One Hundred Poems of Kabir/LXXVI
LXXVI
III. 48. tu surat nain nihar
tu surat nain nihar vah and mein saaraa hai
too hiradye soch bichaar yah desh hamaaraa hai
satguru daras hoy jab bhaai,
vah dein tumako prem chitaayee,
surat-nirat mein bhed bataayee, tab dekde and ke paaraa hai
sakal jagat mein sat kee nagaree,
chitt bhullavye baankee dagaree,
so pahunche chaale bin pag ree,
aisaa khel apaar hai
leela sukkh anant vahaan kee
jahaan raas-vilaas apaaraa hai,
gahan-tajan chhoote yah paayee
phir nahin paanaa sataanaa hai
pad nirbaan hai anant pasaaraa,
surati-murati lok pasaaraa,
sattpurush nootan tan dhaaraa
sahib sakal roop saaraa hai
baag-bageechee khili phulvaaree
amrit-laharye ho rahin jaari
hansaa-keli karat tahn bhaaree
jahn anhad ghoorye apaaraa hai
taamadh adhar seehaansan gaajye
purush mahaa tahn adhik viraajye
kotin soor rom ik laajye
aisaa purush deedaaraa hai
panth binaa satraag uchaaryen
jo bedhat hiye manjhaaraa hai
janm janm kaa amrit dhaaraa
tahn adhar amrit phuhaaraa hai.
satt se satt sunn kahlaayee
satt bhandaar yaahee ke maanheen
nihtat rachnaa taahee rachaayee
jo sabhin ten nayaaraa hai.
ahad lok vahaan hai bhaayee
purush anaamee akah kahaayee
jo panhuchen jaanenge vaahee
kahan sunan te nyaaraa hai
roop saroop kachoo vahn naaheen
thour thaavn kachhu deesye naahin
ajar tool kachhu drishtee n aayee
kaise kahoon sumaaraa hai
jaapar kirpaa kahihye saayeen
anhad maarag gaavye taanhee
udbhav parlay paavat naaheen
jab paavye deedaaraa ho
kahyen Kabir mukh kahaa n jaayee
naa kaagad par ank chadhaayee
manon goonge sam gud khaayee
kaise bachan uchaaraa ho
Open your eyes of love, and see Him who pervades this world! consider it well, and know that this is your own country.
When you meet the true Guru, He will awaken your heart;
He will tell you the secret of love and detachment, and then you will know indeed that He transcends this universe.
This world is the City of Truth, its maze of paths enchants the heart:
We can reach the goal without crossing the road, such is the sport unending.
Where the ring of manifold joys ever dances about Him, there is the sport of Eternal Bliss.
When we know this, then all our receiving and renouncing is over;
Thenceforth the heat of having shall never scorch us more.
He is the Ultimate Rest unbounded:
He has spread His form of love throughout all the world.
From that Ray which is Truth, streams of new forms are perpetually springing: and He pervades those forms.
All the gardens and groves and bowers are abounding with blossom; and the air breaks forth into ripples of joy.
There the swan plays a wonderful game,
There the Unstruck Music eddies around the Infinite One;
There in the midst the Throne of the Unheld is shining, whereon the great Being sits —
Millions of suns are shamed by the radiance of a single hair of His body.
On the harp of the road what true melodies are being sounded! and its notes pierce the heart:
There the Eternal Fountain is playing its endless life-streams of birth and death.
They call Him Emptiness who is the Truth of truths, in Whom all truths are stored!
There within Him creation goes forward, which is beyond all philosophy; for philosophy cannot attain to Him:
There is an endless world, O my Brother! and there is the Nameless Being, of whom nought can be said.
Only he knows it who has reached that region: it is other than all that is heard and said.
No form, no body, no length, no breadth is seen there: how can I tell you that which it is?
He comes to the Path of the Infinite on whom the grace of the Lord descends: he is freed from births and deaths who attains to Him. Kabir says: "It cannot be told by the words of the mouth, it cannot be written on paper:
It is like a dumb person who tastes a sweet thing how shall it be explained?"