Ang 1377

Kabeer, the body is like a clay vessel or a brittle metal pot. If you wish to keep it safe and sound, then vibrate and meditate on the Lord; otherwise, the thing shall break. ||222|| Kabeer, chant the Name of the Beautifully-haired Lord; do not sleep unaware. Chanting His Name night and day, the Lord will eventually hear your call. ||223|| Kabeer, the body is a banana forest, and the mind is an intoxicated elephant. The jewel of spiritual wisdom is the prod, and the rare Saint is the rider. ||224|| Kabeer, the Lord’s Name is the jewel, and the mouth is the purse; open this purse to the Appraiser. If a buyer can be found, it will go for a high price. ||225|| Kabeer, the mortal does not know the Lord’s Name, but he has raised a very large family. He dies in the midst of his worldly affairs, and then he is not heard in the external world. ||226|| Kabeer, in the blink of an eye, moment by moment, life is passing by. The mortal does not give up his worldly entanglements; the Messenger of Death walks in and beats the drum. ||227|| Kabeer, the Lord is the tree, and disillusionment with the world is the fruit. The Holy man, who has abandoned useless arguments, is the shade of the tree. ||228|| Kabeer, plant the seeds of such a plant, which shall bear fruit throughout the twelve months, with cooling shade and abundant fruit, upon which birds joyously play. ||229|| Kabeer, the Great Giver is the tree, which blesses all with the fruit of compassion. When the birds migrate to other lands, O Tree, you bear the fruits. ||230|| Kabeer, the mortal finds the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, if he has such destiny written upon his forehead. He obtains the treasure of liberation, and the difficult road to the Lord is not blocked. ||231|| Kabeer, whether is is for an hour, half an hour, or half of that, whatever it is, it is worthwhile to speak with the Holy. ||232||

Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana, fish and wine — no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow, they will all go to hell. ||233|| Kabeer, I keep my eyes lowered, and enshrine my Friend within my heart. I enjoy all pleasures with my Beloved, but I do not let anyone else know. ||234|| Twenty-four hours a day, every hour, my soul continues to look to You, O Lord. Why should I keep my eyes lowered? I see my Beloved in every heart. ||235|| Listen, O my companions: my soul dwells in my Beloved, and my Beloved dwells in my soul. I realize that there is no difference between my soul and my Beloved; I cannot tell whether my soul or my Beloved dwells in my heart. ||236|| Kabeer, the Brahmin may be the guru of the world, but he is not the Guru of the devotees. He rots and dies in the perplexities of the four Vedas. ||237|| The Lord is like sugar, scattered in the sand; the elephant cannot pick it up. Says Kabeer, the Guru has given me this sublime understanding: become an ant, and feed on it. ||238|| Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, then cut off your head, and make it into a ball. Lose yourself in the play of it, and then whatever will be, will be. ||239|| Kabeer, if you desire to play the game of love with the Lord, play it with someone with committment. Pressing the unripe mustard seeds produces neither oil nor flour. ||240|| Searching, the mortal stumbles like a blind person, and does not recognize the Saint. Says Naam Dayv, how can one obtain the Lord God, without His devotee? ||241|| Forsaking the Diamond of the Lord, the mortals put their hopes in another. Those people shall go to hell; Ravi Daas speaks the Truth. ||242|| Kabeer, if you live the householder’s life, then practice righteousness; otherwise, you might as well retire from the world. If someone renounces the world, and then gets involved in worldly entanglements, he shall suffer terrible misfortune. ||243||

SHALOKS OF SHAYKH FAREED JEE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: The day of the bride’s wedding is pre-ordained. On that day, the Messenger of Death, of whom she had only heard, comes and shows its face. It breaks the bones of the body and pulls the helpless soul out. That pre-ordained time of marriage cannot be avoided. Explain this to your soul. The soul is the bride, and death is the groom. He will marry her and take her away. After the body sends her away with its own hands, whose neck will it embrace? The bridge to hell is narrower than a hair; haven’t you heard of it with your ears? Fareed, the call has come; be careful now — don’t let yourself be robbed. ||1|| Fareed, it is so difficult to become a humble Saint at the Lord’s Door. I am so accustomed to walking in the ways of the world. I have tied and picked up the bundle; where can I go to throw it away? ||2|| I know nothing; I understand nothing. The world is a smouldering fire. My Lord did well to warn me about it; otherwise, I would have been burnt as well. ||3|| Fareed, if I had known that I had so few sesame seeds, I would have been more careful with them in my hands. If I had known that my Husband Lord was so young and innocent, I would not have been so arrogant. ||4|| If I had known that my robe would come loose, I would have tied a tighter knot. I have found none as great as You, Lord; I have looked and searched throughout the world. ||5|| Fareed, if you have a keen understanding, then do not write black marks against anyone else. Look underneath your own collar instead. ||6|| Fareed, do not turn around and strike those who strike you with their fists. Kiss their feet, and return to your own home. ||7|| Fareed, when there was time for you to earn good karma, you were in love with the world instead. Now, death has a strong foothold; when the load is full, it is taken away. ||8|| See, Fareed, what has happened: your beard has become grey. That which is coming is near, and the past is left far behind. ||9|| See, Fareed, what has happened: sugar has become poison. Without my Lord, who can I tell of my sorrow? ||10|| Fareed, my eyes have become weak, and my ears have become hard of hearing. The body’s crop has become ripe and turned color. ||11|| Fareed, those who did not enjoy their Spouse when their hair was black — hardly any of them enjoy Him when their hair turns grey. So be in love with the Lord, so that your color may ever be new. ||12||