When St. Kabir's fame was spreading, brahmins and mullahs criticized him but St. Kabir went on preaching without bothering even the least. He used to tell the truth to whosoever came to him. He said that our bodies are the real temples and mosques and we have to know Him within.
“Nakli mandir, masjidon me jayen sada afsos hai. Kudarati masjid ka sakin dukh uthane ke liye.”“Tere poojan ko bhagwan bana man mandir alishan.”
It is said that we go to the temples and mosques regularly but we neglect the real temple within our hearts. To truly worship God, we have to enter within our hearts. So, day by day St. Kabir's teachings went on spreading far and wide. People were astonished to see that whoever went to him, fell under his spell and also that none of them said anything when they returned after seeing him. Despite everything St. Kabir said fearlessly, “Kankar pathar jor kar, masjid lai chunay. Ta charh mullah bang de, kya bahira hua khuday. Pathar hi ka dehra, pathar hi ka dev. Poojan hara Andhra, kyon kar mane sev. Pathar dhar dhandha racha, pahan ka jagdish. Mol liya bole nahin, khota biswa bis. Man mathura dil dwarika, kaya kashi jan. Daswa dwara dehra, tame jyoti pahchan. Pandit aur mashalchi, inko sujhe nahin. Auraun ko kare chandna, ap andhere mahin. Pandit pothi bandh ke, de sirhane soy. Wah akshar inme nahin, hansi de bhaven roy .”
“Mosques are built with stones and pebbles and at the top of these mosques the mullah loudly recites Koranic verses as if God is deaf. Buildings as well as deities are made of stone. The worshippers are blind and they think that a god made of stones is the true Almighty. They purchase their stone god from the market. This is all false. Whereas the mind is like Mathura , the heart is Dwarika, the human body is Kashi. The tenth door in the human body within which the Divine Light is to be experienced must be opened. Pandits (priests) and Mashalchi (torchbearers) are both blind. They claim to enlighten others but they themselves ever remain in the dark. The pandit sleeps with holy books beneath his pillow. The truth is that the indestructible entity, the Holy Name of God, is not in these religious books. Now you may either cry or laugh.”
Hearing such ideas, the mullahs and pandits of the city assembled together, then went to the king, Dharamdas, and complained that the weaver, Kabir, was spoiling people's religious beliefs and that it is the job of priests and mullahs alone to talk on religious topics. They further said that Kabir posed as a religious master for both Hindus and Muslims. He forced people to eat his leftovers and to drink the water in which his feet had been washed and he asked them all to eat together. They unequivocally requested the king to stop Kabir from doing such irreligious things.
King Dharmdas listened to their complaints then called St. Kabir and asked in front of all of them, “Why do you criticize deities, mosques and temples?” St. Kabir replied, “I neither criticize nor praise anything. I speak only the truth. You may also think about it. What good can deities, who can't protect themselves, do for us? The mullah recites the verses of Koran so loudly. Is God deaf? They say that they shout to awaken sleeping mankind, but even roosters do this.”
| King Dharmdas then asked St. Kabir about his philosophy and whether he considered all these to be false. St. Kabir replied, “People who put on a show of devotion are all atheists. I talk about God-realisation. I urge people to know the self-effulgent Divine Light within. God is one. He is the Creator, Protector and Destroyer of Hindus, Muslims and everyone. He has the same laws for all. Sun, moon, earth, water, air and fire are the same for all. The process of taking birth and dying is the same for all. Everyone's eyes do the same job of seeing. God is sitting within the heart of all. Divine Light and Holy Name of God are one and exist within everyone's heart. I impart the knowledge of Divine Light and the Holy Name to all, whether Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, so people come to hear me. These pandits and mullahs threaten them and even beat them up but still they continue coming to my satsang. All these pandits and mullahs are wasting their human life because they do not know the Truth, hence they all are troubled and miserable. So they have come to you to complain.” King Dharmdas asked, “Can I also know the Divine Light and Holy Name?” St. Kabir said, “Not only you, but everyone in the world can know it. This is what a human being is meant to know. Dogs, donkeys or pigs cannot know it.” Then the king said, “I also want to know the Divine Light and Holy Name. Please reveal this knowledge to me.” St. Kabir took the king to a private room and imparted the Spiritual Knowledge to him. Then King Dharmdas experienced Divine Light and the Holy Name of God within his heart. From that moment he felt that the external rituals of worshipping, yagya , fire sacrifices, pilgrimage, fasting, Namaj, Roja and all such things are a waste of time and energy without any useful gains. When they emerged from the room, King Dharmdas seated Kabir Saheb on the royal throne and he stood in front of him with folded hands. Today, the egoistic people of this dark age don't respect the Master yet expect to get Spiritual Knowledge! When the pandits and mullahs saw this, they said, “Bravo, Kabir!” and then crept away in silence. King Dharmdas sacrificed all his wealth in the service of the master and thereafter wore a simple loincloth and lived in isolation. Once thousands of disciples were assembled. One of them asked St. Kabir, “Master, is anyone here a perfect disciple?” St. Kabir replied, “No. Dharmdas may be close, but even he is only 3/4 th perfect.” When Dharmdas came to know about this, he prostrated at the feet of St. Kabir and prayed, “Guru Maharaj Ji, what sin have I committed, why is my service 25% less than it should be?” St. Kabir replied, “You sacrificed all your wealth in my service but you kept your body aloof, thinking that it belonged to you. That is why your service is lacking.” So from that day on he served Guru Maharaj Ji in every way. One can get the opportunity of serving the Master only in this human life. But, even after getting this chance, if one does not serve the Master then how will he serve him in any other species? One cannot cross the worldly ocean without the support of the Master. So, it is said,“Karnadhar sadguru drirh nawa. Durlabh saj sulabh kar pawa.” Only the Master can steer the boat of the human body across the worldly ocean and brings within our grasp something very difficult. After one takes shelter in the feet of the Master, it becomes easy for him to cross the worldly ocean. This world is a dreadful river in which live demons such as desire, anger, temptation, lust and ego ready to instantly devour whoever falls in. There are whirlpools of temptations and desires in this river in which everyone drowns. The Master is like a boatman who takes his human passengers across this ocean. Likewise, those entangled in the narrow feelings of caste, creed, Hindu, Muslim, low, high yet are busy merely reading and reciting verses from the scriptures and other books while indulging in pleasures, will be drowned in the worldly ocean. The knowledge of reading and writing is limited to filling the belly. Only spiritual devotion can take us across the worldly ocean but people these days are busy doing various things in the name of devotion because they are ignorant of the True Knowledge. Pandits and mullahs are asking people to memorize what is written in scriptures like Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Koran, Bible, Gita and Ramayana. But, think about it a little! All scriptures are telling us to take shelter in the true Spiritual Master and to receive the Spiritual Knowledge after pleasing him with your service. That Knowledge is of the Divine Light, Chandana, Noor or Param Prakash and the Name which is beyond sixteen vowels and thirty six consonants. So, saints tell us time and again to acquire the knowledge of the Holy Name and remember it. The Master of creation is one, He is within everyone's heart. So it is said, “Sachcha satguru khoj ke, rahiye charanan lay. Mite janma ki kalpana, take purna bhag,” which means, “Search for the true Spiritual Master and surrender at his feet. By doing so, one goes across the worldly ocean easily and such people are very lucky. www.manavdharam.org |
