"Guru gobind dono khadeKake lagu paaye
Balihari guru aapne
Jin gobind diyo bataye"
---------Kabir
This & many such interesting vanis of kabir are known to us. His interesting & straight forward way of telling the truth is what makes him stand out from rest of the mystics of the past. Although Kabir spoke very clearly about his views on metaphysics & spiritual matters, some of his vanis were so difficult to understand that many contradictions & misinterpretations arise due to this. As a student of spirituality I read & listen to most of the current masters & I found something very strange in the path called Sant Mat. Sant Mat or the way of saints is a pretty straight forward way which guides us to self realization & eventually God realization but somehow I found certain masters or so called masters who taught wrong interpretations & concepts about kabir’s vani & this gave rise to many problems among the various sant mat groups. I couldn’t understand how could truth be different? Saints may describe it differently but its essence & realization cannot be different for one & different for someone else. Since I found many so called masters creating so much confusion about his vanis which leads to a huge problem for the seekers after truth especially those who want to know more about sant mat, I thought its time to bring out the truth of kabir’s realization as I understood it. This post is especially designed to clarify those problems which I & many others like me faced when we wanted to come to the conclusion of what kabir meant in his various vanis about the absolute. I’m not the final authority on sant mat but I guess after reading the vanis & the explanations it’ll be much easier for students of spirituality to understand how some so called masters are fooling the seekers due to their ignorance. Since the post is a bit long please read the heading to read about the particular topic which you wanted to clarify.
“The way to truth is one, it cannot be many. You may start at any path you want but eventually it has to merge in the one stream of truth which leads to the absolute.”
Topics of this post :-
***Salvation while living***
***Kabir’s eternal home***
***Kabir’s formless God***
***Found inside the body***
***Between the eyes lies the path of the saints***
***A true master A Satguru***
***Saar shabd or Sound current***
***Some more wrong concepts about Kabir’s teachings***
***A false master***
***Some final words for the seeker***
***My thanks***
***************************
***Salvation while living***
The first vani which I would like to talk about is “Jite ji mukti”. The biggest misunderstanding about salvation among seekers is that they will get mukti (salvation) after death. Their masters promise them paradise after their death. So let us see what kabir says about it.
**Hindi Version**
Sadho bhai jeevat hi karo aasa
Jeevat samjhe jeevat bujhe, jeevat mukti nivasa
Jeeyat karam ki phans na kaati, mue mukti ki aasa
Tan chute jeev Milan kahtu hai, so saab jhuti aasa
Abahon mila so tabahon milega, nahi to jampur vasa
Door door dhonde maan lobhi, mite na garbh tarasa
Saadh sant ki kare na bandgi, kate karam ki phansa
Sat gahe satgur ko chinhe, satnaam bisvasa
Kahe kabir sadhan hitkari, hum sadhan ke dasa
**English Version**
O friend, rely only on that which you get while living.
Learn while you are living, while living realize Him.
While living attain the state of liberation.
O friend, rely only on that which you get while living.
While living you did not shatter the shackles of karmas.
Yet you expect to gain salvation after death!
O friend, rely only on that which you get while living.
Those who say after death your soul will merge in God
Only give you false assurances.
Whatever you gain now will be with you hereafter
Or you’ll become a citizen of Yama’s domain.
O friend, rely only on that which you get while living.
The deluded wander seeking God in remote and distant places, but it does not end the agony of their visits to the womb.
Only if they adore the saints will the noose of their karmas be cut.
O friend, rely only on that which you get while living.
Know the truth, hold onto it,
Realize the true master and build faith in the true name.
The saints o Kabir are my benefactors and I their slave.
In another vani kabir says
**Hindi Version**
Jeevat mukt soe mukta ho
Jab lag jeevan mukta nahi, tab lag dukh sukh bhukta ho
Deh sang na hovai mukta, mue mukt kahain hoe ho
Tirathbasi hoe na mukta, mukt na dharni soe ho
Jeevat bharam ki phans na kati, mue mukti ki aasa ho
Jal pyasa jaise nar koi, sapne phire pyasa ho
Hoe ateet bandhan te chute, jahain icha tahan jaee ho
Bina ateet sada bandhan mein, kitahon jani na payi ho
Avagaman se gaye chutike, sumiri naam abinasi ho
Kahe kabir soe jan guru hai, kati bharam ki fhansi ho
**English Version**
He alone is liberated who gains liberation while living.
