G od .
I t is but folly to ask what the caste of

a saint m ay b e ;
T h e barber has sought G od the was h er ,
wo m an and the carpenter

,
Even R aid as was a seeker after G o d .
T h e Rishi S wapach a was a tan ner by

caste .
Hindus an d Moslems al ike h ave

ac h ieved t h at End where remains ,
no mark of distinction .
II I
k
’
I 57 s d dho bhd i j t h
’
. .
, i va i ar o ds u
FR I E N D ! hope for Him w h ilst

you l ive know whilst you l ive
, ,
un d erstan d w h i l st you li v e : for

in l i fe deliverance abides .
If your bon d s be not bro k en whi l st

l iving w h at h ope o f d e l i v erance
,
in deat h ?
S ON G S OF KA B I R 47
I t is but an e mpty dream that the sou l ,
shall have union with H i m because

it has passed fro m the body
If He is found now He is found then , ,
If not we do but g o to d well in the City

,
of Death .
If you have union now you s h al l h a v e ,
it hereafter .
B athe in the trut h know t h e true G uru

, ,
have faith in the true N a m e

Kabir says It is the S pirit of the
quest whic h h elps ; I am the s l ave
‘
of this S pirit of the quest .
IV
I . 58 . bd go nd jd re m i jd
0 not g o to the gar d en of fl o wer s
0 Friend g o not there ;
In your body is the garden of fl o wer s .
Take your seat on t h e thousand petals

of the lotus an d t h ere gaze on t h e
,
I nfinite B eauty .
48 SONGS OF KA B IR
I 63 a dhu m j di
dyd taj i na
. .
gg
ELL me re how can I
nounce May
When I gave up the tyin g o f rib b ons ,
still I tied my gar m ent about me :

W h en I gave up tying m y garment ,
still I covere d m y body in its fo l ds .
S o when I give up passion I see that

, ,
anger remains ;
A n d when I renounce anger gree d is ,
with me stil l ;
A nd when greed is v anquis h e d pri d e ,
and v ainglory re m ain ;

When the m ind is detached and casts
Maya away still i t c lings to t h e ,
letter .
Kabir says Listen to me dear S a d hu

, ,
the true path is rarely found .

SONGS OF KA B IR 49
VI
I . 83 . cand d j halk ai yahi g hat m d hi n
’
H E moon shines in my body but ,
my b l ind eyes cannot see it

The m oon is within m e an d so is the ,
sun .
T h e unstruck dru m o f Eternity is

sounded within me ; b ut my deaf
ear s cannot hear it .
So long as man clamours for t h e I an d

the Mine his works are as naught
,
When all love o f the I and the Mine is

dead then the work o f t h e Lor d
,
is done .
For work has no other aim than the

getting o f knowledge
When that co m es then work is pu t
aw
,
ay .
T h e flower blooms for the fruit : w h en

the fruit comes t h e flower wit h ers , .
50 SONGS OF KA BIR
T h e mus k is in the deer but it seek s it ,
not within itself : it wanders in

quest o f grass .
V II
I . 85 . d ho Br ahm
, al akh l akhd yd
HE N He Himse lf re v ea l s H im
sel f Brahma brings into mani
,
fes tatio n That w hi ch can ne v er be

seen .
A s t h e see d is in t h e p l ant as t h e sha d e ,
is in the tree as the v oi d is in t h e,
sky as in fin ite forms are in t h e

,
v oid
S o f rom beyond the Infi nite t h e Infi ,
nite comes ; and from t h e Infinite

t h e fin ite exten d s .
T h e creature is in Bra h ma an d Bra hma ,
is in t h e creature : they are e v er

distinct yet e v er unite d , .
He Hi m sel f is t h e tree t h e see d an d , ,
t h e germ .
SONGS OF KA B IR 51
He Himself is the fl o wer the fruit an d , ,
the shade .
Hé Hi m self is t h e sun t h e lig h t and

, ,
the lig h ted .
He H i m self is Brahma creature and , ,
Maya .
He Himself is the mani fold form the ,
infi n ite space ;

He is the breath t h e wor d an d t h e
, ,
m eaning .
He Hi m self is the limit and t h e l i m it

less and beyond both the li m ited
an d the li m itless is He t h e Pure ,
Being .
He is the Im m anent Min d in Bra hm a

an d in the c reature .
The S upreme S ou l is seen withi n the

sou l,
The Point is seen within the S upre m e

So u L
A nd within the Point t h e , r eflec tio n is
seen again .
52 SONGS OF KA BIR
Kabir is bl est because he h as this

supre m e vision !
VIII
I . 1 01 . is g hat an tar bd g bag i ca
ITH I N
this earthen vessel are
b owers and groves and wit hin ,
it is the Creator
Within this v essel are the seven oceans
and the unnu m bere d st ars .
T h e touchstone and t h e j ewel ap -
praiser are wit h in ;

A nd wit hi n this vessel the Eterna l
soundeth and the spring wells u p .
Kab ir says Listen to m e my Friend ,
”
My beloved Lord is within .
IX
I . 1 04 . ais é lo nahi n to is é lo
H O W may I ever express t h at
secret word ?
0 h ow can I say He is not li k e this and ,
He is l ike that ?
54 SONGS OF KABIR
ocean of this world an d Thou ,
didst save me upholding me

with T hine arm 0 Fak ir ! ,
O nly one word and no second an d

Thou h ast made m e tear o fl a ll
’
m y bo nds 0 Fakir ,
“
Ka b ir says Thou hast unite d T h y
,
heart to my h eart 0 Fak ir ,
XI
I . 13 1 . MS din k hel at r ahi s ak hiyan
s ang
PLA YE Dday and ni ght with my

co m rades an d now I am greatly
,
afrai d .
’
S o high is m y Lor d s palace my heart ,
tre m bles to m ount its stairs : yet

I must not be shy if I woul d enjoy ,
His love .
My heart m ust cleave to m y Lover ;

I must withdraw my veil an d ,
meet H i m with al l my b ody

SONGS OF KA B I R 55
Mine eyes must perform t h e ceremony

o f the lam ps o f l ove .
Kab ir says : Listen to me frien d : h e

“
,
understands w h o l oves If you .
feel not love s l onging for your ’
Beloved O ne it is vain to a d orn ,
your bo d y vain to put unguent,
”
on your eyeli d s .
XI I
II . 24 . ham s d k aho pu r d tan vd t
,
ELL me O S wan your ancient, ,
tale .
From w h at lan d d o you come 0 S wan ? ,
to w h at shore will you fly ?

Where woul d you take your rest 0 ,
S wan and what do you seek

,
E v en this morning 0 S wan awake , , ,
arise follow me
,
There is a land where no d ou b t nor

sorrow hav e rule : w h ere the terror
of Death is no more .
T h ere t h e woo d s o f spring are a bl oom -

,
“ ”
and the fragrant scent He is Me
is borne on the wind
There the bee o f the heart is d eep l y
i mm erse d and desires no other j o y
, .
XIII
II 37 an ag adhiyd deva
’
. .
L O RD Increate wh o will ser v e ,
Thee ?
Every v otary offers hi s worship to the
G od of his own creation each d ay
he receives service
N one seek Hi m the Perfect : Brah m a
, ,
the I ndivisible Lord .
They believe in ten A vatars ; but no

A vatar can be the In finite Spirit ,
for he suffers the results o f his

deeds
The S upre m e O ne m ust b e other than
this .
The Yogi the S anyasi the A scetics

, , ,
are disputing one with another

S ONGS OF KA B IR 57
Kabir says 0 brother ,he who has '
seen that radiance of lo v e he is ,
saved .
XIV
II . 56 . dar iyd ki l ahar dar iyd o hai
ji
HE ri v er and its waves are one
sur f where is the d i fference
between the river and its wa v es ?
W h en the wave rises it is the water ;
,
and when it falls it is the sa m e ,
water again Tell me S ir where

.
, ,
is the distinction ?
Because it has been na m ed as wave ,
shall it no l onger b e considered as

water ?
Wit hi n the S upreme Bra hm a the ,
worlds are being told like beads

Look upon that rosary with the eyes of
wisdom .
SONGS OF KA B I R
XV
II 5 7
. .
j anh khel at
j vas ant r i tu r d
HE RE S pring t h e l ord of the ,
seasons reignet h t h ere t h e

, ,
Unstruck Music soun d s o f itse l f ,
There the strea m s of lig h t flo win al l

directions ;
Few are t h e men w h o can cross to t h at
shore !
T h ere w h ere m il lions o f Kris h nas stand
,
wit h h ands fo l ded ,
W h ere mil lions of Vis h nus b ow t h eir

h ea d s ,
Where m il l ions o f Bra hm as are r ea d ing

the Vedas ,
Where m i l lions of Sh ivas are l ost in

contempl ation ,
Where m illions of Indr as dwell in th e sky ,
Where the de m i go d s and the munis -
are unnu m bere d ,
Where millions of S ar as watis G oddess ,
o f Music play on the V ina

