Without this, all is worthless || Acharya Prashant, on Guru Kabir (2019)

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Video Information: Advait Learning Camp, 28.01.2019, Rishikesh, India

Context:

What is divine love?
Who is the beloved saints sing of?
How to learn and understand from the teachings of Guru Kabir Sahib?
How to understand the following poem by Guru Kabir Sahib?

Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Category

📚
Learning
Transcript
00:00If you cannot win the love of the Lord, what if you can lord over your neighbour?
00:17What is the good of dressing your hair and donning your feet with jingling jewellery?
00:24What is the value of all your makeup with kajal to your eyelids and vermilion to your
00:31forehead and all the efforts to deck yourself if you are not loyal in your love?
00:39It is all a self-deception and does not touch the Lord at all, says Kabir, if you can surrender
00:47your body, mind and heart to the Lord and remain loyal in love to Him, sans makeup and
00:56ornaments, you will win His favour in whatever state you be.
01:07If you cannot win the love of the Lord, what if you can lord over your neighbour?
01:17What is the good of dressing your hair and donning your feet with jingling jewellery?
01:23What is the value of all your makeup with kajal to your eyelids and vermilion to your forehead
01:31and all the efforts to deck yourself if you are not loyal in your love?
01:36It is all a self-deception and does not touch the Lord at all, says Kabir, if you cannot
01:43win the love of the Lord, what is the value of all your makeup with kajal to your eyelids
01:50and vermilion to your forehead and all the efforts to deck yourself if you are not loyal
01:58Tanman jeevan saunpi sareera, tahi suhagan kahe Kabira
02:07Tanman jeevan saunpi sareera, tahi suhagan kahe Kabira
02:16Full stop, over.
02:20Why do you make me speak?
02:22Just recite this over and over again and again.
02:26Alright, let's elaborate on this one.
02:32So, what is he saying?
02:35He is saying, how do you manage to give yourself the right to celebrate?
02:49Kabir is wondering, how does the ordinary man or woman, when I say man I mean person,
02:59I have clarified that many a times, it's a matter of habit.
03:04How does the ordinary man gather the guts, the dishonest audacity to pretend as if everything is alright?
03:28How do we manage to laugh out so loud?
03:39How do we manage to have such ravishing parties?
03:50How do we manage to sing and yell?
03:58How do we manage to say thumbs up?
04:01All is well.
04:04Wow, that rhymed.
04:12How do we manage to sing and yell?
04:15And how do we say thumbs up?
04:18All is well.
04:22Kabir is astonished at our dishonesty.
04:28He is saying, how do you tolerate yourself smiling?
04:37You have nothing.
04:40You have nothing.
04:41The only thing worth having in life is his companionship, nearness to him.
04:51That you have lost.
04:59You didn't invest your life in earning his nearness.
05:03You lost all that which was precious because you were never determined to earn that.
05:13And now, loveless, sireless.
05:30See how shamelessly you rejoice.
05:46You have vermilion on your forehead.
05:49You have kajal.
05:51What do they call kajal?
05:54The eyeliner.
06:00But there is another.
06:02Kohl?
06:04Not that.
06:07That's what I wanted too.
06:13So, you are using all these things.
06:17As if the season is festive.
06:23As if some great achievement has happened.
06:28As if you are somebody.
06:31Instead of mourning, you are celebrating.
06:49What is this absurdity?
06:55That which is the essence of life you are separated from.
07:06And still you walk on, carry on as if nothing has happened.
07:22The sole purpose of life is getting defeated day by day.
07:28Every passing day is a new defeat.
07:33Time lost.
07:42And yet you keep saying all is well.
07:50Not a trace of melancholy.
07:55Not an iota of regret.
08:26And then he says, had you not had any of these celebrations and happinesses, but you had
08:48him, then your life could be said to be fulfilled.
09:10Kabir talks of the I-sense as the female.
09:22The woman searching for her beloved.
09:29He too talks of all mankind as female.
09:36Because the I-sense is there in both man and woman.
09:40So, he says the I-sense is the female and she is looking for her beloved lord.
09:52She is not finding him and therefore she is restless.
10:01So, at one point he says, pativrata melli bhali.
10:11If you are aiming for him and in the process your looks, your appearances become dusty
10:26and unattractive, that is okay.
10:32But if you have lost him and still look attractive and young and market ready, then you are just
10:53a Vyabhicharini.
10:59Who is a Vyabhicharini in Kabir's jargon?
11:08The I-sense that has not only not attained the beloved but is also not eager to attain
11:21the beloved.
11:22She is lost in the world, in miscellaneous pursuits.
11:30So, Kabir says do not bother about counting your worldly achievements.
11:45Assess yourself on just one parameter.
11:51Do not assess yourself on how much you have progressed in the worldly sense.
12:06Ask yourself just one question.
12:09Do you have him?
12:14If you have him, you have everything.
12:16And if you do not have him, then what is the point of having everything?
12:24So, he is taunting mankind, both men and women.
12:39He is saying you are flaunting your looks, you are brandishing your wares, you are giving
12:50yourself the right to hold festivities, but all that is just self-deception.
13:07You are so dishonest that you want to convince yourself that you are alright when it is very
13:15well certain that things are not alright.
13:24In fact, the more you display your ornaments and makeup, the more it becomes ascertained
13:45that your laughter is all made up.
14:00If you go to Kabir Sahab, he will ask you just one question.
14:04Do you have him?
14:11There is nothing else to discuss.
14:15Point blank, one shot.
14:21What is the question?
14:22Do you have him?
14:25If yes, no more questions.
14:33If no, no more questions.

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