ਰਾਗੁ ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਭਗਤ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਕੀ
Raag Dhanaasaree, The Word Of Devotee Kabeer Jee:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
One Universal Creator God manifesting Himself into His Creation. Realized By The Grace Of The True Guru.
ਜੋ ਜਨੁ ਭਾਉ ਭਗਤਿ ਕਛੁ ਜਾਨੈ ਤਾ ਕਉ ਅਚਰਜੁ ਕਾਹੋ ॥
That humble being, who knows even a little about loving devotional worship – what surprises are there for him?
(Kabir speaks of a person who has understood, even to a small degree, the essence of devotion filled with love. For such a person, the surprises of the world cease to be so; they remain undisturbed by the dualities of life, like pleasure and pain or praise and criticism. Their steady focus on the divine makes the ups and downs of the mundane world appear trivial.)
ਜਿਉ ਜਲੁ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਪੈਸਿ ਨ ਨਿਕਸੈ ਤਿਉ ਢੁਰਿ ਮਿਲਿਓ ਜੁਲਾਹੋ ॥੧॥
Like water, dripping into water, which cannot be separated out again, so is the weaver Kabeer, with softened heart, merged into the Lord. ||1||
(Kabir uses the metaphor of water merging with water to describe his state of oneness with God. The weaver Kabir refers to himself in the third person here, indicating the complete dissolution of ego. Just as a drop of water loses its individuality when it joins the vastness of a body of water, Kabir, too, has merged his identity into the Divine, signifying the ultimate goal of a spiritual seeker — to become one with the Eternal.)
ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਲੋਗਾ ਮੈ ਤਉ ਮਤਿ ਕਾ ਭੋਰਾ ॥
O people of the Lord, I am just a simple-minded fool.
(Here, Kabir humbly addresses the people who belong to the Lord (Har ke loga) and calls himself a “mat ka bhora,” which means a simple-minded fool. He uses this term to express that he is innocent or naive in worldly matters, as his focus is entirely on the divine.)
ਜਉ ਤਨੁ ਕਾਸੀ ਤਜਹਿ ਕਬੀਰਾ ਰਮਈਐ ਕਹਾ ਨਿਹੋਰਾ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
If Kabeer were to leave his body at Benares, and so liberate himself, what obligation would he have to the Lord? ||1||Pause||
(Kabir challenges the popular belief that dying in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi) guarantees liberation. He questions this ritualistic approach by suggesting that if liberation can be attained by merely dying in a sacred place, then what would be the role of God’s grace? He implies that true liberation is not bound by place or ritual but is achieved through the grace of God and one’s devotion.)
Review:
Through these verses, Kabir conveys that true devotion and love for the Divine eclipse the need for rituals and supersede all materialistic distinctions and surprises, leading to ultimate unity with God. The essence is not in the physical acts but in the devotion that permeates one’s actions.