Nirgun bhajan (spritual song) by kabir

Sunta hai guru gyani Gagan me awaaz ho rahi hai jheeni jheeni Sunta hai guru gyani Paahi liyaye Naad bindu se peechhe jamaya paani ho ji Sab ghat puran guru rahya hai Alakh purush nirvaani ho ji Sunta hai guru gyani Vahaa se aaya pata likhaya Trushna toone bujhai Amrut chhod chhod vishay ko dhaave Khol de phaans phansaani ho ji Sunta hai guru gyani Gagan mandal mein koi Boi pe dahi jamaya Makhan makhan santon ne khaya Chhar jagat babarani ho ji Sunta hai guru gyani Bin dharti ek ma daal deeje Bin taruvar joo paani re Gagan mandal me hoye ujiyala Bol guru-mukh baani ho ji Sunta hai guru gyani Oham soham baja baje Tipu ki tham suhani re Ida pingala sukhman nari Sunatha ja behrani ho ji Sunta hai guru gyani Kahe Kabir suno bhai saadho Jaag agam ke baani re Din bhar re jo nazar bhar dekhe Ajar amar ho nishani ho ji Sunta hai guru gyani Gagan me awaaz ho rahi hai jheeni jheeni Sunta hai guru gyani

1. Hirana Hirana, samajh bujh ban charana Ek ban charana, duje ban charana Tije ban pag nahi dharana Tije banmein panch paradhi Unake najar nahi padana Panch hirana, pachis hirani Unmein ek chatur na Toye mar tero mans bikave Tere khalka karenge bichona Kahe Kabira ji suno bhai sadho Guruke charan chit dharana Using the metaphor of predator and prey Kabir speaks about the virtues of wisdom, spiritualism and the vice of temptation. Describing man as if it is a deer, Kabir calls the three areas as different forests. For the deer the first two, i. e. wisdom and spirituality, are safe. The third area, i. e. of temptations, is dangerous and that it is likely to be preyed upon there. It is all illusion, deception there. Five predators faculties recognised by the sensory organs occupy that area and it makes the man forget the inner self. Salvation is a process of securing oneself from these predators and this requires a true Guru. 2. Ud jayega hans akela Ud jayega hans akela, jag darshan ka mela Jaise pat gire taruvarake, milana bahut duhela Na janu kidhar girega, lagya pavan ke rela Jab hove umar puri, jab chitega hukum hujuri Jam ke dut bade majabut, jamase pada jhamela Das Kabir Harake Gun gave, bahar ko par na pave Guruki karani Guru jayega, cheleki karani chela In this bhajan, Kabir speaks about the loneliness of the atma (self), the mere-spectaclenature of the world, and the attributes of the Lord. Calling the atma symbolically a swan Kabir says it will fly all alone. As a falling leaf of a tree gets a stroke of wind nobody will know where it will fall. Same is with the life of the self. According to Kabir, in the conflict with the Death the man has no chances of winning. The Lord alone can rescue the man, but again it all depends on the self. Everybody, including the Guru and the disciple, will go according to their individual doings.
Translation The Swan Will Fly Away All Alone, Spectacle of the World Will Be a Mere Fair As the Leaf Falls from the Tree Is Difficult to Find Who Knows Where it Will Fall

Once it is Struck with a Gust Of Wind When Life Span is Complete Then Listening to Orders, Following Others, Will Be Over The Messengers of Yama are Very Strong It's an Entanglement with the Yama Servant Kabir Praises the Attributes of the Lord He Finds the Lord Soon Guru Will Go According to His Doings The Disciple According to His

