Pathless Path…

Kabir was a 15th century mystic poet and saint. His teachings leaned toward the Sufi like way of living, and his poetry/songs were delivered in a simple language focusing on deep meaning and full of wisdom, but still, be understood and appreciated by the common folk.  

Kabir was a weaver by profession, and although not very literate, his verses show remarkable knowledge of esoteric traditions as well as Vedic philosophies, knowledge of Tantra/Yoga as well as the influence of various religious traditions of Hinduism and Islam as well as other variants.

Below is a beautiful rendition of one of Kabir’s excellent verse depicting his deep understanding of the philosophic aspect of five elements and shows the function and fallacies of life and living.

The actual lyrics and meanings are copied from Isha Music, but I have added additional commentary/explanation.

Ho sadho

Yaha tana thaata tambure kaa

Ho sadho ||

हो साधो

यह तन ठाठ तम्बूरे का

हो साधो ||

O seekers, this body is a splendid tanpura!

Many of Kabir’s verses mention the word “Sadho”, which in the vernacular language means “Saint” but denotes Seeker. In a way, all of us are seekers – some seek wealth, some fame and some seeks eternal truth. In this first verse of the poetry, Kabir mentions that our body is a splendid musical instrument like a Tanpura (Long-Necked Plucked String Instrument). The beauty of the instrument is how you use it. If you know the technique, you can create beautiful melody out of it, if you don’t, all you can do is play and only generate random sounds.

Pach tatwa ka banaa hai tambura

Tara laga nau ture ka ||

पांच तत्व का बना है तम्बूरा

तार लगा नौ तूरे का ||

The tanpura is made of 5 elements, strung together with nine resonances.

According to Vedic philosophy, everything that exists consists in the material world consists of five elements called “panchamahabhutas” - literally meaning five elements. They are Aakash (Ether), Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Jala (Water), and Prithvi (Earth). Every object is made up of these in varying degrees. For example, modern science has observed that the human body is 72% water, 12% earth, 6% air, 4% fire and the rest are Ether.

Ayurveda - ancient medical science from India, also recognizes this and works on the theory that disease is nothing but the imbalance of these five elements and in curing practitioners simply focus on creating a balance.  

Nine resonances denote nine senses – vision (sight), audition (hearing), gustation (taste), olfaction (smell), tactician (touch), thermoception (heat, cold), nociception (pain), equilibrioception (balance, gravity), proprioception (body awareness). We are mostly aware of the five primary senses, but our body also feels others.

Kabir uses the example of Tanpura to explain this deep understanding of both physiology and sensory perceptions.

Aenchata tara marodata khoonti

Nikasata raga hajure ka, ho sadho ||

एंचत तार मरोड़त खूँटी

निकसत राग हजुरे का, हो साधो ||

Tighten the strings, twist the pegs, and it sings the song of the Lord.

The effectiveness of the musical instrument depends on the balance or tightness of the string. If it is too tight, it will break, if it is loose, it will not produce the right sound.

What Kabir says that we should tighten strings – i.e., create the right balance between our worldly duties and spirituality and keep singing songs of the lord and devote life to the Divine.

Toota tara bikhara gayi khoonti

Ho gaya dhoora madhure ka, ho sadho ||

टूटा तार बिखर गई खूँटी

हो गया धूर मधुरे का, हो साधो ||

The strings snap, the pegs lie scattered, the sweetness has turned to dust.

The moment we lose the balance and lose the focus on divinity, this life is vain. The beautiful music that was produced before, is being shattered.

Ya dehi ka garaba na keeje

uda gaya hansa tanbure kaa ||

या देहि का गर्व न कीजे

उड़ गया हंस तम्बूरे का ||

Don’t cling in vain to this body. Its swan has flown away.

The healthy body that we are so proud of and did not make use of to serve the divine purpose, once the soul leaves it, it is of no use. No matter how much fame or wealth one has earned, nothing can be taken away except for the good deeds we have done.

Kahe kabira suno bhai sadho

Agama pantha ika sure kaa ||

कहे कबीरा सुनो भई साधो

अगम पंथ इक सूरे का ||

Kabir says, listen seekers. The path of the brave is pathless.

In the end, the true seeker must understand that he needs to tread on the path alone, and the truth is there is not even a path – just a journey to eternity.