First, the original poem in Devanagri Script.
घट घट में पंछी बोलता ,
आप ही दंडी, आप तराज़ू ,
आप ही बैठा तोलता ,
आप ही माली, आप बगीचा ,
आप ही कलियाँ तोड़ता ,
सब बन में सब आप बिराजे ,
जड़ चेतना में डोलता ,
कहत कबीरा सुनो भाई साधो ,
मन की घूंडी खोलता
English Translation (Line-by-Line)
In every heart, a bird sings soft and free,
You are the staff, You the scales that weigh,
You sit and measure all we see,
You are the gardener, You the garden’s bloom,
You pluck the buds in gentle play,
In every forest, You reside in all,
You dance in roots and souls awake,
Says Kabir, listen, brothers pure and true,
You untie the knot of the mind’s deep maze.
Divine, Spiritual and Deep Meaning of this Poetry
Sant Kabir’s poem is a divine whisper, a melody of the soul that unveils the eternal truth of existence. With each line, he lifts the veil of illusion, drawing us closer to the sacred unity that binds all life. This is not just poetry—it’s a spiritual mirror reflecting the presence of the Divine in everything, everywhere, always.
Kabir begins by saying, “In every heart, a bird sings.” Here, the bird is the spark of life, the voice of the soul that hums within every being. It’s always singing, always present, though we may not always hear it due to the noise of the outer world. He suggests that this song, this essence, is not separate from us—it is the Divine itself, alive in every breath. Then, he calls this Divine “the staff and the scales,” the one who holds justice and balance. It’s a breathtaking image: God is not a distant judge but the very force that weighs our deeds, our joys, our sorrows—intimate, ever-present, and tender.
“You sit and measure all we see” deepens this. The Divine doesn’t just create the world; it watches, it knows, it feels every ripple of existence. And yet, Kabir doesn’t stop there. He paints God as “the gardener and the garden,” the one who nurtures life and also the beauty that blossoms from it. When he says, “You pluck the buds,” there’s a gentle paradox—creation and destruction are one, a loving act of the same hand. It’s as if Kabir is saying: even when life fades, it’s the Divine playing its eternal song.
“In every forest, You reside in all” expands this vision. The Divine isn’t confined to temples or skies—it’s in the trees, the earth, the heartbeat of every creature. “You dance in roots and souls awake” is pure magic—God is the stillness of the roots beneath us and the restless awakening of our consciousness. This dance is the rhythm of life itself, weaving the material and the spiritual into one seamless thread.
Finally, Kabir calls out, “Listen, brothers pure and true.” It’s an invitation, a plea to wake up. He reveals the hidden gem: “You untie the knot of the mind’s deep maze.” The Divine isn’t just outside us—it’s the key to unraveling our confusion, our doubts, our fears. The “knot” is our ego, our illusion of separation. Kabir says the Divine is both the lock and the key, the prison and the freedom. When we see this, the mind opens, and we realize—we are not apart from the One who sings, weighs, gardens, and dances.
This poem is Kabir’s gift—a glimpse of the infinite beauty that surrounds and fills us. It’s a call to dissolve into the Divine, to feel its presence in every moment, every leaf, every tear. Simple yet profound, it’s a love letter from the soul to the Soul, reminding us that we are never alone, for the One we seek is already here, within and without, forever.