,
There is my Lor d sel f—revealed : and

the scent o f san d al an d fl o wer s
dwells in those deeps .
XVI
II 5 9
. .
j anh cet acet kham bh dézi
ET WE E N the poles of the con

scious and the unconscious there ,
has the m ind m ade a swing

Thereon hang all beings and all worlds ,
and that s wing never ceases its

sway .
Millions of b eings are there : t h e sun

and the moon in t h eir courses are
there
Millions o f ages pass and t h e swing
,
goes o n .
A ll swing ! the sky and the earth and

the air and the water ; and the
L ord Hi m self taking for m
A nd the sight of t h is h as made Kabir
a servant .
60 SONGS O F KA B IR
XV I I
II . 61 .
gr ah candr a tapan j o t var at hai
HE light of the sun the m oon and

, ,
the stars shines bright

T he melody of love swells forth and ,
’
the rhythm of love s detach m ent
beats the ti m e .
Day and night t h e c h orus o f mu sic fi l l s

,
the h eaven s ; and Kabir says ,
My B eloved O ne glea m s like the

”
l ightning fl as h in the sky .
Do you k now h ow t h e m o m ents per

f or m their a d orati o n?
Waving its row o f l amp s t h e universe ,
sings in worship day and night ,
There are the hidden banner and the

secret canopy :
T here the sound of the unseen bells is
heard .
Kabir says : T here adoration never

ceases ; there the L ord of the Uni
”
verse sitteth on H is throne .
62 SONGS OF KA B IR
Wh at a wonder f u l l otus it 1s that

b l ooms at the heart of the spm ning
whee l o f the uni v erse ! O nly a
f ew pure sou l s k now o f its true
delight .
Music is all aroun d it an d t h ere t h e

,
h eart partak es o f t h e j oy o f t h e
Infin ite S ea .
“
Kab ir says : Dive t h ou into t h at
O cean of sweetnes s : thus let all
errors o f li fe and o f death flee
away .
Be h ol d h ow t h e t h irst o f t h e fi ve senses
is quenc h ed there ! and the t hree
forms of misery are no more !
“
Kab ir says : I t is t h e sport of t h e
Unattainable O ne look within ,
and beho l d how the moon beams -
”
of t h at Hi dd en O ne s h ine in you .
T h ere fa ll s t h e r hyt hmic b e at o f life

an d d eat h
S ON G S OF KA B IR 63
Rapture wells forth and all space is

,
radiant with lig h t .
T h ere the Unstruc k Music is sounded ;

it is the m usic of the lo v e of the
three wor ld s .
There m il lions of lamps o f sun and of

moon are burning ;
T h ere the dru m b eats and t h e l o v er
,
swings in play .
T h ere l o v e songs resoun d and l ig h t

-
,
rains in showers ; an d the wor

s h i pper is entranced in t h e taste
o f t h e h ea v enly nectar .
Loo k upon life and deat h ; t h ere is no

separation between t h em ,
T h e rig h t h an d an d t h e l e ft h an d are
one an d t h e same .
“
Kab ir says : There t h e wise man is
speechless for this truth may ne v er
”
be foun d in Ve d as or in b oo k s .
I h a v e h ad my S eat on t h e S e lf poise d -
O ne,
64 SONGS OF KA B IR
I h ave drunk of the Cup of the In

effable ,
I have found the Key of the Mystery ,
I have reache d the Root of Union .
Travelling by no track I have co m e

,
to the S orrowless Land : very

easi ly has the m ercy of the great
Lord co m e upon me .
They have sung of Him as infi n ite and

unattainable : but I in my medi
t atio n s ha v e seen Him without
sight
.
That is in d eed the sorrowless land an d ,
none know the p ath that lea d s

there
O nly he who is on that pat h h as sure ly
transcended all sorrow .
Wonderful is that land of rest to w hic h,
no m erit can win ;

I t is the wise wh o has seen it it is the
,
wise wh o has sung of it .
T h is is the Ulti m ate Wor d : but can

any express its marvellous sa v our
SONGS OF KA B IR 65
He who has savoured it once he ,
knows what j oy it can give .
“
Kabir says Knowing it the ignorant
,
man beco m es wise and the wise

,
man becomes speechless an d silent ,
The worshipper is utterly inebriate d ,
H is wisdom and his detac hm ent are

m ade perfect ;
He drinks f rom the cup of the in
breathings and the o u tb r eathing s
”
of love .
There the whole s k y is fi ll ed wit h

soun d and there that m usic is
,
made without fi ng er s and without

strings ;
T here the ga m e of pleasure and pain
does not cease .
“
Kabir says : I f you merge your l ife
m the O cean of Life y ou will fi nd
,
y our life in the S upre m e Land of

”
B liss
.
W h at a frenzy of ecstasy t h ere is in

66 SONGS OF IQXBIR
e v ery hour an d the wors h ipper is

pressing out and drin k ing the
essence of the hours : h e lives in
the life of Brahma .
I s peak trut h f or I ha v e accepte d trut h

,
in l ife ; I am now attac h ed to

truth I have swept all tinse l away
, .
“
Kab ir s ays : Thus is the wors h ipper
set free from fear ; t h us ha v e al l
errors o f li fe an d o f d eat h l eft
”
h im.
There the sky is fi l l ed wit h music

There it rains nectar
There t h e h arp strings p ng l e and t h ere
-
,
the drums beat .
What a secret splendour is there in ,
the mansion of the s k y !

There no mention is made of the ri sing
and the setting of the sun ;
In the ocean o f manifestation w h ich is ,
the light of lo v e day and nig h t

,
are felt to b e one .

SONGS OF KA B IR 67
Jo yfor e v er no sorrow no struggle !

, ,
There have I seen j o y fi ll ed to the brim ,
perfection of j o y ;
N 0 place for error is there .
“
Kabir says : There ha v e I witnesse d
the sport of O ne Blis s
I h a v e k nown in my bo d y the sport of

the universe I have escaped from
the error of this wor l d .
The inward and the outward are b e

co m e as one sk y the In finite an d
,
the fi nite are united I am d runken

with the sight of this A ll !
This Lig h t of Thine fu l fi l s the uni
v erse the l amp of love that b urns
on the sal v er o f knowledge .
Kabir says There error cannot enter ,
an d t h e c o nflict of life an d d eat h

is fe l t no m ore.
68 SONGS OF KA B IR
XVIII
II 7 7 . . m addh
j d kd s d p ahan baitha
HE m iddle region of the sky ,
wherein the spirit dwelleth is ,
ra d iant with the music of light ;

There W here the pure and white m usic
,
blossoms my L ord takes His de

,
light .
I n the wondrous e ffulgence of each hair

of His body the brightness of mill
,
ions of suns and of moons is lost .
O n t h at shore there is a city where the ,
rain of nectar pours and pours an d ,
never ceases .
“
Kab ir says Come O D h ar m ad as ,
” ’
an d see my great Lor d s Durbar .
XIX
II 2 0
. .
j
par am dtam g u ru nik at vir d ai n
MY heart ! t h e S upreme S pirit ,
the great Master is near you ,
wak e oh wake ! ,
Run to the feet of your B elove d : for

b ody : for t h ere your f ootho ld is

fir m Consider it well 0 my
.
,
heart ! g o not e l sew h ere .
“
Kabir says Put all imaginations
away an d stan d f ast in t h at w h ic h
,
”
you are .
XX I
II 3 3
. .
g har ghar di pak var ai
A MP S burn in e v ery h ouse 0 ,
blind one ! an d you cannot see

them .
O ne d ay your eyes sha l l suddenly be

opened and you sha l l see : and the
,
fetters of death will fall from you .
T h ere is not h ing to s ay or to hear ,
there is nothing to do : it is he
who is living yet dead who s h al l
, ,
never die again .
Because he lives in solitude t h erefore ,
the Yogi says that h is h ome is f ar

away .
Your Lor d is near : yet you are climb

ing the palm tree to seek Hi m
-
.
Th e Bra h man priest goes fro m house

to house and initiates people into
faith :
A las the true f ountain o f l i fe is b eside
you and you hav e set up a stone
,
to worship .
“
Kabir says : I may ne v er express h ow
sweet my Lord is Yoga and the .
telling of beads virtue and v ice ,
these are naught to Him .
XX II
II 3 8
. . d ho , s o s aiya r m o hin bhd wai
BR O T H ER my h eart yearns for,
that true G uru who fi ll s the cup ,
of true love and drinks of it him

,
self and offers it then to m e

, .
He removes the veil from the eyes and ,
gives the true Vision of Brah m a :

