Bani of Sant Kabir Das 2

BhagatSingh · #1 (**permalink**) 21-Sep-2012, 08:26 AM

Bani of Sant Kabir Das, Shabad #2, is at the end of Page 92

Introduction: The first shabad was a complete lesson on it's own. In the second Shabad, Sant Kabir describes his experience with the Divine.

Documentary on Kabir
http://www.petermalakoff.com/kabirmovie.html

ਸ੍ਰੀਰਾਗੁ ਭਗਤ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀਉ ਕਾ ॥
Sri Raag of Bhagat Kabir ji.

ਅਚਰਜ ਏਕੁ ਸੁਨਹੁ ਰੇ ਪੰਡੀਆ ਅਬ ਕਿਛੁ ਕਹਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥
Listen oh Pandit, there is One Wonder that cannot be described.
Background: But Kabir still goes on to describe it.

ਸੁਰਿ ਨਰ ਗਣ ਗੰਧ੍ਰਬ ਜਿਨਿ ਮੋਹੇ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣ ਮੇਖੁਲੀ ਲਾਈ ॥੧॥
Heavenly Beings, Mortals, the celestial singers, the dwellers of the Three worlds: Heaven, Earth and Netherworld, are all roped to attachment. 1.

The celestial singers sing for the Heavenly Beings, the Devtas.

ਰਾਜਾ ਰਾਮ ਅਨਹਦ ਕਿੰਗੁਰੀ ਬਾਜੈ ॥
The meditation of King Ram is like the Unstruck melody of the Kinguri.
ਜਾ ਕੀ ਦਿਸਟਿ ਨਾਦ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਗੈ ॥੧॥ਰਹਾਉ ॥
By His kind gaze, we are attuned to the shabad of the Guru, Naad, that celestial sound-silence. Think about this.

Kinguri is a musical instrument. To understand the unstruck melody of the Kinguri, we need to ask ourselves, "What is the sound of Kinguri if it is not struck?" It is like a Zen Koan, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" and like a Zen Koan, it is solved by meditating on the question.

ਭਾਠੀ ਗਗਨੁ ਸਿੰਙਿਆ ਅਰੁ ਚੁੰਙਿਆ ਕਨਕ ਕਲਸ ਇਕੁ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
ਤਿਸੁ ਮਹਿ ਧਾਰ ਚੁਐ ਅਤਿ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਰਸ ਮਹਿ ਰਸਨ ਚੁਆਇਆ ॥੨॥
My Dasam Duar is the distilling fire, containing a golden pot, into which drips a gentle stream of the purest essence, through the Ida and Pingala energy channels, which I taste with my tongue (when it utters "Ram"). 2.

The word translated as essence is ਰਸ, whose exact translation is "juice". Hence Kabir describes the whole thing as tasting this juice/essence.

ਏਕ ਜੁ ਬਾਤ ਅਨੂਪ ਬਨੀ ਹੈ ਪਵਨ ਪਿਆਲਾ ਸਾਜਿਆ ॥
What is wonderful is that, I have turned my breath into a pot for collecting this essence.

ਤੀਨਿ ਭਵਨ ਮਹਿ ਏਕੋ ਜੋਗੀ ਕਹਹੁ ਕਵਨੁ ਹੈ ਰਾਜਾ ॥੩॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/general-discussion/39141-bani-of-sant-kabir-das-2-a.html
In the three, worlds, there is only one such Yogi, to which no King can be compared.
Is Kabir calling himself the only Yogi in the Three Worlds, i.e. bragging? No, he is stating his experience. The word Yog, ਜੋਗ, means Union of consciousness with Ultimate Consciousness. Kabir is saying, "Through my practice of tasting the essence through the breath, I have united with the Ultimate Consciousness, with the Divine, something more precious than being a ruler of a kingdom. I have, in my essence, become the ruler of all three worlds."

ਐਸੇ ਗਿਆਨ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਿਆ ਪੁਰਖੋਤਮ ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਰੰਗਿ ਰਾਤਾ ॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=39141
This knowledge of the Superior Man (King Ram) has been revealed. Says Kabeer, I am absorbed in His love.

ਅਉਰ ਦੁਨੀ ਸਭ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਨੀ ਮਨੁ ਰਾਮ ਰਸਾਇਨ ਮਾਤਾ ॥੪॥੩॥
He says, while, the rest of the world is living in ignorance (of Ram), and has forgetten it's true essence (Ram), my mind is intoxicated with Ram, that source of all essences. 4.

Summary
The entire world is hostage to their attachments. It is through Ram's grace that we become attuned to the Guru's shabad. Being attuned, we are led into a meditation, where the essence of all things becomes known.

Questions
How can we know Ram for ourselves and shed our ignorance?
Kabir calls himself a Yogi. Is Kabir's description of meditation a practice like raising the Kundalini or a metaphorical description?
What message is Kabir trying to convey to the Pandit, a religious scholar, who is already familiar with Kabir's philosophy?

Bani of Sant Kabir Das 1