Kabir Dohas - 38

Kabir Soyee Soorma, Man Soon Maande Jhoojh
Panch Pyada Paari Le, Door Kare Sab Dooj

kbaIr saao[- saUrmaaM mana saUM maaMDO JaUJa
pMca Payaada paiD, lao dUir krO saba dUja

Translation
O Kabir, He alone's the Warrior ,who takes on the "mind" head-on
Crushing the shield of the sensual five, all duality is gone

My Understanding
In the time period Kabir lived there were lot of wars and fighting taking around. Instead of this fighting and killing outside, Kabir redirects our attention to waging a war inside of us via this verse. The mind is the root of all our troubles. This mind is what creates a myriad of thoughts that drive us everywhere and do not allow us to rest in peace. Thoughts are instigated, fed and driven by our five sensual desires - Lust, Anger, Intoxication with Pride, Attachment and Greed. He calls these as pawns because they are protecting the true enemy that lies behind - The Mind. Here the game is won only when we go beyond the sensual (pawn-like) pleasures and conquer the Mind who has been running the show. Kabir then tells us that removing the mind takes away the root of all misery which is the feeling of the "other". There is no "other" anymore as this distinction comes via a creation of our mind. Once the mind is gone there is nobody else except us ourselves. This feeling of oneness is captured in a verse from a poem:

Na Hai Koi Gadi Na Hai Sawari
Pahuncha Wahan Jahan Mein Akela Hi Khiladi

Neither is their a vehicle nor a rider, I have reached a place where I alone am the Only Player.

Kabir urges us to duel the dual - the highest teaching from him summarized in such a beautiful way. Vintage Kabir!

– RK and Maalok
December 14, 2005

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