On July 25, I went to the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi to watch Shekhar Sen acting as Sant Kabir. Sen is a reputed Bengali singer, music composer, lyricist and actor. The performance was truly beautiful—and you should watch it on You Tube if you can. It reinforced my belief in Kabir. I am so envious of his gift of grace from god, the instant ability to be one with the divine. His poetry is simple—and yet so profound.

Kabir was a 14th century mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement—a Hindu religious movement. According to the traditional version, Kabir was born to a Brahmin widow near Varanasi, who abandoned him in a boat made of lotus leaves on the Lahartara pond. He was found by a family of poor Muslim weavers from Varanasi, Niru and Nima, who taught him weaving. As a child, he became a disciple of Swami Ramananda.

Kabir’s poems or banis(utterances) resonate with praise for the divine and attempts to guide the listener to a spiritual awakening; all the while gently mocking the rituals and superstitions of formulaic religions. For me, each doha (couplet) of Kabir, written in Avadhi, Braj and Bhojpuri, is an education in itself. I wish his pioneering work, Bijak, was taught in schools.

His guiding principles were goodness, mercy, compassion and trust in a higher power. He was a strong proponent of ahimsa (non-violence). Live life as a householder, treat work and responsibility as worship, with love towards all and remember that the divine in each one transcends sect are some of his preaching. The Guru Granth Sahib—religious text of the Sikhs—contains hundreds of verses by Kabir.

Kabir was a staunch vegetarian, thus, many beautiful dohas written by him entreat both Hindus and Muslims not to kill and eat animals.

Here are some of Kabir’s dohas:

“Jiv mat marobapura, sab meinekaipran; hatyakabahunnachhutihai, kotinsunopuran.”

(Do not kill any life as the same life force pervades us all. The sin of your actions will never leave you, even if you listen to millions of scriptures.)

“Jaisepirapanangjana, taise sab jiv men mana.” (Just as you feel pain, realise that other living beings feel pain in the same manner.)

“Mansaharimanai, pratyakshrakshasjani; takisangatimatikarai, hoi bhakti meinhani.” (People who eat meat should be considered rakhshasas (monsters). You should not keep company with them, or your own prayers to the divine will be affected.)

“Mansbhakhai au mad piye, dhanveshya sonkhay; juakhelichorikarai, ant samulajay.” (Those who eat meat and drink alcohol, those who pimp women, those who gamble and steal, they will be totally destroyed.)

“Mansmans sab ekhai ,murgihirnigay ; ankhidekhinarkhathai, tenarnarakhinjay.” (All meat is the same whether of hen, deer or cow. He who eats after seeing and knowing this will go to hell.)

“Yah kukarkobhakshhai, manushdehkyonkhay ; mukhmeamikhmelike, narakparangejay.” (Dead bodies are meant to be eaten by dogs. Why should a human eat them? If you put non-vegetarian food in your mouth, you will go to hell.)

“Papipujabaithikai, bhakhaimans mad doi ; tinkidikshamuktinahin, kotinarakphal hoi.” (Sinners, who sit for puja but eat meat and drink alcohol, will never get salvation. Their reward will be millions of hells.)

“Jivhanaihinsakarai, pragatpap sir hoy; nigampuniaisepap ten, bhistgayanahinkoy.” (Those who commit violence towards animals take many sins on their heads. It is difficult to escape from such a sin and there is no remedy to nullify its effect.)

“Tilbharmachhlikhayke, kotigaudaidan; kashikaraunt laymarai, tau bhinaraknidan.” (If after consuming even a speck of fish you donate crores of cows or get your head shaved in Varanasi, you cannot escape hell.)

“Bakripatikhathai, takikadhikhal; jobakrikokhathai, tinkakaunhaval.” (The goat that eats leaves to satisfy her hunger—if you eat her, who can save you.)

“Mullatujhaikarimka, kabayafarman; ghatphoraghargharbanta,sahabkanisan.” (Mullah, when did you receive the order of our compassionate Allah that you can kill animals and distribute the meat)

“Kazikabetamua, ur mensalaipir; vahsahabsabkapita,bhalanamanaibir.” (When a son of a Qazi dies, the Qazi suffers. That Supreme God is the father of all. Would he be pleased at those who kill his children.)

“Pirsabankoeksi, murakhjanainahin; apnagalakataykai,kyonnabasobhishtkemahin.” (Everyone experiences the same pain. Ignorant do not know. If you feel you send a goat to heaven by killing it, then why don’t you cut your own neck and go too)

“Murgimullasonkahai,jabah karat haimohin; sahablekhamangsi,sankatparihaitohin.” (When a Mullah kills a goat, then the goat tells him that god will take this deed of yours into account and you will suffer.)

“Jorkarijabahkaray, mukhsonkahaihalal; sahablekhamangsi, tab hosikaunhaval.” (You killed me forcibly and say you are doing halaal, what answer will you give god to save yourself)

“Jorkiyanjulumhai, mangaijavabkhuday; Khalikdarkhunikhada, marmuhinmunhkhay.”

(When you stand as a murderer of animals before god, you will have to face his wrath.)

“Galakatikalmabharai, kiyakahaihalal; sahablekhamangsi,tab hosijabab-saval.”

(You say your prayers as you cut my neck. You will have to answer god for this.)

“Galagusakonkatiye, miyankaharkaumar; jopanchubismilkarai, tab pavaididar.”

(You pray five times in order to reach god and then kill helpless animals. All your efforts will be nullified in the face of god’s anger.)

“Kabirateipirhain, jojanai par pir;  jo par pirnajanihai, so kafirbepir.” (Saints are those who recognise the pain of others. Those who cannot understand pain are not saints.)

“Khubkhanahaikhichdi, mahinparituklaun; mansparayakhaykai, galakatavaikaun.” (The best food is khichri which contains rice, dal and salt. Who wants to eat the flesh of others and have their throats cut later.)

“Manskhayntedhed sab, mad pivain so nich; kulkidurmati par harai, ramkahai so unch.” (It is a lowly act, a sin, to eat meat and drink alcohol. Only those who lack intelligence do this.)

 Pl. add: To join the animal welfare movement contact [email protected], www.peopleforanimalsindia.org