The following sakhis are from the book “Kabir Sakhi Spiritual Gems of Kabir” translated by Mahant Jagdish Das Shastri, edited by Dr. J. Das, and first published by the Kabir Association of Canada in 1987:
guru ko kije bandagi, koti koti paranam;
kit na jane bhring ko, guru karle aap saman.
Offer salutations and obeisances to the Guru millions of times.
Just as a wasp takes a worm into its nest and another wasp emerges, just so Guru makes the ordinary disciple as himself.
timir gaya ravi dekhate, kumati gayi guru gyan;
sumati gayi ati lobhate, bhakti gayi abhiman.
Darkness disappears when the sun arises, and ignorance goes away by the Guru’s wisdom. Good intellect is lost because of greed, and devotion is lost because of ego.
hari kirpa tab janiye, de manav awatar;
guru kirpa tab janiye, mukta kare sansar.
Know that it is the grace of God that gave you human birth. But it is the grace of the Guru that liberates you from the cycle of birth and death.
guru dhobi sis kapada, sabun sirjanhar;
surati sila par dhoiye, nikase jyoti apar.
Guru is like a washerman and the disciple is like cloth; God Himself is the soap. O Guru! Please wash my thought waves on the stone of meditation, then the unlimited light will appear.
guru bin gyan na upaje, guru bin mil na moksh;
guru bin lakhe na satyako, guru bin mite na dosh.
Without the Guru no one obtains spiritual knowledge or achieves salvation. Without the Guru no one can see Truth or have his doubts removed.
guru bichara kya kare, sikhahi mahi chuk;
bhawe tyon parmodhiye, bans bajaye phunk.
What can the poor Guru do if the disciple has faults? He gives knowledge but it becomes useless, just as a broken flute does not produce music.
ek shabda guru dev ka, taka anant bichar;
thake muni jan pandita, veda na pawe par.
The one word of Sat Guru gives limitless meanings. Munis and pandits became exhausted trying to find its meaning. Vedas cannot fathom its depth.
kabir khade bazar me, sabki chahe khair;
na kahu se dosti, na kahu se bair.
Kabir says: “I stand in a market place and I desire the welfare of all.
I am neither related to anyone, nor am I an enemy to anyone.”
pachha pachhi ke karane, sab jag raha bhulan;
nirpachh hoi ke hari bhaje, soie sant sujan.
People are divided into various groups (religions) and thus the whole world is misguided. Being impartial to the worldly groups (religions), one who performs the devotion to Almighty God is the true saint.
chalti chakki dekh ke, diya kabira roi;
dou patan ke bichame, sabut bacha na koi.
The cycle of birth and death, and all other pairs of opposites (pleasure and pain, love and hate, virtue and sin) are like mill stones, and a person who is caught between them becomes figuratively crushed. Liberation is obtained by transcending the pairs of opposites.
apa taje aw hari bhaje, nakh sikh taje vikar;
sab jiwan se nirbair rahe, sadhu mata hai sar.
Give up the pride of clan and caste and do devotion to God. Give up your faults (lust, anger, greed, etc.). Don’t be an enemy to anyone. This is the basic principle of the saints.
nindak niyare rakhiye, angan kuti chhawai;
binu pani bin sabuna, nirmal kare subhaw.
Keep your critic close to you; give him shelter in your courtyard.
Without soap and water he cleanses your character.
manus janam durlabh hai, mile na barambar;
pakka phal jo gir para, bahuri na lage dar.
Human birth is difficult to obtain, and you will not get it again and again. When a ripe fruit falls, it does not re-attach to the branch.
The 576th birth anniversary of Saint Kabir will be observed on June 2