3. Shunya Gadh Shunya Gadh Shahar Shahar Ghar Basti Kon suta kon jage hai Lal hamare ham lalan ke tan sota Brahma jage hai Jal bich kamal, kamal bich kaliya Bhanvar bas na leta hai Is nagari ke das daravaje Jogi pheri nit deta hai Tan ki kundi man ka sota Gyan ki ragad lagata hai Panch pachis base ghat bhitar Unaku ghot pilata hai Agan kundse tapasi tape Tapasi tapasa karata hai Pancho chela phire akela Alakh alakh kar japata hai Ek apsara same ubhi ji Duji surama ho sare hai Tisari rambha sej bichaye Paranya nahi kunvara hai Paranya pahile putar jaya Mat pita man bhaya hai Sharan Machinder Gorakh bole Ek akhandi dhyaya hai The composition is by Gorakshnath. Describing the fortress-like structure of human body, Gorakshnath moves ahead in pointing out the chinks in the armour. Two eyes, ears and nostrils each, one mouth, a couple of private organs and a Brahmarandhra these ten doors allow the enemy to enter into the fortress and the defeat of the self is for sure. A yogi would always guard at these doors. It becomes possible only if the self seeks spiritual wisdom. 4. Kaun Thagava Nagariya Kaun Thagava Nagariya Lutal Ho Chandan katke banal khatola Tapar dulahin sutal ho Utho sakhiri mang savaro dulaha mose ruthal ho

Aye Jamraja palang chadhi baitha Nainan asuva tutal ho Char jane mil khat uthain Chahu disi dhun dhun uthal ho Kahat Kabira suno bhai sadho Jagase nata chutal ho The Death is the final frontier in the journey of life. Kabir has underlined the same, but in his own way. According to Kabir, the body is like a township, temptations are the robbers who loot the township. The soul is like the bride, while the Lord is the bridegroom. According to Kabir, if the death comes before achieving oneness of the self with the Lord, it is bound to bring in grief. Death is final and inevitable and once it is there the relationship of the self with the earthy world will be over. 5. Nirbhay Nirgun Nirbhay Nirgun Gun Re Gaunga Mul kamal drudh asan bandhuji, ulati pavan chdhaunga Man mamata ko thir kar launji, pancho tatva milaunga Ingala, pingala, sukhaman nadiji, tiraveni par ho nhaunga Panch pachiso pakad mangaunji, ek hi dor lagaunga Shunya shikhar par anahad bajeji, rag chhattis sunaunga Kahat Kabira suno bhai sadhoji, jit nishan dhuraunga All his life Kabir insisted on the concept of Koi bole Ram Ram Koi Khudai. In other words, he never espoused any specific form of God or Lord. In fact constant insistence on simplicity and directness, the hatred of all abstractions and philosophising, the ruthless criticism of external religion are his characteristics. For him the Lord is nirgun (one without virtues or attributes). This very philosophy of his is summed up best in this composition of Kabir. He says he will fearlessly sing the attributes of the one without attributes. In this context Kabir once again talks about the body, its structuring out of the five elements, in all twenty-five derivations of the same, three each virtues (sattva, raja and tama) and states (jagruti, svapna and sushupti) are the thirty-six ragas that he says he will sing sitting atop the shunya shikhar, the state where an ascetic reaches oneness of the soul with the universe. 6. Sunata Hai Guru Gyani Sunata Hai Guru Gyani Gagan mein avaj ho rahi jhini Pahile aye nad binduse, piche jamaya pani Sab ghat puran pur rahya hai Alakh purush nirbani Vahanse aya pata likhaya Trishna to une bujhai Amrit chod chod vishay ko dhave Ulati kas phasani Gaganmandalmein gau biyani, bhipe dui jamaya

Makhan makhan santone khaya Chhach jagat baparani Bin dharati ek mandal dise Bin sarovaraju pani Gaganmandalmein ho ujiyala Bole gurumukh bani Oham, soham baja baje Trikuti dham suhani Ida, pingala, sukhaman nari Sun dhaja phaharani Kahe kabira suno bhai sadho Jai agan ki bani Dinbhar re jo najar bhar dekhe Ajar Amar ho nishani, Ho ji nishani ho ji Kabir speaks about the process of Yogsadhana in this composition. He has used the term Gagan the skies to describe the body. The skies are full of music of salvation. It is coming from shunya or nothing from where the soul has come. The soul gets a name here in this world and then forgets its origins and gets trapped with the illusions of this world. Scholars do not get trapped by the five senses. They keep learning through the Yogsadhana and thus they get the cream of life and the rest have to remain satisfied with the residual milk (here Kabir has used the terms of butter and buttermilk). Once the ascetic reaches the pinnacle of soul searching it is all pure bliss bliss of knowledge, says Kabir.