He re v eals the worl d s in Hi m an d ,
m akes me to hear the Unstruc k

Music
H e shows j oy an d sorrow to be one
He fi l l s all utterance with love .
“
Kabir says : Verily he has no fear ,
w h o h as such a G uru to lead him

to t h e she l ter of safety
XXIII
II . 40 . wir
tin s anj h k d g ahir d d wai
HE sha d ows of evening fall thick

and deep and the dark n ess of love
,
enve l op s the body and the m ind .
Open the window to the west and b e ,
lost in the sky of l o v e ;

Drink the sweet honey t h at steeps the
pe tals of the lotus of the heart .
Receive the waves in your body : w h at

splen d our is in the region of t h e
sea !
Hark ! the sounds of conches an d bells
are rising .
SONGS OF KA B IR 73
Kabir says : 0 brother behold ! the ,
”
Lord is in this vessel of my body .
XXIV
s e r aham
j
’
II . 48 .
j ig apd r ag at m en
O RE than all else do I cherish at

heart that love which m akes
me to li v e a limitless life in this
world .
It is like the lotus which lives in the

,
water and blooms in the water

yet the water cannot touch its
petals they open beyond its reach
, .
I t is like a wife wh o enters the fi r e at

,
the bidding of love S he b urns .
and lets others grieve yet ne v er ,
dishonours l ove .
T h is ocean of the world is hard to cross

its waters are very deep Kabir .
“
s ays : Listen to me O S adhu '
,
few there are w h o have reached its

end .
74 SONGS OF IQXBIR
XXV
II 4 5
. . H ar i n a apna d p chipd yd
Y Lord hides H imself an d m y ,
Lord wonderfully re v eals Him

sel f
My Lord has encompassed me wit h
h ardness and m y Lord has cast
,
down my l imitations .
My Lord brings to m e words of sorrow

and words o f j oy and H e Himself ,
h eals their strife .
I wi ll offer my bo d y an d mind to my
Lord : I will give up m y life but ,
ne v er can I forget m y Lor d
XXVI
II 7 5
. . d 7t d s avai kéi s irj ai
LL things are created by the Om ;

The love form is H is body
-
.
He is without form wit h out quality, ,
wit h out decay :

S ee k t h ou union wit h Him
B ut that formless G od takes a t h ousan d

forms in the eyes of His creatures :
He is pure and indestructible ,
His form is in finite and fathomless ,
H e dances in rapture and waves o f ,
form arise from H is dance .
T h e body and the m ind cannot contain

themselves when they are touc h ed
,
by His great j oy .
H e is immersed in all consciousness all ,
j oys and all sorrows ;

,
He has no beginning and no end ;

H e holds a l l within His b li ss .
XXVII
II . 81 . s atg u r 3 5 5 dayd Icar di nhd
T is the mercy of my true G uru that

has made me to know the u m
k nown ;
I ha v e learned fro m Hi m how to wal k
without feet to see without eyes
, ,
to h ear without ears to drink ,

without m outh to fly wit h out ,
wings ;
I ha v e brought my love and m y m edi
t atio n into the land where there
is no sun and moon nor day and ,
night .
Without eating I have tasted of the

,
sweetness of nectar ; and without

water I have quenched m y thirst
, .
Where there is the response of deli ght ,
there is the fullness of j oy Be .
fore whom can that j o y b e uttered ?

“
Kabir says : The G uru is great b e
yond words and great is the good
,
”
fortune of the disciple .
XXVIII
II s ar g u n n acai
'
. 85 . m r gan d ge
EF O RE the Uncon d itioned the ,
Conditioned dances :
T hou and I are one this tru m pet
proclai m s .
SONGS OF KA B IR
anointe d as king ; the power o f

S hi v a was still unb orn ; w h en I
was instructed in Yoga .
I became sudden ly reveale d in B enares ,
and Ra m ananda illumined me ;

I brought with me t h e thirst for t h e
I n fi n ite and I ha v e co m e f or the
,
meeting with Hi m .
In simplicity wil l I unite wit h t h e

S i m ple O ne ; my love wil l surge
u p .
0 G o r ak h , marc h t h ou wit h His

music
XXX
II 9 5
. .
yé tu r ivar m en ek pakher zi
N this tree is a bir d : it dances

in t h e j oy of l i fe .
N one knows where it is an d w h o

k nows what t h e bur d en of its
music may b e ?
Where the branches throw a deep
shade there does it hav e its nest

,
and it co m es in the evening and

fliesj away in the morning and says ,
not a word of t h at whic h it means .
N one tell me o f this bir d that sings

within me .
I t is neither coloured nor co l our l ess it

h as neither for m nor out l ine
It sits in t h e shadow of lo v e .
It d wells within the Unattainab l e t h e ,
Infi nite and the Eterna l ; and no

,
one mark s W hen it comes an d goes .
“
Kab ir says : 0 brother S adhu ! deep
is the mystery Let wise men seek
.
”
to k now where rests that bir d .
XXXI
II . 1 00 . ni s din s d l ai g hd w
S ORE pain troubles me day an d
night and I cannot sleep ;
,
I l ong for the meeting with my Belo v ed ,
and m y father s house gi v es me’
pleasure no m ore .
80 SONGS OF KA BIR
The gates of the sky are opened the ,
temple is revealed
I meet my husband and lea v e at His ,
f eet t h e o fl er in g of my body and

my mind .
XXXII
II . 1 03 . n acu r e m er o m an m atta ho y
A NC E my h eart ! d ance to day

,
-
wit h j oy .
The strains of love fi l l t h e days and

the nights with music and the ,
world is listening to its melodies

Mad with j oy life and death dance to
,
the rhyth m of this m usic The .
hills and the sea and the earth

dance The world of man dances
.
in laughter and tears .
Why put on the robe of the monk an d ,
live aloof from the world in lone l y

pride ?
Be h old ! m y heart dances in t h e de
S ON G S OF KA B IR 81
light of a hundred arts ; and the

Creator is well pleased .
XXXIII
II . 1 05 . m an m as t bu d tab kyo n bo l e
H E R E is t h e need of words ,
when love has m ade drunken

the heart ?
I have wrapped the dia m on d in m y
cloak ; why open it again and
again ?
When its load was light the pan of the ,
balance went u p : now it is full ,
where is the need for weighing ?

The swan has taken its flight to t h e
lake beyond the m ountains ; why
should it search for the pools and
ditches any more ?
Your Lord dwells within you : why
need your outward eyes be opened ?
“
Kabir say s Listen m y brother my
,
L ord w h o ravishes m y eyes has

, ,
”
united Hi m self with m e .
82 S ON G S O F KA B IR
XXXIV
II . 1 10 . m o hi to hi l d g i k ai s e hu te
c
OW
could the love between Thee
and me sever ?
A s the leaf of the lotus abides on the
water : so T hou art my Lord and ,
I am T b y servant .
A s the night bird Chakor gazes all

-
night at the moon : so T hou art

m y Lord and I am Thy servant .
Fro m the b eginning until the ending

of ti m e there is love b etween
,
T hee an d m e ; and how shall su ch

love b e extinguished ?
Kabir says : A s the river enters into the
”
ocean so m y heart touches Thee
, .
XXXV
II . 1 13 . l am d wo ham d r e g eh r e
Y body and my m ind are grieved
for the want of T hee ;
O m y Beloved ! co m e to m y house .
SONGS OF KA BIR 83
W h en people say I am T hy bride I am ,
asha m ed ; for I have not touched

Thy heart with my heart .
T h en what is this love of m ine ? I have

no taste for food I have no sleep ; ,
my heart is ever restless within

doors and without .
A s water is to the thirsty so is the ,
lover to t h e bride Who is there .
that will carry my news to my

Beloved
Kabir is restless : he is dying for sight
of H i m .
XXXVI
II . 126 .
j dg piyd r i ab kd so wai
FRIE N D awake and sleep no
, ,
more
T he night is over and gone would you ,
l ose your day also 9

O t h ers wh o have wakened have r e
, ,
c eiv ed j ewels ;
84 SONGS OF KA B IR
O foolish wo m an you have lost all

whilst you slept .
Your lover is wise and you are foolish

, ,
O wo m an
You never prepared t h e bed of your
h usband
0 m ad one ! you passed your ti m e in
silly pla y .
Your y outh was passed in vain for vou ,
did not know your L ord ;

Wake wake ! S ee ! your bed is empty
,
H e left you in the night .
“
Kabir says : O nly she wak es whose ,
heart is pierced wit h t h e arrow

”
of His music .
XXXVII
I . 36 . S ti r par k d é, tanh r ain k ahan
’
pd tye
HERE is t h e nig h t w h en t h e ,
sun is s h ini ng ? If it is night ,
then t h e sun withdraws its l ight .
Where know l edge is can ignorance e n ,

86 SONGS OF KA B IR
Kabir says : When a bra v e k nig h t

takes the fi eld a host o f cowards
,
is put to fl ig h t .
It is a hard fi g h t and a weary one t h is ,
fi g h t of the truth seeker : for the -
v o w of the truth seeke r is more -
hard than that of the warrior ,
or of the widowed wife who woul d

follow her husb and .
For the warrior fi g h ts for a few hours ,
’
and the widow s struggle wit h
deat h is soon ended
But the truth seeker s battle goes on
-
’
day and night as long as life lasts

,
”
it never ceases .
XXXVI I I
I . 50 . bhr am ke td l d l ag d m ahal ye
HE l o ck fi
shuts the gate
er r o r ,
open it with! key of love

Thus by opening th e door thou sha l t
, ,
wake the Beloved .