Until one attains salvation in his lifetime,
He will continue to suffer both pleasure and pain.
If while living in the body liberation is not attained,
How can one after death obtain salvation?
He alone is liberated who gains liberation while living.
By spending one’s entire life in holy places liberation
Cannot be had, nor by making bare earth one’s bed.
While living, if a man fails to cut the deadly noose of delusion but looks forward to liberation after death,
He is like the thirsty man who thirsty remains
Even after visions of water in his dreams.
He alone is liberated who gains liberation while living.
He who becomes detached, who gains freedom from his bonds, he can, while living, go where he likes.
He who is not detached, who is chained to his bonds,
Cannot go beyond his ties.
He alone is liberated who gains liberation while living.
Through the practice of the everlasting one’s name he has severed the chain of coming and going---
Such is my master; he has delivered Kabir
from delusion’s deadly noose.
He alone is liberated who gains liberation while living.
**Explanation**
*Most religions, holy books and paths promise salvation after death, after the soul leaves this world of matter. But the saints neither attach importance to such promises nor give similar assurances to their disciples, for they say that a worldly person will not turn into a holy man after death, nor an illiterate person become a great scholar. They tell their diciples to rely only on what they achieve while living and while living reach the region of liberation----the region from where they will not be required to return to this world of birth and death. The spiritual heights a man attains while living will be his even after death. In these two poems Kabir says that the inner regions of bliss that the Saints speak of are to be reached through spiritual practice during one’s lifetime. The shackles of karma, which keep man tied to the circle of transmigration, must be broken while living. A person who is born within the bonds of karma, who lives in them, strengthens them through his good and bad actions and also dies in them, will not suddenly become free from them through the agency of death. Kabir says that if a man breaks the bonds during his lifetime, he will while living become free to go to the inner spiritual regions at will and reach the state of liberation. But in order to attain this high state a devotee must give up his delusions; try to realize what is true, seek the association of a perfect Master and undertake the practice of Nam under his directions.
***Kabir’s eternal home***
Next I would like to show you the vani called “Aisa desh humara”. In this vani kabir talks about his eternal home sach khand or satlok.
**Hindi Version**
Maharam hoye so jaane sadho, aisa desh humara
Ved kiteb paar nahi pavat, kahan sunan se nyara
Jaati baran kul kiriya nahi, sandhya nem uchara
Bin jal boond parat jahain bhari, nahi mitha nahi khara
Sunn mahal mein naubat baje, kingri been sitara
Bin badar jahan bijuri chamke, bin suraj ujiyara
Bina seep jahain moti upaje, bin sur shabd uchara
Jyoti lajaye brahm jahain darase, aage agam apara
Kahe kabir wahan rahani humari, bujhe gurmukh pyara
**English Version**
Who shares my secret alone knows o friend
The mystery of my homeland
Vedas and holy books have no clue to my home;
neither speech, nor speculation, nor reason, nor intellect can ever fathom it.
Who shares my secret alone knows o friend the mystery of my homeland.
Where there is neither caste, nor color, nor lineage,
Where neither ceremonies, nor rituals prayers, nor canonic laws hold sway; such is my homeland o friend.
Where rain pours down drops with a divine taste---
Neither salty nor sweet; where in the mansion of sunn
Endlessly reverberate the sonorous melodies
Of kingri, sitar and been.
Who shares my secret alone knows, o friend,
The mystery of my homeland.
Where lighting flashes without clouds, where dazzling light shines without a sun, where pearls of radiant sheen form without mother of pearl, where the sweet music of divine voice resounds without a speaker, without rhythm or tone; such is my homeland, o friend.
Where all the lights of the world put together, fade with shame before the light of the region of Brahm.
Beyond that; beyond, in the realm of the inaccessible, the boundless, is the land where lives kabir---
But only a gurmukh will, through love, reach my home; only he who shares my secret will know and attain that homeland of mine, o friend.
