❝Speak such words, losing your ego's pride, That cool the others' hearts alongside, And in the speaking cool your own heart too — Let gentle speech be all that flows from you.❞
Kabir Das was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint, whose writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement and Sikhism. He composed in simple Hindi-Braj Bhasha, making his wisdom accessible to all. His dohe (couplets) are timeless gems of wisdom.
Dohe are a centuries-old form of two-line couplets carrying practical, moral wisdom — most famously from Kabir Das and Rahim Das, given here with meaning in both Hindi and English. They are often quoted while teaching, counseling, or making a sharp point in conversation.
❝I went out searching for the wicked one, But no one wicked did I find to shun. When I searched deep within my heart instead, I found none worse than me, as the light spread.❞
❝Do tomorrow's work today, today's work now, For the moment may end — then when and how? Delay not what must be done, for time won't wait, The moment fleets away — act before it's late.❞
❝O seeker, this is a village of the dead, Saints have died, prophets have died, the living too have fled. Rivers have died, oceans have died, feet have stopped their tread. O seeker, this is a village of the dead.❞