SONGS OF KA B IR 87
Kabir says : 0 brother ! do not pass

by such good fortune as this .
XXXIX
I . 59 . d ho yak tan thath tanvu
, r ek d
F E I E N D this body is His lyre ;

H e tightens its strings and draws ,
fro m it the melody of Brahma .
I f the strings snap and the keys

slacken then to dust must this in
,
stru m ent of dust return

“
Kabir says : N one but Brahma can
”
evoke its melodies .
XL
I avadhzl bhzl le ko ghar l d w
‘
. 65 . a
'
E is dear to me indeed who can

call back the wanderer to his
home In the home is the true
.
union in the ho m e is enjoy m ent of

,
life : why should I forsake m y

home and wander in the forest ?
88 SONGS OF KA BIR
If Brah m a helps m e to realize

trut h verily I will fi n d both bond
,
age and d eliverance in ho m e .
H e is dear to me indeed w h o has power

to dive d eep into Brah m a ; W hose
m ind loses itse l f with ease in H is
contem plation .
He is dear to m e wh o knows Brahma ,
and can dwell on H is supre m e

truth in me d itation ; and who can
play the melody of the In fi n ite by
uniting love and renunciation in life .
“
Kabir says : The home is the abiding
place ; in the ho m e is reality ; the
ho m e helps to attain Hi m Who is
real S o stay where you are and all
.
,
things shall co m e to you in ti m e .
XL I
I . 76 .
j s anto s aha s am d dh bhal i
S A D H U the simple union is the

best .
S ince the day when I m et with my

SONGS O F KA B IR 89
Lord there has been no end to

,
the sport of our love .
I shut not m y eyes I close not my ears

, ,
I do not mortify my body ;

I see with eyes open and smile an d ,
behold His beauty everywhere

I utter His N a m e and whatever I see
, ,
it re m inds me o f Hi m ; whatever
I do it beco m es H is worship
, .
The rising and the setting are one to

m e ; all contradictions are solve d .
Wherever I g o I move round Him

, ,
A ll I achie v e is His service

When I lie down I lie prostrate at His
,
feet
.
He is the only a d orable one to me : I

have none other .
My tongue has left o ff i m pure wor d s ,
it sings H is glory day and night :

Whether I rise or sit down I can ne v er ,
forget H i m ; for the rhyth m of

H is m usic beats in my ears .
Kabir says : My heart is frenzie d ,
and I disclose in my soul what is

h idden I am im m ersed in that
.
one great bliss whic h transcends all

”
p l easure and pain .
XLII
I . 79 . ti r ath m en to s ab pd ni hai
HERE is nothing b ut water at the
holy bathin g places ; and I k now
that they are useless for I have ,
bathed in them .
T h e i m ages are all lifeless they cannot ,
speak ; I know for I have cried ,
aloud to them .
The Purana and t h e Koran are m ere

words ; l ifting up t h e curtain I ,
have seen .
Kabi r gi v es utterance to the wor d s of

experience ; an d he knows very
well t h at all other t h ings are u m
true .
SONGS OF KA BIR 91
XLIII
I . 82 .
pé n i vi e m i n piyd s i
LA U G Hwhen I hear that t h e fis h

in the water is thirsty
You do not see that the Real is in your
ho m e and you wander from forest
,
to forest listlessly
Here is the truth G o where you will ,
to Benares or to Mathura ; if you

do not fi nd your soul t h e world is ,
unrea l to you .
XLIV
I . 93 . a
g g an m ath g i b ni s d n
a g ade
HE Hidden B anner is planted in

the te m ple of the sky ; there the
blue canopy decked with the moon
and set wit h bright j ewel s is spread .
T h ere the light of the sun and the

m oon is shining : still your mind
to silence before that splendour .
Kabir says He who has drunk of this

nectar wan d ers l ike one who is
,
”
m ad .
XLV
I . 97 . s d dho , k o hai k anh se d yo
HO are you and whence do you,
come
Where d wells t h at S upre m e S pirit and ,
h ow doe s He h ave His sport with

all created things ?
The fi r e is in the wood ; b ut who
awakens it suddenly ? Then it
turns to as h es and where goes t h e
,
force of t h e fir e 9
The true guru teac h es that He has
neither li m it nor infin itu d e .
“
Kabir says : Brahma suits H is lan
guage to the understanding of H is
”
b earer .
94 SONGS OF KA B IR
speaks the Word to Himse l f an d

”
He Himself is the Creator .
XLVI I
I . 1 02 . tu r var eh m il l vi n thdd d
H ERE is a strange tree w h ic h ,
stands wit h out roots an d bears

fruits without blosso m ing ;
I t has no branches and no lea v es it is ,
lotus all ove r .
Two birds sing there ; one is the G uru ,
and the other the disciple :

The disciple chooses the m anifold fruits
of life and tastes them and the ,
G uru beho l ds him in j oy .
What Kabi r says is hard to understand

The bird is beyond seeking yet it ,
is m ost clearly V isible The For m .
less is in the midst of all forms I .
sing the glory of forms .

SONGS OF KA B IR 95
XLVIII
I . 1 07 . cal at m ans d acal ki nhi
H AV E stilled my restless m ind and ,
m y heart is radiant : for in T hat

ness I have seen beyond T hat ness -
,
in co m pany I ha v e seen the Com

rade H i m se l f .
Living in bondage I have set myself ,
free I have broken away from

the clutch of all narrowness .
“
Kabir says : I have attained t h e
unattainable and my heart is ,
”
coloured with the colour of love .
XLIX
I .
j
1 05 . o di s ai , 30 to hai n d hi n
H A T which you see is not and for

that which is you have no words , .
Unless you see you believe not w h at

,
is told you you cannot accept .
He who is discerning knows by the word ;

and the ignorant stan d s gaping .
96 SONGS OF KA B IR
S ome contemplate the For m less and ,
others m editate on form : but the

wise m an k nows that Bra h ma is
beyon d both .
T hat beauty of His is not seen of the

eye that metre of H is is not heard
of the ear .
Kab ir says : He wh o has foun d b ot h

“
l ove and renunciation never d e

”
scen d s to death .
I . 126 . m u r al i baj at akhand s ad d ye
H E flute of the In fin ite is played

wit h out ceasing and its sound is ,
love !
When love renounces a l l l imits it ,
reaches truth .
How widely the fragrance sprea d s It

has no end nothing stands in its ,
way .
T he form of t h is melody is bright like

SONGS OF KA BIR 97
a million suns inco m parably

sounds the V ina the V ina of the ,
notes o f trut h .
LI
I . 129 . s akhiyo ham k il n bhai val a
m d éi
E A R friend I am eager to meet

,
my B eloved ! My youth has

flo w er e d and the pain of separa
,
tion from H i m troubles m y breast .
I am wandering yet in the alleys of

knowledge without purpose b ut I ,
have received His news in these

alleys of knowledge .
I ha v e a letter fro m my B e l o v ed : in
this letter is an unutterable mes
sage and now my fear of death is
,
done away .
“
Kabir says : 0 m y loving friend ! I
have got for my gift the Deat h less
O ne .
LII
I . 13 0 . s d i n vi n d ar d k ar ej e hay
HE N I am parted from my
B eloved my h eart is fu ll of
,
misery : I have no comfort in t h e

day I have no sleep in the night
, .
To w h om shall I tell my sorrow ?

T h e night is dark ; the hours slip b y .
B ecause my Lord is absent I start ,
up and tre m ble with fear .
“
Ka b ir says Listen m y friend t h ere,
is no other satisfaction save in the ,
”
encounter with t h e Belove d .
LIII
I . 1 22 . k au m m u r al i éabd su n anand
bhayo
H A T i s that flute w h ose music
thrills me with j oy ?
The flame burns without a lamp ;
The lotus blossoms without a root ;
SONGS OF KA B IR 99
Flowers bloo m in clusters ;

T he moon bird is devoted to the moon
-
With all its heart the rain bird longs -
for the shower of rain ;

But upon whose love do es the Lover
concentrate His entire life ?
LIV
I . 1 12 . éu ntd n ahi dhu n ki k habar
A VE you not hear d the tune

which the Unstruck Music is
playing ? In the mi d st of the
chamber the h arp of j oy is gently
and sweetly played ; and where is
the need of going without to hear
it ?
If you ha v e not drun k o f the nectar of
that O ne Love what boots it ,
though you should purge yourself

of all stains ?
The Kazi is searc h ing the wor d s o f the
Koran and instructing others
,
100 SONGS OF KA B IR
b ut if his heart be not steepe d in

that love what does it avail
. ,
though he be a teacher of men ?

