Anurag Sagar and Sakhis of Kabir - Sant Mat Quote of the Day
Sat Purush Happy To See Us
All are from the One - Sat Purush [the True Supreme Being], the Parent of All Souls: “When Sat Purush lived in latent form, He had not created the body and matter. As oil is hidden in the lotus, in the same way Sat Purush used to live, hidden. In His Will, He created the souls, and looking at them He felt very happy.” (Anurag Sagar, By Sant Dharam Das)
Supernatural, Not Superficial
Sakhi 48 of the Bijak of Guru Kabir:
malyagir ki bas me, briksh raha sab goy;
kahabe ko chandan bhaya, malyagir na hoy.
Meaning
Living in the fragrance of the Malyagir, all the trees look like the sandal tree.
For name-sake they are called sandal, but they cannot be the real sandal wood trees.
Commentary, by Dr. Das
The Malyagir is a mountain made famous by its sandal wood trees. People passing by the mountain get the fragrance of the sandal wood and would think that all the trees on the mountain are sandal wood trees. Thus even the trees which are not sandal wood would, in a manner of speaking, be called sandal wood trees. Although they have the fragrance of the sandal wood, they are not sandal wood themselves.
Guru Kabir is pointing out in this sakhi that people may associate with, or live among, saintly people or true devotees of God. That does not, however, make them true devotees of God. Although other people may deem them worthy of worship and may, in fact, do so, they still remain what they are unless they develop the true characteristics of a devotee of God. The trees on the Malyagir will often take on the fragrance of the sandal wood tree, but they are not themselves sandal wood. Their inner core continues to be that of the particular species of trees. Just so the inner core of people who associate with devotees need not be purified, nor reach an exalted state of spiritual realization. Their association with real devotees is only superficial.
Wholeness, Not Hollowness
Sakhi 49 of the Bijak of Guru Kabir:
malyagir ki bas men, bedha dhak palas,
bena kabahu na bedhiya, jug jug rahiya pas.
Meaning
All the common trees like dhak and palas growing on the Maliyagir mountain become impregnated with the fragrance of sandalwood;
But the bamboo, though it grows among the sandal wood for ages, cannot be impregnated with the fragrance.
Commentary by Dr. Das
The Maliyagir is the famous mountain perfumed by the fragrance of sandal wood. All the common trees which have woody stems absorb the fragrance and, in turn, become like sandal wood themselves because of that fragrance. The bamboo, however, has a hollow stem and cannot take on the fragrance of the sandal wood. The lesson Guru Kabir wishes to impart in this sakhi is that we must be like the trees which can absorb the fragrance. In other words, we must be able to absorb spiritual teachings and grow in spiritual consciousness in order to purify our lives and attain liberation. If, however, we are hollow like the bamboo, then we will not be able to absorb the true spiritual teachings imparted to us by the guru and thus, we will not evolve in spiritual consciousness. We will remain entangled through karmas and maya, and will be subject to rebirths until we begin to absorb the Truth in spiritual life and obtain liberation.
For More on the Teachings of Guru Kabir, See:
The Center For Anurag Sagar Studies:
and:
The Bijak of Kabir Online:
Sant Mat Quote of the Day:
