Thursday, May 21, 2009

Kehet Kabir, Suno bhai sadho - Kahan se aaya, kahan jaoge

Although all of Kabir songs are quite deep and spiritual, but this one tops them all. I can not find the meaning of the very first doha. But other than that, the song is complete.



सब आया एक ही घाट से, उतरा एक ही बाट
बीच में दुविधा पड़ गयी , हो गए बारह बाट
Everyone came from one place
and took the same road
Half way along, you fell into doubt
and it became twelve roads

घाटे पानी सब भरे, अवघट भरे न कोय
अवघट घाट कबीर का, भरे सो निर्मल होए
Everyone draws water from river banks
No one draws where there is no bank
No bank is like the bank of Kabir
The one who draws there, he becomes pure.




कहाँ से आया कहाँ जाओगे
खबर करो अपने तन की
कोई सदगुरु मिले तो भेद बतावें
खुल जावे अंतर खिड़की

हिन्दू मुस्लिम दोनों भुलाने
खटपट मांय रिया अटकी
जोगी जंगम शेख सवेरा
लालच मांय रिया भटकी

काज़ी बैठा कुरान बांचे
ज़मीन जोर वो करी चटकी
हर दम साहेब नहीं पहचाना
पकड़ा मुर्गी ले पटकी

बहार बैठा ध्यान लगावे
भीतर सुरता रही अटकी
बहार बंदा, भीतर गन्दा
मन मैल मछली गटकी

माला मुद्रा तिलक छापा
तीरथ बरत में रिया भटकी
गावे बजावे लोक रिझावे
खबर नहीं अपने तन की

बिना विवेक से गीता बांचे
चेतन को लगी नहीं चटकी
कहें कबीर सुनो भाई साधो
आवागमन में रिया भटकी


Where are you coming from?
Where are you going to?
Get the news from your body
If you find a true guru,
he will tell you the difference
Then your inner window will open


Hindus, Muslims both deluded
Stuck in always fighting
Yogis, wandering jains, sheikhs
all lost in greed


The Kazi reads the Quran
And then grabs someone's land
Can't see the lord in every breath
takes a hen and smashes it.


Outwardly he meditates,
Inside his thoughts are stuck
Outside saintly, inside filthy
mind tainted, he swallows a fish.


With garlands, money, tilaks,
He is lost in pilgrimages
Goes to villages, entertains the world
But has no concern for his own body


Unthinking he reads the Gita
But it fails to brush his thoughts
Kabir says, listen sadhus,
people are lost in coming and going.
(coming and going refers to daily attachments -
job, money etc, failing to see the inevitability
that everything has to go one day)


10 comments:

Gursharan Singh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gursharan Singh said...

I am often amazed by the confidence that oozes from Kabir's words. He says everything with a bang in so simple & humble yet powerful words.

Kabir man nirmal bhaya jaise Ganga Neer,
Paache laago har fire kehet Kabir Kabir

Kabir, the mind is now as pure as the water flowing in Ganga,
Hari, God, is now always behind me, calling my name, O Kabir, listen Kabir.

atreyee said...

gaowe bjajawe should translate into sings and dances, i think, not goes to the village.
thanks, arvind ji

vimal balachander said...

Thank you sir- useful translation.

Unknown said...

गावे बजावे लोक रिझावे == sings and dances and enchants people

आवागमन = cycle of birth and death (Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam)

Krishna Kumar Sharma said...

Kabir is poet of nirgun panth but confirm bleive in god makes him very special poet or singer.

M. Akhtar said...

Kabir is considered from Nirgun or atheist panth, which is not true if you read his doha. He was a firm bbelieve of God

Unknown said...

जिसे तत्व दिख जाता है उसे देह नही दीखता । कबीर भी ऐसे ही थे ।

Dr Anshuman Telang said...

घाट मतलब पानी तक पहुचने की सीढ़ियों वाला रास्ता । अवघट मतलब नदी का वह भाग जहा रास्ता नही है नीचा (अव) घाट है । अब अगर घाट से पानी लिया जहा सब पानी लेते है तो पानी मटमैला मिलेगा । शुद्ध निर्मल पानी वह मिलेगा जहा कोई नही जाता क्योंकि वो नीचा है और वहा रास्ता भी नही है। ऐसा अवघट घाट है कबीर का ( क्या इसलिए कबीर से कोई ज्ञान नही लेता क्योंकि वे नीची जाति के है ? पर निर्मल ज्ञान तो वही मिलेगा।

Unknown said...

Meaning of first doha is everyone comes from one single god n apni apni samajh se we created 12 roads that is 12 different religions then he explains hum insaano ka jahan ghat dhikta hai that is Mandir,Masjid, Gurudwara n churches hum wahan paani bharne jaate hain but Kabir ka ghaat antermukhi hokar apni aatma ka gyan paane ka hai jisse sab paap khatam hote hain n mukti milti hai..