T h e Yogi d yes h is gar m ents wit h re d
but if he knows naught o f that
colour of love what does it avail
,
though his garments be tinted ?
“
Ka b ir say s : Whether I be in t h e
te m ple or t h e balcony in the camp ,
or in the flower gar d en I tell you ,
tru ly that every mo m ent my Lor d

is taking His d e l ight in m e .
LV
I 73 bhak ti héj hi na r e d r ag
’
. . m
U BTLE is t h e path of love

Therein there is no asking an d
no not as k ing -
,
’
There one loses one s sel f at His feet ,
There one i s immersed in the j oy o f

the seeking : plunged in the deeps
of love as the fi s h in the water .
union in the mi d st of a ll enjoy

ments .
The in fin ite d welling o f the Infi n ite

Being is everywhere in earth ,
water sky and air , ,
Firm as the thunderbolt the seat of ,
the seeker is established above t h e

void .
He wh o is within is wit h out : I see

Him and none else .
LVII
I . 66 . s d dho éabd s d dhn d kij ai
E C EI V E
that Word from which
the Universe springeth
T hat Word is the G uru ; I have hear d
it and become the disciple
, .
How m any are there who know the

meaning of that Word ?
0 S adhu ! practise that Word !
The Vedas and the Puranas proclaim it ,
The world is established in it ,

The Ris h i s an d de v otees speak of it

B u t none knows t h e mystery of t h e
Wor d .
The househol d er l eaves h is h ouse w h en

he hears it ,
The ascetic comes b ack to l o v e w h en

he hears it ,
The S ix Philosophi es expound it ,
The S pirit of Renunciation points to

that Word ,
From t h at Wor d t h e wor ld for m h as -
sprung ,
That Wor d re v eals all .
“
Kabir says : But w h o k nows w h ence
”
t h e Word cometh ?
LVI I I
I . 63 .
pi l e pyd l d ho m at wd l d
M PTY the Cup ! 0 b e drunken '
Drink the divine nectar of His

N ame
Kabir says Listen to me dear S a dh u ,
From t h e sole o f the foot to the crown

of the hea d thi s mind is fi l led wit h
”
poison .
LI X
I . 52 . !chas m n a ci nhai bawri
MAN i f t h ou dost not k now t hine

,
own Lord w h ereo f art t h ou so

,
proud
Put thy cleverness away : mere wor d s
s h al l ne v er unite thee to Him .
Do not decei v e thyse l f with the witness

of the S criptures
Lo v e is so m ething other than this an d ,
he who has soug h t it truly h as

foun d it .
LX
I . 56 . su kh s i ndh ki s air kd
HE sa v our o f wan d ering in
ocean of d eat h less life h as
me o f a ll my asking
You are weaving your bon d age of

falsehoo d your wor d s are fu ll of
,
d eception
Wit h the l oa d o f d esires whic h you h o ld
on your hea d how can you b e ,
”
l ight ?
Kabir says : Keep wit h in you trut h ,
”
d etac h ment an d l o v e , .
LXII
I . 35 . s ati ko k au n s i khd wtd hai
H O has ever taught the wi d owed

wife to b urn herse lf on t h e pyre
of h er dea d husband ?
A n d who has ever taug h t lo v e to find
bl iss in renunciation ?
LX I I I
I . 39 . ar e m an dhi r aj k d he na dhar ai
HY so i m patient my heart ? ,
He wh o watches o ver b ir d s ,
b easts an d insects
, ,
SONGS OF KA B IR 107
He wh o cared for you whilst you were

yet in your mother s wo m b ’
S hall He not care for you now that you

are come forth ?
Oh my heart how coul d you turn from
,
the smile of your Lord an d wan d er

so far from Hi m ?
You h ave left your B elo v ed and are
t h inking of others and this is
why all your work is in v ain .
LXIV
I . 1 17 . s d ni se l ag an k athi n hai bhd i
OW
hard it is to meet my Lord
The rain bird wails in thirst for
-
the rain : al m ost she d ies of her

longing yet she would have none
,
other water than the rain .
Drawn by the lo v e of m usic the d eer ,
moves forwar d : she d ies as she

listens to the music yet s he shrinks ,
not in fear .
1 08 SONGS OF KA BIR
The wi d owe d wi f e sits by the body of

her dead husb and : she is not
afraid of the fi r e .
Put away all fear for t h is poor body .
LXV
I . 22 .
j ab m ai n bhal d re bhd i
B R OT HER ! when I was for

g etf u l m y true G uru showe d me
,
the Way .
Then I left o fl all rites and cere m onies

’
,
I b athed no m ore in the holy

water
Then I learne d that it was I alone wh o
was mad and the whole world ,
beside me was sane ; and I had

d isturbed t h ese wise people .
From that ti m e forth I knew no more

how to rol l in the dust in o b ei
sance '
I d o not ring the te m ple bell

I do not set the idol on its throne
11 0 SONGS OF KA B IR
He sits within the tem ple of the Lor d ,
l eaving Brah m a to worship a stone .
He pierces h oles in h is ears he h as a ,
great b ear d and m atted locks h e ,
looks like a goat

H e goes f orth into the wilderness k il l ,
ing all his desires and turns him ,
self into an eunuch

He shaves his hea d and d yes h is gar
ments ; he reads the G ita and b e
co m es a mighty talker .
“
Kabir s ays : You are going to t h e
doors o f d eath b oun d h an d an d
,
f oot
LXVI I
I .
j d ne s d hab k ais d hai
9 . m i
D O not k now w h at manner of G o d

is mine .
The Mullah cries a l ou d to Him : and

why ? Is your Lord d eaf ? The
subtle anklets t h at ring on the
SONGS OF K A B IR 111
feet of an insect when it mo v es

are heard of Hi m .
Tell your beads paint your forehead

,
wit h the mark of your G od and ,
wear matted locks long and showy

but a deadly weapon is in your
heart and how sha l l you have
,
G od
LXVIII
III 1 02 ham s e r aha n a j y
’
. . d
H E A R the m elody of His fl u te an d ,
I cannot contain myself

The fl o wer blooms though it is not ,
spring ; and already the bee has

recei v ed its invitation .
T h e sky roars and the lightning flashes ,
the waves arise in m y heart ,
The rain falls ; and my heart longs for

my Lord .
Where the rhythm of the world rises

and falls thit h er my heart has
,
reache d
1 12 SONG S OF KA BIR
There the hidden b anners are flu tter ing

in the air .
Kabir says My h eart i s d ying ,
t h oug h it li v es .
LX IX
III 2 . .
j o k ho dd y m asi
j d vas tu hai
F God b e within the m osque the n ,
to whom does this world b el o n g P

If Ram be within t h e i m age which you
fi n d upon your pilgri m age then ,
w h o is t h ere to k now w h at h appens

without ?
Hari is in the East : A l l a h is in t h e
West Loo k within your h eart
.
,
for there you wi l l fi nd both Karim

and Ram ;
A ll the men an d women of t h e wor ld
are His l iving forms .
Kabir is the child of A llah an d of Ram

He is my G uru He is my Pir , .
LXXI
III . 13 . s d dh s ahg at pi tam
O thou to the company of the

good where the B e l oved O ne
,
h as His dwelling place -
Take all thy thoughts an d l o v e and

instruction from t h ence .
Let that asse m b l y be burnt to ashes

where H is N ame is not spoken
Tell m e how cou l dst thou hold a
,
wedding feast i f t h e bri d egroom

-
,
hi m self were not there ?

Waver no more thin k on ly of t h e Be
,
loved ;
S et not thy heart on t h e wors h ip o f
other gods there is no wort h in
,
the worship of other masters .
“
Kabir deliberates and says : Thus
thou sha l t ne v er fi n d t h e Be
lo v ed
SONGS OF KA B IR 1 15
LXXII
III 2 6
. . to r hi r d hir d i l wd kin cad m en
HE j ewel is l ost in the mu d and ,
all are seeking for it ;

S ome look f or it in the east an d some ,
in the west ; some in the water

and so m e amongst stones .
But the servant Kabir has appraised it

at its true value and has wrapped
,
it with care in the end of the

mant l e of his h eart .
LXXII I
II I 2 6
. . d yau di n g au ne k ai ho
HE palanquin came to tak e me

’
away to my husb an d s home ,
an d it sent through my h eart a

thrill of j oy ;
But t h e bearers have brought me into
the lonely forest where I have no
,
one of my own .
1 16 S O N GS OF KA B IR
O bearers I entreat you by your f eet

, ,
wait but a mo m ent longer : let m e

g o back to m y k ins m en and friends ,
and take my leave of the m .
“
T h e servant Kabir sings : O S a d hu !
fi n is h your buying and selling ,
have done with your good and

your bad : for there are no mar
kets and no shops in the lan d to
which you g o .
LXX I V
II I 3 0 dil pr am ka a nt n a
'
. . ar e , n ag ar
MY h eart you have not known

all the secrets of this city of
l ove : in ignorance you came and ,
in ignorance you return .
0 m y friend what have you done with

,
this life ? Yo u have taken on your

head the burden heavy with stones ,
an d who is to lighten it for you ?

