Saint Kabir’s popular dohe which I think, everyone should know about …..
Who doesn’t know Kabir Das? Everyone knows him as a well-known person in India as a famous spiritual poet and saint. He influenced people’s minds through his poetry all over the world. He was a great devotee of God. In his early childhood, it is said that he received all of his spiritual teachings from his Guru, Ramananda. Kabir Das was the first Indian saint to bring Hinduism and Islam together by laying out a universal path that both Hindus and Muslims could follow. He never believed in religion and murti pujan. He is the true embodiment of Bhakti. Instead of worshipping stone, he taught people how to practice unfettered Bhakti by living a mundane human life.
Here are some popular Kabir’s dohe, which I think everyone should know about
1.दुःख में सुमिरन सब करे सुख में करै न कोय।
जो सुख में सुमिरन करे दुःख काहे को होय ॥
Meaning:
Everyone remembers the Lord in times of suffering, but no one does so in times of joy. Why should there be grief if God is remembered even in happiness?
My understanding:
The moment we connect with our true self, we get liberated. There’s no any kind of suffering exists within, no matter what the circumstances are. Every moment will be a celebration.
2. बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय ।
जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय ॥
Meaning:
I couldn’t find anything evil in this world when I went looking for it. When I examined my mind, I discovered that there is no one worse than myself.
My understanding:
We are all experts at blaming or pointing fingers at others rather than introspecting ourselves. There’s nothing worse than our own negative thinking.
3.जब तू आया जगत में, लोग हँसे तू रोय ।
ऐसी करनी ना करो, पीछे हँसे सब कोय ॥
Meaning:
When you came into the world, people laughed, and you cried. Go do something in life that when we die, the world weeps and we laugh.
My Understanding:
There’s a saying that goes, “Spread the love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” Every person is juggling something, and when you assist them, it makes a difference. They admire you for who you are as a person. When you do something good in your life without hurting others, people actually want to be there with you. No one wants to leave you.
4. काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब ।
पल में प्रलय होएगी, बहुरि करेगा कब ॥
Meaning:
Whatever you have to do tomorrow, do it today. Whatever you have to do today, do it now. No one knows that if catastrophe comes in the very next moment, life will end. Then when will you do, what you want to do?
My understanding:
Time is the most valuable asset in life. There’s no such thing as the right time or the wrong time. Time is time. We are all waiting for the right time, but it won’t come and opportunities will go away. We have to make it right by utilizing it in the right way.
5. निंदक नियरे राखिए, ऑंगन कुटी छवाय ।
बिन पानी, साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाय ॥
Meaning:
The one who criticizes us should be kept as close as possible to him because he cleans our nature by telling us our shortcomings without soap and water.
My understanding:
We all get annoyed when people manipulate or criticize us, and we shut them out of our lives. Yes, if I were in your shoes, I would do the same, but this verse taught me something essential. Manipulating people are real because they never leave their habits of criticizing others, and they are the only ones who tell us about our flaws, which helps us improve.
6. कबीर हमारा कोई नहीं हम काहू के नाहिं ।
पारै पहुंचे नाव ज्यौं मिलिके बिछुरी जाहिं ॥
Meaning:
Kabir, No one in this world is our own, and we do not belong to anybody. When the boat reaches across the river, all the passengers sitting together in it get separated. In the same way, we are all going to get separated.
My understanding:
Life is a journey not the destination. We arrived alone when we were born, and we will depart alone when we die. We are here to live life fullest. The unpleasant reality is that we all came with empty hands and will go with empty hands.
7. मन के हारे हार है मन के जीते जीत ।
कहे कबीर हरि पाइए मन ही की परतीत ॥
Meaning:
Victory and defeat in life are only feelings of the mind. If a man is defeated in the mind, disappointed, then there is defeat, and if he wins the mind, then he is the winner. God can also be attained only by the faith of the mind; if there is no faith in attainment, then how will you be able to find it?
My understanding:
The mind is so powerful, it overpowers you. Whatever we think, we feel, and so we act accordingly. It’s all about mind games.
8. नहाये धोये क्या हुआ, जो मन मैल न जाए ।
मीन सदा जल में रहे, धोये बास न जाए ॥
Meaning:
What is the use of such a bath that only the body is clean and the mind remains as dirty as that? Just as a fish is always submerged in water, yet no matter how much it is rubbed or cleaned, its stink does not go away, so try to keep your thoughts clean at all times.
My understanding:
It makes no difference how you appear. What matters is how you are as a person, not how you seem. People always appreciate beautiful minds because maybe beautiful faces can deceive you, but beautiful minds cannot.
9.माला फेरत जुग भया, फिरा न मन का फेर ।
कर का मनका डार दे, मन का मनका फेर ॥
Meaning:
A person keeps a garland of pearls in his hand for a long time, but the mood of his mind does not change, the movement of his mind does not calm down. Kabir’s advice to such a person is to leave this rosary in hand and change or spin the pearls of the mind.
My understanding:
We may not be able to control everything in life, but we can control how we respond in every given situation. Our minds wander around like monkeys, and fools are the ones who are wasting their time trying to govern their minds completely. It’s not possible, but one thing we can do is calm it down.
10.करता था सो क्यों किया, अब कर क्यों पछिताय।
बोया पेड़ बबूल का, आम कहाँ से खाय ॥
Meaning:
If you considered yourself to be the doer, why did you keep silent? And now why does he repent after doing karma? How can those who plant acacia trees, eat mangoes?
My understanding:
Every action has favorable or unfavorable repercussions. Therefore, while taking any kind of decision, think 1000 times. There’s no use of contemplation after taking decisions or any actions. If your intentions are wrong, you won’t get any positive results. There’s one saying: “As you sow, so you shall reap.” Follow this ideology instead of repenting for the consequences of your Karma.