**Explanation**
*The inner spiritual region of supreme bliss is the home of saints, but Kabir says that the material limits of human vocabulary make it impossible to describe that land. It cannot be understood through erudition, analysis or intellectual speculation. The conditions of this world of phenomena do not exist there: although there is dazzling light, there is no source that produces it, it exists by itself; the melody of shabd called the divine voice by Kabir is not dependent on an instrument or singer and although saints have tried to describe the shabd experienced by a devotee on different levels of consciousness as melodies of kingri, sitar and been it is without rhythm, cadence or tone. In order to comprehend the beauty and brilliance of that region a seeker has to go within and see it for himself. But only a devoted disciple who has surrendered his entire self to the master and lives in his will; who has vanquished his mind, turned his face away from the world and looks only towards his master; who loves and adores his master and none else, looking upon him as God in human form only such a gurmukh will reach the land of saints. Kabir says that through one pointed love the devotee reaches that land and shares supreme bliss with the saints; only he will know about the land where kabir lives.
**My Commentary**
One of many false teachings which these so called masters are giving out is that God is with a body like that of humans which is so weird because according to saints & sant mat where there is maya there is body or form. They try to put the infinite into finite. Kabir says God’s light is the greatest & these gurus talk about that formless God as one who has a body.
The following vani shall clear any doubts about whether God is with a body or no. Many so called masters teach their disciples that in the final abode there are many things just like here, we have a body like that of humans & even God is in a body of human being so lets see what Kabir says about this.
**Hindi Version**
Hum basi us desh ke, jahan jaati kul nahi
Shabd malava hoe rahe, deh milava nahi
Hum basi us desh ke, jahan parbrahm ka khel
Deepak jare agam ka, bin baati bin tel
Bin pavan ka panth hai, bin basti ka desh
Bina deh ka purush hai, kahe kabir sandesh
**My commentary**
Here again kabir says that my eternal home has no caste, creed or religion. There only the shabd (sound current) can take you & your body cannot go there. There the divine play of the Lord goes on & the divine lamp of eternity is always shinning in that region without oil or wick. There is no civilization there & there resides the formless God without a body this is the message Kabir wants to give us.
Another interesting fact which we need to look at is the way he describes how there this divine music is playing. This music is called shabd or sound current. It’s not just music but it’s God’s power which has brought everything into existence. It manifests as divine light & sound from God’s own being. It travels through all the regions below & gives life & sustains this vast creation. Many false masters again say that this is not the real shabd or shabd is something else, again they try to deceive the seeker with such false information. Today even theories like String theory or M theory have revealed such amazing facts about a divine vibration & music of the cosmos which holds this universe into place & soon I’ll try to publish another post in which I’ll try to share how Metaphysics & Quantum physics are coming closer to sant mat & the divine wisdom of saints which they gave many years ago. This shabd changes in frequency & due to this many melodies are produced & the result is this vast variety of creation before us. The student must note here that this shabd or sound current as it travels from region to region is described by different names such as anahad shabd which resounds till brahmand or the 2nd region (casual region), beyond that resounds the saar shabd in super casual regions, then comes the sat shabd which resounds in super casual & spiritual regions & is contacted in Par Brahm (super casual regions) & finally the adi shabd or primal sound which goes beyond sach khand (pure spiritual region) & becomes soundless sound. Many times some masters have not divided the shabd in so many levels so they describe it as anahad sahabd til par brahm & beyond that is saar shabd so a student must take both concepts into consideration. Students must be careful because many false gurus teach that this shabd is a power which only they can give you from outside or that saar shabd is some secret mantra etc. So seekers should be very careful about all this non-sense & understand that nothing from outside is required, all these various shabds can be contacted from within the body not without. The only thing is that a true master’s radiant form should be contacted in the astral regions, if it doesn’t manifest then you can search for a true master again. Apart from that, naam or shabd etc. is already inside your body & the master only helps you to attach your soul to this energy which you already possess although the soul is never seperated from shabd or naam but a soul is neither aware of it's existence and does not have the power to perceive higher sound currents, this process is done at the time of naam daan or initiation where the master simply turns the tendency of the soul currents from downwards & outwards to upwards & inwards along with this the master attaches his astral form or radiant form with your soul which you can contact when you go to the astral regions. The only catch is that anahad shabd cannot take you beyond brahmand (casual) & maximum upto par brahm (super casual) regions so you need a perfect master who knows the way ahead & can take you there. That is why Kabir in one of his vanis says that at a point even the anahad shabd ends, after that only saar shabd can take you ahead. The only difference is that saar shabd reverberates in the higher realms than where the anahad shabd can reach, so it's called saar shabd, but in reality it's the same shabd or sound current which resounds in different realms, only becuase of the difference in the level of spirit in those realms saints have explained the higher sound currents as saar shabd, sat shabd etc. Saints also give a beautiful example to explain the changes in shabd from pure spiritual regions down to the gross regions of physical realm, they say that just like the river which originates from the mountains and flows towards the sea it changes in intensity at various places, somewhere it is fast, somewhere it is slow, somewhere it makes a lot of sound and somewhere it is very calm. Similarly shabd also changes it's harmonies and intensity as it travels from the higher spiritual regions of pure spirit to these gross regions of physical reality we see around us. This is why you need to receive initiation from a living master who knows the way beyond brahm & par brahm regions.