S ee t h ou everything as thine own

d welling place : the m ist of pleas
ure and pain can never spread t h ere .
T h ere Brahma is revealed day and

night : there l ight is His garment ,
light is His seat light rests on t hy ,
head .
Kabir says The Master wh o is true , ,
He is all light .
LXXVI
I II . 48 . in s u r at n ai n ni hd r
PE N your eyes of lo ve and see ,
Him who pervades this worl d '

consider it well and know that ,
this is your own country .
When you meet the true G uru He wil l ,
awaken your heart

He wil l tell you the secret of lo v e and
detach m ent and then you wi ll
,
know indeed that He transcen d s

t h is uni v erse .
T h is world is the City of Trut h its ,
maze of paths enchants the heart

We can reach the goal without crossing
the road such is the sport u nend
,
ing
.
Where the ring of mani fold j oys e v er

dances about Him there is t h e
,
sport o f Eternal Bliss .
When we know this then all our r e

,
c eiv in g and renouncing is over ;
Thenceforth the heat of having shal l

ne v er scorch u s more .
He is the Ultimate Rest unbounded

He h as spread H is form of love throug h
out all the world.
From that Ray which is Truth streams ,
of new for m s are perpetually spring

ing : and He pervades those forms .
A ll the gardens and groves and bowers

are abounding with blosso m ; and
the air breaks forth into ripples
of j oy
.
There the swan plays a wonderful game ,
There the Unstruck Music eddies

around the I n fi n ite O ne ;
There in the m idst the T h r o n e of the
Unheld is shining whereon the
,
great Being sits

Mill ions of su ns are shamed by the
radiance of a single hai r of His
body .
O u the harp of the road what true

melodies are being sounded ! and
its notes pierce the heart
There the Eternal Fountain is playing
its endless life strea m s of birt h
-
and death .
They call H i m Emptiness who is the

Truth of Truths in Whom all
,
truths are stored
There within Hi m creation goes for

ward which is beyond all p hil o s o
,
phy for philosophy cannot attain

to H im :
/
’
12 2 SONGS o r KA B IR
LXX VII
/
I II . 60 . cal h czm s d wd des j ahan
MY h e art ! l et u s g o to t h at
country where dwells the Be
l o v ed the ravisher of my heart
,
There Lo v e is fi l l in g her pitcher from

the well yet she has no rope w h ere
,
with to d raw water ;

There the clouds do not co v er t h e sky ,
yet the rain falls down in gentle

showers
0 b odiless one ! d o not sit on your
d oorstep ; g o forth and b athe
yourself in t h at rain '
T h ere it is e v er moonlig h t an d n ever

dark and who speaks of one sun
'
only 9 that land is illuminate wit h

t h e rays of a m il l ion suns .
SONGS OF KA BI R 123
LXXV I II
III . 63 . k ahai n Kabi r , 3 11710 ko s d dho
A BIR says : 0 hearS adhu !

my deathless words If you .
want your own good exa m ine and ,
consider them well .
You have estranged yourself from the

Creator of whom you have sprung :
,
you have lost your reason you ,
have bought death .
A ll doctrines and all teac h ings are

sprung from Him fro m Him they
,
grow : know this for certain and ,
ha v e no fear .
Hear f r o m m e the tidings of this great

truth !
Whose na m e do you sing and on who m ,
do you m ed itate p 0 co m e forth ,
fro m this entangle m ent

He dwells at the heart of all things so ,
why take refuge in e mpty d esola

tion P
124 SONGS OF KA BIR
If you place the G uru at a distance

fro m you then it is but the dis
,
tance that you honour

I f indeed the Master be far away then ,
who is it else that is creating this

world
When you think that He is not here ,
then you wander further and

further away and seek H i m in
,
vain with tears .
Where H e is f ar o ff there He is u n
,
attainable : where He is near He ,
is very bliss.
“
Kabir says : Lest His s ervant should
su ffer pain H e pervades h i m
”
through and through .
Know yourself then 0 Kabir ; for He

,
i s in you from head to foot .
S ing with gladness and keep your seat

,
un m ove d within your h eart .

L XXX
III 6 9
. . s atta n d m hai s ab ten nyd r d
HE true N ame is lik e none other

name !
The distinction o f the Conditione d
f rom the Unconditione d i s b ut a
wor d
The Uncon d itione d is t h e see d the ,
Con d itioned is t h e fl o wer an d the

f ruit .
Knowledge i s t h e b ranc h an d t h e ,
N a m e i s the root .
Loo k and see where t h e root is : h ap

,
pin es s shall b e yours w h en you

come to the root .
T h e root will lead you to the branch ,
the leaf t h e flower and the fruit

, ,
It is the encounter with the Lord it is ,
the attain m ent o f bliss it is the ,
reconci li ation of the Con d itioned

an d t h e Uncon d itione d .
LXXXI
III 7 4
. .
pr atham eh jo d pai d p
N the beginning was He a l one su ffi ,
cient unto Himse lf t h e form l ess ,
colour l ess and unconditioned

,
B eing .
T h en was t h ere neit h er b eginning ,
m idd l e nor end ;

,
Then were no eyes no d arkness no , ,
light ;
T h en were no groun d air nor sky ; no , ,
fi r e water nor earth ; no rivers

, ,
li k e t h e G anges and t h e Jumna no ,
seas oceans an d wa v es
, , .
T h en was neither vice nor v irtue ; scrip

tures t h ere were not as the Vedas ,
and Puranas nor as t h e Koran , .
Kabir ponders in his m ind and says ,
“
Then was there no activity : t h e
S upreme B eing re m ained merge d
in the un k nown d ept h s of His own
”
s e lf
.
The G uru neither eats nor d rinks ,
neither lives nor dies

N either has H e f orm l ine co l our nor , , ,
vesture .
He who h as neit h er caste nor c l an no r

anything else how may I d e
scribe His glory ?
He has neither f orm nor f or ml essnes s ,
He has no name ,
“
He has neither co l our nor co l our l ess

ness ,
He has no d we ll ing p l ace -

.
LXXXII
I II . 76 . k ahain Kabi r vi cd r ke
“
A BIR ponders and says He
wh o has neither caste nor coun
try w h o is formless and without
,
”
quality fi ll s all space , .
The Creator brought into being the

G a m e of Jo y : and from the word
O m the Creation s prang .
1 30 SONGS OF KA B I R
LXXX II I
III .
j hi j hi j antar bdj ai
84 .
HE harp gives f ort h m urmurous

music ; an d t h e dance goes on
without h an d s and feet .
I t is played wit h out fi ng er s it is hear d ,
without ears : for He is t h e ear ,
and He is the l istener .
T h e gate is loc k ed but within there is

,
fragrance : an d t h ere t h e meeting

is seen of none .
The wise shal l understan d it .
LXXXIV
III . 89 . m or phaki r wd
j dy m d ngi
HE Beggar goes a begging but -

,
I cou ld no t e v en catch sig h t of

Him
A nd w h at s h a ll I b eg of the Beggar ?
He gives wit h out m y asking .
“
Kabir says : I am His own : now l et
t h at befa ll w h ic h may b e fa ll
LXXXV
III . 90
.
j iyar d phd t r e
n aihar s e
Y heart cries alou d for the h ouse

of m y lover ; the open road and
the shelter of a roof are all one to
her who has lost the city of her
husband .
My heart fi n d s no j oy in anything : m y
mind and my body are distraught .
His palace has a m illion gates but there

,
is a vast ocean between it and me

How shall I cross it 0 friend ? for end
,
l ess is the outstretc h ing of the path

.
How won d rously this lyre is wroug h t !

