6 verses · ~2 min
परनारी राता फिरैं, चोरी बिढ़िता खाहिं। दिवस चारि सरसा रहै, अंति समूला जाहिं॥1॥
परनारि का राचणौं, जिसी लहसण की खानि। खूणैं बैसि र खाइए, परगट होइ दिवानि॥2॥
भगति बिगाड़ी कामियाँ, इन्द्री केरै स्वादि। हीरा खोया हाथ थैं, जनम गँवाया बादि॥3॥
कामी अमी न भावई, विष ही कौं लै सोधि। कुबुद्धि न जाई जीव की, भावै स्यंभ रहौ प्रमोधि॥4॥
कामी लज्या ना करै, मन माहें अहिलाद। नींद न मांगै सांथरा, भूख न मांगै स्वाद॥5॥
ग्यानी मूल गँवाइया, आपण भये करता। ताथैं संसारी भला, मन में रहै डरता॥6॥
इति
The Poet
कबीर
Kabir
1398 · 1518
To speak of Kabir within the ordinary parameters of literary biography is almost impossible. Born in the fifteenth century to a Muslim weaver's family in the sacred Hindu city of Banaras, he became a voice that refused to be domesticated by any temple, mosque, or scholarly apparatus. Kabir claimed no scripture, no caste, and no sacred language as his exclusive property. He stood at the loom of reality and wove his dohas (devastating two-line couplets) from the raw thread of direct spiritual encounter. His critique was not merely religious but civilizational. He asked with the serene ferocity of an awakened mind why human beings had chosen the architecture of division over the open sky of the divine. Centuries have passed, empires have crumbled, and languages have shifted. Yet, Kabir's couplets are still recited in village squares and debated in universities today. He requires no temple because he built one inside language itself. He is the conscience of the Indian soul.
Paired Painting
Rama Spurns Surpanakha
This poignant illustration captures a pivotal moment from the Ramayana, where the demoness Surpanakha approaches Lord Rama in the forest, attempting to seduce him with her transformed beauty. Warwick Goble portrays the moment of rejection, where Rama, the embodiment of dharma and righteousness, turns away from her advances to remain faithful to Sita. The forest setting is rendered with an ethereal quality, emphasizing the spiritual gravity of the encounter. Rama is depicted with his iconic blue complexion, radiating calm resolve, while the demoness is shown in a state of emotional turmoil, grounding the divine narrative in a deeply human experience of longing and moral choice.
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