B h a k ti
Tradition and the Role of Saint-Philosophers
Kabir:
Kabir, let us not be proud of our high
position;
one day we have to lie in this earth;
and grass will grow on it.
Rahim:
Desire is gone and anxiety is over;
the mind is free from care.
Those who have no wants are the kings of
kings.
Tulsidas:
Love for Lord Rama will develop;
only through moral behavior and conquest
over senses;
This is the timeless opinion;
and this is the tradition of Bhakti.
Nanak:
The Pm dit knows it not;
nor is it writ in his Puran;
The qazi knows it not;
though he read and copied the Koran;
The yogi knows it not, the date and day of
the week . . .
Research-weary scholars have delved, but
do not know.
Ravidas:
I’ve never known how to tan or sew;
though people come to me for shoes;
I have not the needle to make the holes;
or even the tool to cut the thread.
Others stitch and knot, and tie themselves in
knots;
while I, who do not knot, break free.
I keep saying Ram and Ram, says Ravidas;
and death keeps his business to himself.
Dadu:
This body, a veritable manifestation of
Divinity;
in human form, is not available again and
again.
This priceless birth, thou canst not obtain
again,
sayeth Dadu.
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