In another very famous vani of kabir known as “Kar naino deedaar” he speaks about this celestial music in sach khand or the pure spiritual regions the abode of all the souls. A small example is given below.
**Hindi Version**
Sohan haad taji tab bhai, satlok ki haad punni payi
Uthat sugandh maha adhikayi, jako vaar na para hai
Shodash bhanu hans ko rupa, bina sat dhun baje anupa
Hansa kare chanvar sir bhupa, sat purush darbara hai
Kotin bhanu uday jo hoye, aisa purush deedara hai
**English Version**
Then the outskirts of Sat Lok anear. Where emanate sweet fragrances galore, Mysterious, ineffable evermore.
Each hansa there in the light of sixteen suns is bathed, and the wondrous music of the lute is ever being played. The whisk do flourish hansas over the sovereign's crown. Such is the court of Him who as Sat Purush is known. Ten million suns appearing, as many moons a nearing, their light in insignificance fades, before refulgence that one hair of His pervades. Such is the glory of that Deity.
**My commentary**
So this shows us very clearly that in that region of light there is a divine sound or shabd which resounds from eternity. One more thing which usually people get confused about is why Kabir calls God as purush or man. Here we need to understand that Kabir used such words so that we could understand it in our level of knowledge & understanding & not take it literally that God is a man like creature & further evidence of him being formless one will be given to make this point more clear.
***Kabir’s formless God***
In this vani we shall see how kabir describes that formless God & what words he used to talk about him which are again confused by many.
**Hindi Version**
Ek niranjan alah mera, hindu turk duhon nahi nera
Rakhun barat na maah ramjana, tishi sumirun jo rahe nidhana
Puja karun na nimaaj gujarun, ek nirakar hiraday namaskarun
Na haaj jaaun na tirath puja, ek pachaniya tau ka duja
Kahe kabir bharam sab bhaga, ek niranjan siu maan laga
**English Version**
Pure and supreme is my allah; hindus and turks have both failed even to reach his vicinity.
Pure and supreme is my lord.
I undertake no fasts, nor observe the canons of ramazan month; I only repeat the name of the one who is the ultimate.
I will not indulge in worship nor engage myself in namaz for I bow to the formless one within my own heart.
Pure and supreme is my lord.
I will not journey to the holy kaaba nor will I visit pilgrim places I have recognized the one within my own self---
Why need I run after others?
Pure and supreme is my lord.
Says Kabir all my delusion has vanished I am absorbed in the one pure and supreme.
Hindus have failed and so have the turks even to reach his vicinity pure and supreme is my Allah.
**Explanation**
*Kabir refers to the different modes of worship adopted by hindus and muslims in India and says that they have both failed to reach anywhere near God because they do not know the true way to worship him. The muslims undertake day long fasts during the month of ramazan they worship God through the ritual form of obeisance called namaz and they journey to the holy kaaba. The hindus fast on their pious days of the month, worship idols in temples, and travel to sixty eight holy places in India. A true devotee says kabir keeps himself engaged in the repetition of the name; he knows that God resides in the human body, therefore he goes within and bows at his feet in his own heart----the eye centre and having realized him within he has no need to go to the various holy places in the outside world. Men address him with many names, but the lord of Kabir is nameless he is pure & supreme.
