Ang 1161

As long as he cries out, “Mine! Mine!”, none of his tasks is accomplished. When such possessiveness is erased and removed, then God comes and resolves his affairs. ||1|| Contemplate such spiritual wisdom, O mortal man. Why not meditate in remembrance on the Lord, the Destroyer of pain? ||1|| Pause|| As long as the tiger lives in the forest, the forest does not flower. But when the jackal eats the tiger, then the entire forest flowers. ||2|| The victorious are drowned, while the defeated swim across. By Guru’s Grace, one crosses over and is saved. Slave Kabeer speaks and teaches: remain lovingly absorbed, attuned to the Lord alone. ||3||6||14|| He has 7,000 commanders, and hundreds of thousands of prophets; He is said to have 88,000,000 shaykhs, and 56,000,000 attendants. ||1|| I am meek and poor — what chance do I have of being heard there? His Court is so far away; only a rare few attain the Mansion of His Presence. ||1|| Pause|| He has 33,000,000 play-houses. His beings wander insanely through 8.4 million incarnations. He bestowed His Grace on Adam, the father of mankind, who then lived in paradise for a long time. ||2|| Pale are the faces of those whose hearts are disturbed. They have forsaken their Bible, and practice Satanic evil. One who blames the world, and is angry with people, shall receive the fruits of his own actions. ||3|| You are the Great Giver, O Lord; I am forever a beggar at Your Door. If I were to deny You, then I would be a wretched sinner. Slave Kabeer has entered Your Shelter. Keep me near You, O Merciful Lord God — that is heaven for me. ||4||7||15|| Everyone speaks of going there, but I do not even know where heaven is. ||1|| Pause|| One who does not even know the mystery of his own self, speaks of heaven, but it is only talk. ||1|| As long as the mortal hopes for heaven, he will not dwell at the Lord’s Feet. ||2|| Heaven is not a fort with moats and ramparts, and walls plastered with mud; I do not know what heaven’s gate is like. ||3||

Says Kabeer, now what more can I say? The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven itself. ||4||8||16|| How can the beautiful fortress be conquered, O Siblings of Destiny? It has double walls and triple moats. ||1|| Pause|| It is defended by the five elements, the twenty-five categories, attachment, pride, jealousy and the awesomely powerful Maya. The poor mortal being does not have the strength to conquer it; what should I do now, O Lord? ||1|| Sexual desire is the window, pain and pleasure are the gate-keepers, virtue and sin are the gates. Anger is the great supreme commander, full of argument and strife, and the mind is the rebel king there. ||2|| Their armor is the pleasure of tastes and flavors, their helmets are worldly attachments; they take aim with their bows of corrupt intellect. The greed that fills their hearts is the arrow; with these things, their fortress is impregnable. ||3|| But I have made divine love the fuse, and deep meditation the bomb; I have launched the rocket of spiritual wisdom. The fire of God is lit by intuition, and with one shot, the fortress is taken. ||4|| Taking truth and contentment with me, I begin the battle and storm both the gates. In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, and by Guru’s Grace, I have captured the king of the fortress. ||5|| With the army of God’s devotees, and Shakti, the power of meditation, I have snapped the noose of the fear of death. Slave Kabeer has climbed to the top of the fortress; I have obtained the eternal, imperishable domain. ||6||9||17|| The mother Ganges is deep and profound. Tied up in chains, they took Kabeer there. ||1|| My mind was not shaken; why should my body be afraid? My consciousness remained immersed in the Lotus Feet of the Lord. ||1|| Pause|| The waves of the Ganges broke the chains, and Kabeer was seated on a deer skin. ||2|| Says Kabeer, I have no friend or companion. On the water, and on the land, the Lord is my Protector. ||3||10||18||