When its strings are right l y strung ,
it maddens the heart but when

t h e keys are broken and the strings
are loo sened none regard it more
, .
I tell m y parents with laughter that I

must g o to m y Lord in t h e
morning ;
T hey are angry f or they do not want

,
“
me to g o and they say :
, S he
thinks she has gained suc h do
m inion over her husband that she
can have whatsoever she wishes ;
and therefore she is i m patient to g o
”
to hi m .
Dear friend lift my veil lightly now ;

,
for this is the night of love .
“
Kabir says : L isten to m e ! My heart
is eager to m eet m y lover I lie
sleepless upon m y bed Re m em .
ber m e early in the m orning
LXXXVI
III . 96 .
yzwm ahal m en S iwpahu nwd
ERVE your G od wh o h as come ,
into this te m ple of life

Do not act the part of a madman for ,
the night is thickening fast .
He has awaited m e for countless ages ,

13 4 SONGS OF KAB IR
of your fiel d s l est t h e rains over

,
fl o wthem ;
Prepare the soi l o f de l iverance an d l et ‘
the creepers o f love an d renuncia

tion be s oak e d in t h is s h ower .
I t is the pru d ent far m er wh o will b ring

hi s harvest home ; he shal l fill
b ot h his vessels and f eed bot h
,
t h e wise men an d t h e saints .
LXXXVII I
II I . 1 18 .
j d a n balihd r i
dj di n Ice m ai n
HI S day is d ear to me abo v e all

other days for to day the Be
,
-
l oved Lord is a guest in my house ;

My chamber an d my courtyar d are
beautifu l with His presence .
My longings sing His N ame an d t h ey ,
are become lost in His great

b eauty
I wash His f eet an d I l oo k upon Hi s
,
Face ; and I l ay before Hi m as an

offering my body my m in d and , ,
all that I have .
What a day of gla d ness i s that d ay in

which my Belove d who is my ,
treasure comes to my h ouse !

,
A ll evils fly from my h eart when I see

my Lord .
“
My love has touched Him ; my h eart
is longing for the N ame which is
”
Truth .
T h us sings Kabir t h e s er v ant o f all

,
s er v ants .
LXXXIX
I 1 00 kéi éu hai j
'
. . ntd n am ? r cig a
g g an
m en
t h ere any wise man w h o will listen

to that solemn music which arises
in the sky ?
For H e the S ource of all music makes
, ,
all vessels full fraught and rests in ,
ful l ness H i m self .

13 6 SONGS OF KABIR
He w h o is in the body is ever at h irst ,
for he pursues that which is in part

B ut ever there wells forth deeper and
“
deeper t h e sound He is this
”
this is He ; fusing love an d r e
n u n c iatio n into one .
“
Kabir says : 0 brother ' t h at is t h e
”
Primal Word .
XC
I . 1 08 . m ai n k as e bd j hau n
O whom shall I g o to learn about

m y Beloved ?
“
Kabir says : A s you ne v er m ay fi n d
the forest if you ignore the tree so ,
H e may never be foun d in abstrae

”
tions .
XC I
II I . 12 . s am s k ir i t bhd s hd padhi l i nk d
H AV E learned t h e S anskrit lan
guage so let all m en call m e wise
,
But where is the use of this when I ,

Ka b ir says : I am weaving the gar

land of day and night When .
m y Lover comes and touc h es m e

with His feet I shall o ffer Him my
,
tears .
XC I II
III . 111 . k o tin bhd nu candr a td r d g an
E NEAT H t h e great umbrella o f

my King millions o f suns an d
moons and stars are shi ning
He is the Mind within my m ind : He
is the Eye within mine eye .
A h could my mi nd and eyes be one !

,
Coul d my love but reac h to my

Lover ! Could but the fi er y heat
of my heart be coo l ed
“
Kabir says : When you unite l o v e
with the Lover t h en you h a v e ,
’
l o v e s per f ection .
S ONGS OF KA B IR 13 9
XC I V
I . 92 . avadha beg am deg ham d r d
S ADHU ! my lan d is a sorrow

l ess land .
I cry aloud to all to t h e k ing an d

,
the beggar t h e emperor and the

,
fak ir
W h osoever seek s for s h elter in th e
Highest l et a l l come and s ett l e
,
in m y land
Let the weary come an d l ay h is b ur d ens
here !
S o l i v e h ere ,
my b rot h er t h at you may
,
cross with ease to that other shore .
I t is a land without earth or sky wit h ,
out moon or stars ;

For on l y the radiance of Trut h s h ines
in my Lord s Durb ar’
.
“
Kabir says : 0 beloved brother !
”
naught is essential save Truth .
XCV
I . 1 09 . s dni Ice s ang an s d s u r di
’
C A ME with my Lord to m y Lord s
ho m e : b ut I li v ed not with Him
and I taste d Hi m not and my ,
yout h passed away like a dream .
On my wedding night my women

frien d s sang in chorus and I was ,
anointe d wit h t h e unguents o f

pleasure and pain :
B ut when the ceremony was over I ,
le f t m y Lord and ca m e away and ,
m y kins m an tried to conso l e me

upon the road .
“ ’
Ka b ir says I shall g o to my Lord s
,
house with m y l o v e at my side ;

then shall I sound t h e trumpet of
”
triumph 1
XCV II
II . 90 . s d hab ham m en s d hab tu m m en
HE Lor d is in me the Lord is in ,
you as l ife is in e very seed O

, .
ser v ant put f alse pride away an d ,
seek for Hi m wit h in you .
A mi l lion suns are a bl aze wit h l ig h t

The sea of blue spreads in t h e s k y ,
The f ever o f life is stilled and all stains,
are was h ed away ; w h en I sit in

t h e midst o f t h at wor ld .
Har k to t h e unstruc k b ells an d d rums

Take your delight in l ove
Rains pour down wit h out water an d ,
t h e rivers are strea m s o f lig h t .
O ne Love it is that perva d es t h e w h o l e

worl d f ew there are wh o k now it
,
f ully :
They are b l ind wh o h ope to see it b y
the light of reason that reason ,
which is the c au s e o f separation

'
T he House o f Reason is very far away

SONGS OF KA B IR 143
How blesse d is Kabir that a m i d st this

,
great j oy he sings within his own

v essel
.
I t is the music o f the meeting o f soul

with soul ;
It is the m usic of the forgetting o f
sorrows ;
I t is t h e m usic that transcends al l com
ing in and all going fort h .
X CVIII
II 9 8
. . r itu phd g u n niyar d ni
HE month of Marc h draws near : a h ,
wh o will unite me to my Lover ?

How s hall I fin d words for the beauty
of my Beloved ? For H e is m erge d
in all beauty .
His colour is in all the pictures of the

world and it bewitches the body
,
and the mind .
T h ose wh o k now this know what is ,
t h is unutterable play of the S pring .

1 44 SONGS OF K AB IR
Kabir says : Listen to me brother ! ,
there are not many who h a v e

”
f ound this out .
X CIX
II . 111 . n d r ad d
py r s o antar n d ki
H N arad I kn ow that my Lo v er
!
cannot be far :
When m y Lover wakes I wake ; w h en ,
He sleeps I sleep , .
He is destroyed at the root wh o gi v es

pain to m y Belove d .
Where they sing His praise t h ere I ,
live ;
When He mo v es I wal k be fore Him
,
my heart yearns for m y B eloved .
T h e in finite pilgri m age lies at His

feet a million d evotees are seate d
,
there .
Kabir says : The Lover Himse lf r e

”
v eal s t h e glory of true l o v e .
H E fo ll o wi ng pages c o nt ai n ad ver ti sem t
T
en s
o f Mac m i ll an b oo ks b y th e au th or
BY
RA BINDRA NATH TA G O RE
No bel P r izem an in Liter atu r e, 1 9 1 3.
“
A u l ho r of Gitanj al i,
”
The Gar dener ,
”
The C r es cent Mo o n,
”“
S adhana
”
.
A Pl a y in O ne A ct
C l o th , I zm o . net .
Thi s is l ittl e l yr ical d r am a b ased u po n an incident in

a
th e Mah ab h ar at a I n th e co u r s e o f h is w and ering s in

.
fu l fill m en t o f a vo wo f p enance A r j u n a co m es to Manip u r .
Th er e h e sees Chi tr ang ada th e d au gh ter o f Chitr avahana

, ,
th e k ing o f th e co u n t r y S m itt en wit h h er ch ar m s h e ask s

.
,
th e k ing fo r th e h and o f h is d au g h t er Ou t o f th e k ing s

’
.
r ep l y and th e co n d it io ns w h ich h e im p o s es u p o n A r j u na
th e s to r y d ev el o p s I t is a r ar e b it o f id eal is tic wr iting