**My commentary**
Very interesting thing about this vani is that Kabir calls God as Niranjan. Most people think that niranjan is the name of Kaal or negative power who is also known as Kaal Niranjan but here Kabir uses this name for God. Most people take wrong meanings of these words & confuse others. Niranjan means without dirt, one who is pure so it can be used for God also. Therefore the student must understand that many words are used in different places for different things. One must not get confused by words alone & try to understand its true meaning. Again here Kabir has clearly said that my lord is formless so masters who preach Kabir’s teachings & say that God is in human form in satlok should at least consider what Kabir has to say about that formless God.
Some more vanis in which Kabir has described the Lord.
**English Version**
Who has neither face nor forehead
Who is neither handsome nor ugly
Whose reality is finer than the fragrance of flowers
Such is He, the Unique One.
Kabir Granthavali - pg.47:36:4
**English Version**
He is within the body
Yet bodiless is He
In his spirit form
He pervades countless realms
Yet he has no color, no shape.
Kabir Sakhi Sangrah - pg.105:11
**English Version**
Within the soul in Shabd form
Resides the unalloyed
The invisible One
Only that seeker sees Him
Who has received from the Master
The gift of Naam - (initiation into practice of Naam or Shabd)
Kabir Sakhi Sangrah - pg.105:5
***Found inside the body***
**Hindi Version**
Ab ghatee pargat bhaye ramrai, sodhi sareer kanak ki nahi
Kanak kasauti jaise kasi leyi sunara, sodhi sareer bhayo tan sara
Upajat upajat bahut upayi, maan thir bhayo tabyi tithi payi
Bahari khojat janam gamaya, unmani dhyan ghat bhitar paya
Bin parachey tan kaanch kathira, parachey kanchan bhaya kabira
**English Version**
The lord has revealed himself to me within my body;
My entire being cleansed now shines like pure gold.
Just as the goldsmith essays gold on the touchstone,
I have been put to the test and made whole.
One after another many births I took;
Many paths I followed to escape this relentless cycle.
Only when I made my mind still did I attain the state
Of lasting repose.
I searched and searched for him
In external pursuits, but wasted the precious days
Of my human life.
When I became absorbed in the realm
Beyond mind and maya
Within my own body I found the lord.
Without knowing him I was base metal
On realizing him Kabir became gold precious and pure.
**Explanation**
*Kabir describes the devotee’s bliss on realizing the lord. He has found God within his own body. As a goldsmith tests the purity of gold on the touchstone, the devotee who has purified his entire being through meditation is tested by the lord and made whole. The devotee now realizes that all the time he spent searching for God through external observances, rites and rituals was a waste of his precious human birth. When he conquers his mind and through meditation and concentration crosses the regions of mind and maya----the third stage in his spiritual journey----only then does he realize the lord within his own body.
In another vani kabir says similar thing
**Hindi Version**
Tera sai tujhi mein hai, jyon pahupan mein baas
Kasturi ka mrig jyon, phiri phiri dhondhe ghaas
Jyon til mahi tel hai, jyon chakmak mein aag
Tera sai tujhmein hai, jaag saake to jaag
**My commentary**
Here in the first vani kabir says just like the deer searching for the sweet fragrance which is coming from nowhere when in fact it is coming from it’s own navel but due to ignorance it searches here & there for it, we are looking for the lord in the wrong places when he is within us. Kabir says just like there’s oil in til----a grain from which oil is extracted----& just like chakmak has fire in it, similarly the lord is within us & we can find him within our own body. Many masters teach the wrong concepts like Kabir didn’t tell us to do any meditation inside the body they tell the disciples to put their concentration above your body & similar things, when they fail to realize that even if you concentrate above your body you still have to cross through the eye centre & go to higher regions, so above the body is just another way to fool ignorant students. Further we will elaborate on this point where Kabir tells us to concentrate at the eye centre.
In another vani he says
**Hindi Version**
Sadho aisa dhoondh andhiyara
Ya ghat antar baag bageche, yahi mein sirjanhara
Ya ghat antar saat samundar, yahi mein nau lakh tara
Ya ghat antar hira moti, yahi mein parakhanhara
Ya ghat antar anahad garaje, yahi mein uthat phunkara
Kahat kabir suno bhai sadho, yahi mein guru humara
**My commentary**
Again Kabir says there is darkness in this world. He says in this body are many gardens and in this body lives the creator. In this body are seven seas and in this body are 9 lakh stars. In this body are diamonds, pearls & the lord. In this body resounds the unstruck melody and it’s vibrations. Thus Kabir says in this body I found my master.
