KABIR SAHIB SHABAD (पाती तोरै मालिनी पाती पाती जीउ ॥)
Kabir Sahib and Guru Nanak
Sahib were the chief proponents of the bhakti movement in the Indian medieval
age. Their teachings pertained to eliminating external ritualism from Indian society
to attain salvation which is the prime purpose of human life.
पाती तोरै मालिनी
पाती पाती जीउ ॥
जिसु पाहन कउ
पाती तोरै सो पाहन निरजीउ ॥१॥
भूली मालनी है एउ
॥
सतिगुरु जागता है
देउ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
ब्रहमु पाती
बिसनु डारी फूल संकरदेउ ॥
तीनि देव प्रतखि
तोरहि करहि किस की सेउ ॥२॥
पाखान गढि कै
मूरति कीन्ही दे कै छाती पाउ ॥
जे एह मूरति साची
है तउ गड़्हणहारे खाउ ॥३॥
भातु पहिति अरु
लापसी करकरा कासारु ॥
भोगनहारे भोगिआ
इसु मूरति के मुख छारु ॥४॥
मालिनि भूली जगु
भुलाना हम भुलाने नाहि ॥
कहु कबीर हम राम
राखे क्रिपा करि हरि राइ॥
This Shabad of Kabir Sahib
that appears on page 479 of Adi-Granth urges aspirants of the
Lord to engage in true worship of the Lord through the Satguru.
Kabir Sahib invites us to
contemplate devotion to God by evoking and nurturing the love for the Lord
instead of worshipping Him through Devi-Devtas or deities or by Hawan, yagyas,
or pilgrimages. Kabir's concept of Ram was the Lord, who is merged in each pore
and particle of the Creation who could be realized in the inner dimension of
the human body---- than to seek Him by external means like going to temples and
offering flowers to the artificial deities of stone.
पाती तोरै मालिनी
पाती पाती जीउ ॥
जिसु पाहन (stone) कउ पाती तोरै सो पाहन( stone) निरजीउ ( lifeless) ॥१॥
भूली मालनी है एउ
॥
सतिगुरु जागता है
देउ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥
In the above verses, he
addresses the lady gardener who plucks leaves/flowers from the garden to offer
to the Devi-Devtas. He questions the advantage of pooja or prayer when it
entails killing the life (that is, the life of the leaves/ flowers) for prayer
to lifeless Moortis (statues) of Devi-Devtas carved out of stone or
marble. Satguru, or the Lord, is the only Divinity that needs to be worshipped
and to whom the devotion should be made for salvation or liberation from the cycle of 84, which
is the prime purpose of human life. The notable intervention that is made here is सतिगुरु जागता है
देउ –means
Satguru and the Lord cannot be differentiated and that He is the Living Lord to
whom the devotee should be devoted.
ब्रहमु पाती
बिसनु डारी फूल संकरदेउ ॥
तीनि देव प्रतखि
तोरहि करहि किस की सेउ ॥२॥
ब्रहमु पाती
बिसनु डारी फूल संकरदेउ ॥
तीनि देव प्रतखि
तोरहि करहि किस की सेउ ॥२॥
Further, he has mystically compared the leaf, plant
branch, and flower with Hindu gods like Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva(Mahesh). Kabir Sahib symbolizes Brahma,
the leaf Vishnu as the branch or twig of the plant on which the flower is
hanging, and the flower itself to Lord Shiva. (Note--Guru Nanak Sahib has
described Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh as offspring of Maya, who act according to
the Hukam of the Lord, are deities assigned with the management of the affairs
of the world as ministers of the Lord. Jap ji Pauri 30) Kabir Sahib
says that when you pluck a flower, you are essentially killing Brahma, Vishnu,
and Siva for the sake of the stone's lifeless Moorti (statue). That is a metaphor for how people often remain oblivious to
the suffering of others for the sake of their desires or pleasures.
पाखान गढि कै
मूरति कीन्ही दे कै छाती पाउ ॥
जे एह मूरति साची
है तउ गड़्हणहारे खाउ ॥३॥
He further elaborates that
when the stone is shaped, the sculpture keeps his feet on it and cuts it in the
form of Moorti (statue). Kabir Sahib then further chides that if that Moorti or
statue is powerful enough or can do anything, then it must teach a lesson or
reprimand the artisan who has cut/configured
the stone, and in the process might have
caused great pain and grief to the stone
भातु पहिति अरु
लापसी करकरा कासारु ॥
भोगनहारे भोगिआ
इसु मूरति के मुख छारु ॥४॥
The lady gardener or
worshipper takes a lot of offering like fruits and sweet rice dishes (खीर) so that the Moorti enjoys and be pleased with this
devotion. The priestly class enjoys such offerings while they smear the mouth
of Moorti with ash.
मालिनि भूली जगु
भुलाना हम भुलाने नाहि ॥
कहु making कबीर हम राम राखे क्रिपा करि हरि राइ..
There is further taunt in the
message of Kabir Sahib that the lady gardener might forget or ignore the
reality or even if the entire world doesn't care about such a fake form of
worship, but Kabir knows what true devotion is and what pleases the Lord. He
has been blessed by the Lord's Grace and always prays for His Grace.
Kabir Sahib thus highlights the futility of such rituals
and stresses the need to be devoted to the True Master, the Satguru, to attain
salvation.
