1 verses · ~1 min
साधो, देखो जग बौराना । साँची कही तो मारन धावै, झूठे जग पतियाना । हिन्दू कहत,राम हमारा, मुसलमान रहमाना । आपस में दौऊ लड़ै मरत हैं, मरम कोई नहिं जाना । बहुत मिले मोहि नेमी, धर्मी, प्रात करे असनाना । आतम-छाँड़ि पषानै पूजै, तिनका थोथा ज्ञाना । आसन मारि डिंभ धरि बैठे, मन में बहुत गुमाना । पीपर-पाथर पूजन लागे, तीरथ-बरत भुलाना । माला पहिरे, टोपी पहिरे छाप-तिलक अनुमाना । साखी सब्दै गावत भूले, आतम खबर न जाना । घर-घर मंत्र जो देन फिरत हैं, माया के अभिमाना । गुरुवा सहित सिष्य सब बूढ़े, अन्तकाल पछिताना । बहुतक देखे पीर-औलिया, पढ़ै किताब-कुराना । करै मुरीद, कबर बतलावैं, उनहूँ खुदा न जाना । हिन्दू की दया, मेहर तुरकन की, दोनों घर से भागी । वह करै जिबह, वो झटका मारे, आग दोऊ घर लागी । या विधि हँसत चलत है, हमको आप कहावै स्याना । कहै कबीर सुनो भाई साधो, इनमें कौन दिवाना ।
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
Sacred Tank and Pagodas, near Benares
This exquisite aquatint captures the tranquil yet profound spiritual atmosphere of the holy city of Benares, now Varanasi. Through the eyes of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Ramus Forrest, we are invited to witness a moment of eternal stillness, where the rhythmic steps of the ghats meet the quiet, sacred waters of the tank. The architectural majesty of the temple shikhara stands as a silent sentinel over a scene of daily devotion, reflecting the deep reverence that has drawn pilgrims to this site for millennia. It is a work that bridges the gap between the colonial eye and the timeless, living tradition of Indian sacred architecture, held in a delicate balance of light, shadow, and reverence.
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