***Between the eyes lies the path of the saints***
**Hindi Version**
Murshid naino beech nabi hai
Syah safed talon beech tara, avigat alakh rabi hai
Aakhin madhye pankhi chamake, pankhi madhye dwara
Tehi dware durbeen lagawai, utare bhaujal para
Sunn sahar mein baas humara, tahein sarbangi gave
Sahib kabir sada ke sangi, shabd mahal le aave
**English Version**
Between the two eyes is the master
The messenger of the lord.
Between the black and the white moles
Is the shinning star, and within the star dwells
That unknown and unseen lord.
Between the eyes is the master, the messenger of God.
Between the eyes shines a tiny petal
And within the petal is the hidden door
On that door adjust your telescope
Thus with ease go across the world’s deadly sea.
Between the eyes is the master, the messenger of God.
In the city of sunn I reside o friend
Where resounds the melody in its all pervading force.
Now the master and Kabir are eternal companions,
And he leads Kabir within to the mansion of shabd.
Between the eyes is the master, the messenger of God.
**Explanation**
*The spiritual path of the saints starts from the eye centre, a point between and behind the two eyes. Kabir calls it a star, a petal and the door for going within and says that the master is also within the disciple’s eye centre. When the disciple withdraws his consciousness from the body and enters the eye centre, he takes the first step in his inner spiritual journey. On going further he meets his master in his radiant or shabd form. This form is not physical it is the master’s spiritual form which he projects from the shabd. In his shabd form the master is always present within the disciple. This is what Kabir means when he says that the master is “between the eyes”. From here onwards the master accompanies the disciple on his inner journey to the higher spiritual regions. He is disciple’s true friend and well-wisher because he neither leaves the disciple at the time of death nor even afterwards. He is always with him in his shabd form and leads him to the home of shabd----the abode of the lord.
***A true master A Satguru***
**Hindi Version**
Avadhu bhule ko ghar lave, so jan hum ko bhave
Ghar mein jog bhog ghar hi mein, ghar taji ban nahi jave
Ban ke gaye kalapana upaje, tab dhaon kahain samave
Ghar mein jukti mukti ghar hi mein, jo guru alakh lakhave
Sahaj sunn mein rahe samana, sahaj Samadhi magave
Unmani rahe brahm ko cheene, param tat ko dhyave
Surat nirat so mela karike, anahad naad bajave
Ghar mein basat basatu bhi ghar hai, ghar hi basatu milave
Kahe kabir suno ho abadhu, jyon ka tyon thaharave
**English Version**
He who brings the lost traveler back home
Him I like and admire o friend
Within the home is all joy within the home is true union
Do not give up home and run to forests.
If desires assail your mind in the wilderness
Where will you run for shelter?
Who leads the lost one home him I like, I love o friend.
Within the home is the way, within the home is salvation
But only if the master reveals that unseen truth within
Then with ease you will enter sunn
you will become entranced
In the realm of sahaj your mind will turn inwards
And realize the universal mind the soul will contemplate
On the ultimate truth.
Through the union of surat and nirat
The soul will play the unstruck music.
Who leads the lost one home him I like, I love o friend.
Your home is the place of practice
In your home lies the hidden treasure
In the home alone will it be found.
Says kabir listen my friend reach that home
From where you once came.
**Explanation**
*In this poem Kabir explains some of the main aspects of sant mat. God resides within the human body and the bliss of union with him can only be attained by going within. Men seek him outside but fail to find him. They renounce the world and seek the seclusion of forests and mountains but the obstacles of mind, desires and cravings cannot be overcome by turning one’s face away from the world. The perfect master removes the veil of delusion from the devotee’s mind shows him the way to find God in the “home” of his body and helps him to realize the lord through the practice of shabd. When mind and soul withdraw from the nine portals of the body and go beyond the eye centre, mind merges back in its origin----brahm or the universal mind. The soul becomes free to proceed further in the pure regions of spirit called “sunn” by saints and on going even higher realizes the ultimate truth----the lord.
