ShantaBeginner

मन लाग्यो मेरो यार

Man Lagyo Mero Yar

Kabir

1 min read 6 versesPoverty

6 verses · ~1 min

मन लाग्यो मेरो यार फ़कीरी में॥

जो सुख पाऊँ राम भजन में सो सुख नाहिं अमीरी में मन लाग्यो मेरो यार फ़कीरी में॥

भला बुरा सब का सुनलीजै कर गुजरान गरीबी में मन लाग्यो मेरो यार फ़कीरी में॥

आखिर यह तन छार मिलेगा कहाँ फिरत मग़रूरी में मन लाग्यो मेरो यार फ़कीरी में॥

प्रेम नगर में रहनी हमारी साहिब मिले सबूरी में मन लाग्यो मेरो यार फ़कीरी में॥

कहत कबीर सुनो भयी साधो साहिब मिले सबूरी में मन लाग्यो मेरो यार फ़कीरी में॥

इति

Rasa: Shanta
Stanzas: 6
Lines: 16
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Pada
Metre: pada
Rhyme: AABB

The emotional atmosphere is one of profound tranquility, radiating a serene and unshakeable contentment found in spiritual renunciation rather than worldly wealth. Visually, a painting of this scene would depict a solitary, dust-smeared ascetic seated calmly beneath a gnarled roadside tree at dusk, dressed in simple patched rags while ignoring the bustling, opulent processions of the wealthy in the hazy distance. This imagery symbolizes the ultimate impermanence of the physical body—destined to return to mere ash—and posits that true divine union is attained not through pride, but through profound patience, humility, and the quiet acceptance of poverty. The overall artistic tone is deeply meditative, devotional, and wise, offering a tranquil quietude that celebrates inner richness over material abundance.

मन लाग्यो मेरो यार (Man Lagyo Mero Yar), by Kabir runs to 16 lines across 6 stanzas, set as Five-stanza song with a repeating refrain. Its governing rasa is Shanta. The metre is pada. Rhyme falls as AABB.

It belongs to the 1398 · 1518 span of Kabir's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for फकीरी और सादगी में सच्चा सुख and अहंकार का त्याग और सबूरी (धैर्य). 2 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Bheeshma's Oath: Bathed in a solemn yet glowing atmosphere, the scene evokes a heavy sense of tragic nobility, monumental sacrifice, and resolute devotion. Prince Devavrata stands as the emotional anchor, gesturing toward the heavens to…

Words worth pausing on

छार: राख या मिट्टी
सबूरी: धैर्य या संतोष

Threads

Poverty

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.