.
,
as b eau tif u l in its t h o u g h t as it is in ex p r essio n .
“
We did no t l o o k fo r an Or iental ev en t ho u gh a seer to ,
wr it e a b o o k ( esp eciall y twenty five year s ag o wh en t his -
was wr itten) that m igh t ser ve as ex am p l e to th e m o s t

ad vanced am o ng m o d er n Occid en tal wo m en— yet t h is is
j u s t w h at Tago r e h as d o ne E x t end ed co m m ent u p o n
.
Mr . T ag o r e
’
s p l ay is y I t is at o nce as cl ear
u n necess ar .
”
and as p ro fo u nd as a m o u n t ain p o o l N Y Tim es
. .
PUBLI S HED BY
THE MA C M I L LA N C O M PA N Y
P b l i sh er s
u 64-66 Fif th Avenu e NewYo r k
The Po st O thee
Cl o th , I zm o . net .
wi th t nd path and pi i t al b a ty T h e a e tw a ts
fill ed e er os s r u e u . er r o c ,
and th t y is that f a f ai l l i ttl I nd i an l ad nd mn d t l i n and

e s or o r e co e e o sec u s o
i na t i n by i ll h alth H m ak a n ww ld f hi m lf h w v by hi
c o e . e es e or or se , o e er , s
i m ag i nati n and i n at iab l

o i i ty and th p a b y b i ng th w ld f
s e cu r o s , e s ser s r e or o
a t i n t hi m
c o T h p l ay ha b n p
o . nt d in E ng l nd b y th I i h P l ay
e s ee r es e e a e r s er s,
and f ll y ad ap t i t
u lf t th cha mi ng i mp l i i ty and ha m whi h a th i
s se o e r s c c r c re e r
p i n ipal h a a t e i ti
r c c P hil a P bli L dg
r c r s cs . . u c e er .
A b eau t if l and app aling pi

u e ece o f d mat i w
ra c o rk . Bo sto n Tr anscr ipt .
Once m o re Ta g o re dm t t e o ns r a es the u ni v ers a l i ty of his g ni e u s ; o nce m o re
he s o hw s ho wart an d t f li g
ru e ee n k no w no r ac ai l and no r e l igi ous li nes .
”
Kentacky P o st.
d P t Ofii his o w wi ll f y mb li m S i m p l i i ty and

‘ ’
One r ea s in The os ce n o s o s . c
a p vadi ng
er , app al i ng p ath s a
e o re the q al i t i s tr an mi tt d t it li n
u e s by e o s es
th p t
”
e N oe . Y . Wo rld .
He w i t s f m hi
r e l ; th
ro s so u er e is ne i th er bo mb t n di d ti i m
as or ac c s . His
po em s b ing n to the q i t p l a
r o e u e ces wh er e the so u l p k t th l
s ea s o e so u su r e ly
b u t serene ly .
”
N Y A m er ican . .
PUBLIS HE D BY
THE M A C MI L L A N C O M PA N Y
Pu bl i sh er s 64 -6 6 Fifth Avenu e New Yo r k
OTHER W O RKS BY
RA BINDRA NA TH TA GORE
No bel P r izem an in Liter atu r e, 191 3
G ITANJALI ( S o n Ofi ering s)
'
g '
A o C ll ti n f Pec o o r o se T r ans l tia o ns md a eb

l i N wEd ti
.
th f m th igi l
t he au or ro e or na Beng a . e i on 5 ne
THE G ARD ENER P m th . oe s o f Yo u ne
TH E C RE S C E NT M O O N C h i ld P m ( C l d I ll ) . oe s . o o re 5 116
S ADH ANA THE R E ALI ZATI O N OF LIFE

: A v l m . o u e of
y
essa s ne
All f by R bi d n th T g t n l t d by th th f m th
ou r a n ra a a o re, ra s a e e au or ro
or igi l B g l i
na en a .
R bi d
a n r ana th T g i th Hi d p t dp
a o re s h t w h m th N b e n u oe an reac er o o e O t
Pi wr ze as r ecently w d d a ar e .
I w ld
ou mm co d th v l m en d p i ll y th ese t i tl d “
S do u es , an es ec a e o ne en e a
hana,
”
th ll t i f y t ll i t ll ig t d
e co ec on o I k w f th i g
ess a s, o a n e en r ea er s . no o no n
ex ce p t i t b M t li k i th w h l m d
e ae er g f th li t t
nc , n f th e o e o er n r an e o e er a u r e o
inner l f th t
i e a m p wi th th m
can co are e .
Th er e ar e no p h w i t p pi i t l t pi w h th i E p
r eac er s no r r er s u on s r ua o cs, e er n u ro
or Am i er ca, th t h v th d p th f i ig ht th q i k
a a e f l igi
e e
pp o ns , e u c ness o re ou s a er
ce pti o n, co mb i d wi th th i t ll t l h n ty d i tifi l
ne e n e ec u a o es an s c en c c ear ness o
T g a o re .
H i
ere s a b k f m m t
oo f a th i wi th m i d i v l th
ro a as er, r ee s e a r, a n u n ersa as
s u ns hi ne H w it
. e f f m th t d p i t f th Hi d B t
r es , o co u rse, ro e s an o n o e n u . u
t g t y hi pi i t d t h i g m
s r an e o sa , s s r t J w find Hi
an eac n co e nearer o esu s, as e
i th G p l th
n e os e s, y m d C h i ti w i t I k w
an an o er n r s an r er no .
H d e o esf th v g d wh t B g
or e a er a e r ea er d E k d i gf a er so n an u c en ar e o n o
hl ;h
s c o ar s th
e r escu es l d it f l ti f m th i e so ulvm tt an s acu es ro e r ens a e en
l gi h ppi g H h w
o c- c o n . th wy b k t N t
e s o d h s u s pi it e a ac o a u r e an er s r ua
vo 1ces .
H b k
e re u m t i l i t i w lth d W t l i f wi th th dig nit
es o u r a er a s c, ea -
m a , es er n e e
an d auth i ty f
or f th ld H b w p ph t
o o ne o e o e re ro e s .
H p eo p th m
ens u i g f hi H m k e f l th d i g f t th
ean n o e . e a es u s ee e re eem n ac a
li f i t m d
e s re w th w h i l dv t
en o u s, a Ev y th i g h p g f
or -
e a en u r e
“
. er n as s ru n ro
i mm t l l i f d i v ib t i g wi th l i f LI FE I S I MME NS E
or a e an s ra n e .
”
.
T g i
a o re s a g t h m b i g Hi h t i w m wi th l v Hi th g ht
rea u an e n . s ear s ar o e. s ou
ar e p u r e an d h ig h th g l y as e a ax .
( C py ig ht 9 3 b y F
o r , k C
1 1 ) R p i t d by p
, i i n f m th
r an r ane . e r n e er m s s o ro
NewYo r k Glo be D ec , . 1 8, 19 13.
P UBL I S HED BY
THE M A C M I L LA N CO M PA N Y
pu bl i s h e r s: 6 -6 6 i
F f th Av e nu e N w Y rk e o

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INTR O D U CT IO N

HE poet Ka b i r selection from

W hose songs is here for the ﬁ r s t

of the most interesting personalities

Born in or near Benares of M o h am m e ,

dan parents and probably about the

year 1 44 0 he beca m e in early life a

disciple of the celebrated Hindu as

brought to N orthern I ndia t h e reli

great twelfth century reformer of Br ah

This revival was in part a reaction

the de m ands of the heart as against

the intense intellectualism o f t h e Ve

m onis m which that philosophy pro

preaching the for m of an ardent per

representing the personal aspect of the

philosophies are powerless to kill .

T hough such a devotion is in d ige

in so m e of the oldest parts of the Bhaga

revival a large e l e m ent of syncretism .

R am ananda through whom its spirit is

said to have reached Kab i r appears to

have been a m an of wide religious cul

L iving at the mo m ent in which the

p h y o f the great Persian mystics A tt ar , ,

ere exercising a powerful inﬂ u en ce

dreamed o f r eco ii c il iiig th is intense

and per s o n al Mo h am m ed an mys ticis m

with the traditional th eo l g gy o f B r ah n

ﬁisﬁi T S o m e have regarde d both

life : but as t h is is a point upon w h ic h

tempted here We may safely assert

however that in their teachings two

perhaps three apparently antag

thought m et in the early Christian

that he was able in his poe m s to fuse

A great religious reformer t h e ,

founder of a sect to which near ly a

it is yet supre m ely as a mystical poet

been t h at of m any revealers of Reality .

A h ater of religious exclusivis m and ,

seeking above all t hi ngs to initiate m en

hi s followers ha v e honoure d his me m

barriers which he laboured to cast

vive the spontaneous expressions of

his V ision and hi s love ; and it is by

associated with his name that he makes

his i mm ortal appeal to the heart In .

these poe m s a wide range of mystical

worldly passion for the Inﬁ n ite to the

most inti m ate an d personal realiza

m etaphors and religious symbols

to say of their author that he was

ous friendship he sought to induct the

H e included all metaphysical cate

contributed something to the d es cr ip

to their m easure to the fait hf ul lovers

reliance can be placed S o m e of these .

emanate from a Hindu so m e from a ,

Mohammedan source and c l ai m h im by

turns as a S ﬁ fi and a Br ah m an saint .

His na m e however is practically a

conclusive proof of Moslem ancestry !