**My commentary**
Also many think that the master should be a bachelor & not married & say that kabir said "jaka guru grahi hoe chela grahi hoe" which means that if your master is a family man his devotee will also be indulged in his family but the reality is by this Kabir meant that if your master is into worldy things you cannot get out of them as well, Kabir did not mean that a master who is married cannot be a true master infact most of the masters of the past including Kabir were married & had children it's only their followers who create myths like they adopted children or such similar stories to unnecessarily try to prove that they are divine beings who cannot have families. Its funny how spirituality is a matter of inner journey & not outer conditions like having a family or no.
***NAAM, Word, Saar shabd or Sound current***
**Hindi Version**
Sadho shabd sadhana kije
Jehi shabd te pargat bhaye sab, soee shabd gahi lije
Shabd hi guru, shabd suni shishya bhi, shabd so birla bujhe
Soee shishya soee guru mahatam, jehi antargati sujhe
Shabdayi bed puran kahat hai, shabd hi sab thaharavaee
Shabd hi sur nar munijan gave, shabd bhed nahi pave
Shabd suni suni bhekh dharat hain, shabd kahe anuragi
Shat darshan sab shabd kahat hain, shabd kahe bairagi
Shabdayi maya jan utapani, shabdayi keri pasara
Kahe kabir jahain shabd hot hai, tavan bhed hai nyara
**English Version**
Apply yourself o friend to the practice of shabd
The shabd from which even the creator came into being
Imprint that shabd on your heart o friend
The Vedas and scriptures extol the merits of shabd
The shabd that sustains all shabds in the world
Men, sages and gods sing its praises yet its mystery they know not.
Imprint that shabd on your heart o friend.
Shabd is the master and listening to shabd
One becomes a disciple but rare are they who know
The true meaning of shabd.
Shabd is the real master, shabd is the disciple’s soul too
Only he knows this who goes within and realized the shabd.
Imprint that shabd on your heart o friend.
Between shabd and shabd there is a vast difference churn the primal shabd and realize the truth o friend.
Who does not taste this true shabd his life o kabir,
His achievements are all a waste.
**Explanation**
*Calling upon the devotee to adopt the practice of shabd Kabir explains what saints mean by this term. Shabd is the power of the supreme being that has created the creator of the 3 worlds, kaal or the negative power. Even this world of illusion has also come into being from the power of shabd or the divine word and is sustained by it. It is the form in which the lord pervades the entire creation. Although most scriptures, holy men and schools of philosophy talk about shabd, they are not aware of its true nature and identity. Its secret is in the hands of the saints or perfect masters and it can be experienced, not spoken, expounded upon or analyzed. Kabir distinguishes this divine word or shabd from the words that can be spoken, written and read. The written words can point to the real word, can extol its merits, but cannot take its place. Men try to obtain shabd through renunciation austerities and yogic practice. But Kabir says that these paths and practices can never open the gates of shabd. True detachment and desirelessness come as a natural result of the practice of shabd and when the disciple goes within and contacts shabd, he develops true love for the lord.
Now let us see some more vanis to understand the true nature of shabd & see how Kabir describes them.
**Hindi Version**
Raas gagan gupha mein ajar jhare
Bin baje jhankar uthe jahain, samajh pare jab dhyan dhare
Dasve dvare tadi lagi, alakh purush ja ko dhyan dhare
Kaal karaal nikat nahi ave, kaam krodh madh lobh jare
Kahe kabir suno bhai sadho, amar hoye kabhu na mare
**My commentary**
I’ve shortened this vani so that I may share only the relevant part about shabd. Here Kabir says that there the mystical sound resounds in the inverted cave where without instruments music is being played, his consciousness is now absorbed in the 10th door which is also known as eye centre taking into consideration the 9 outer doors of the body, Kabir says kaal the negative power doesn’t come near now neither do the 5 sins of lust, anger, greed, jealousy etc. thus Kabir says you become immortal.
**Hindi Version**
Panche shabd anahad baje sang sarang pani
Kabir das teri aarti kini nirankar nirbani
**My commentary**
Again I’ve shortened this vani to discuss the relevant part about how shabd resounds in 5 major melodies. Here Kabir says that the anahad shabd or (sound current) resounds in 5 major melodies & Kabir worships this bani or celestial music which is formless & is the projection of God’s own creative power which brought everything into being, sustains it & destroys it.
