Illusion and Reality

Kabir 1440 (Banaras) – 1518 (Maghar)



What is seen is not the Truth
What is cannot be said
Trust comes not without seeing
Nor understanding without  words
The wise comprehends with knowledge
To the ignorant it is but a wonder
Some worship the formless God
Some worship His various forms
In what way He is beyond these attributes
Only the Knower knows
That music cannot be written
How can then be the notes
Says Kabir,  awareness alone will overcome illusion

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 28, 2023

22 sec read
629

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKLK
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 427
Words 76
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 13

Kabir

Kabīr was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic al-Kabīr which means 'The Great' – the 37th name of God in Islam. Kabir's legacy is today carried forward by the Kabir Panth, a religious community that recognizes him as its founder and is one of the Sant Mat sects. Its members, known as Kabir panthis, are estimated to be around 9,600,000. They are spread over north and central India, as well as dispersed with the Indian diaspora across the world, up from 843,171 in the 1901 census. His writings include Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar. more…

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