I would like to share another concept which many masters use to deceive seekers. There’s a very controversial vani which says
**Hindi vani**
Panch shabd aur pancho mudra vahain nishchaye kar jana
Uske aage purush puratan usi khabar na jana
Siddh saadh trideva aadile
Panch shabd mein aatake
Mudra saadh rahe ghat bhitar
Phir aundhe mu latake
Param pusursh ghar adhar taar hai adhar taar ke aage
Uske aage koi na bakhane sabhi shabd mein baage
Satguru kahe bujhae ke bujho antar meri aana
Aapa khoe aap ko cheene to mile thor thikana
Iske aage bhed humara jaane ga koi jaanan hara
Kahe kabir jaane ga wahi jispar kripa satguru ki hoi
**My commentary**
These false masters tell the seekers that siddhas, sadhaks etc. use 5 holy words & do mudras & remain inside their body & do not achieve salvation so these words are 5 mudras used by them. Thus the student who reads this vani thinks that these 5 words are not the right way to go. But if one really reads carefully what Kabir meant then they’ll see that Kabir says that these siddhas, sadhaks etc. associate these 5 words with 5 mudras called khechari, bhuchari, chacheri, agochari & unmani. Student must understand that the words are not mudras at all, these mudras are done by body kriyas or positions or use of some part of the body to achieve a particular mudra. Few genuine Sant mat masters give these 5 words as guru mantra not because these 5 words are mudras but because they in reality represent those 5 grand divisions of the creation. Siddhas, sadhaks etc. do not know the secret of shabd (sound current) so they associate these 5 words with 5 mudras & that is why they cannot reach the region of saints. In another vani Kabir says that the Lord produced these 5 major melodies from his own being & thus the logic of sant mat says that by following these 5 major melodies the student can reach their source which is the lord himself thus these 5 words represent those 5 major melodies & regions not 5 mudras but false masters again confuse people with wrong interpretations of such vanis. Many genuine masters do not necessarily give these 5 words as guru mantra so a student must keep in mind this as well but must beware of masters who fool people by saying that these 5 words are 5 mudras which is not true at all. In sant mat the student collects ones soul currents to the eye centre & goes ahead into the higher realms this is not a mudra which some people get confused about. Also many students of sant mat think that these 5 words are the naam which Kabir speaks about which is again false because these words cannot take you anywhere. Kabir says that naam or shabd cannot come in the spoken or written language thus he refers to the sound current as naam or shabd and not these words. They are only used to calm the mind and collect your soul currents to the eye centre and their importance increases because they are given to the disciple by a true master and they contain his or her powers but they alone cannot take you anywhere.
***Some more wrong concepts about Kabir’s teachings***
***A false master***
**Hindi Version**
Guru guru mein bhed hai, guru guru mein bhav
Soee guru nit bandiye, jo shabd batave daav
Kaanphuka guru haad ka, behad ka guru aur
Behad ka guru jab mile, tab lahe thikana thaur
**My commentary**
Here Kabir tells us that there’s a huge difference in every master. Only that master is true which shows you the way of shabd or sound current. The true master will show you the way in which you can contact that shabd within your body & reach your true home. He warns us that a master who whispers some secret mantra in your ears is not a true master at all his reach is limited in the spiritual worlds so find a guru who is beyond such non sense and shows you the true path of shabd or sound current. Some false masters also fool ignorant seekers by saying that saar shabd is some secret mantra and they’ll give it after some time so Kabir warns us that no word or jaap of any mantra can take you to those divine realms except the shabd or sound current. Only by shabd you can reach those regions & there’s no other way except traveling to those spiritual regions by sound current.
Many false masters also say not to meditate but Kabir says
**Hindi Version**
Sumiran surat lagae kar, mukh se kachu na bol
Bahar ka pat band kar, andar ka pat khol
**My commentary**
Here kabir says to withdraw the soul currents from the nine outer doors of our body like eyes, mouth, nose, ears & 2 sex openings & open the door within which is also known as the eye centre & further says to do simran or repetition mentally & not by saying those holy words out loud. Again in many places Kabir has told us to follow a master who knows the way of shabd or sound current.
***Some final words for the seeker***
***My thanks***
