Kabir Dohas

Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye
Jo Munn Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye

Translation

I searched for the crooked, met not a single one
When searched myself, "I" found the crooked one

My Understanding

This doha deals with our perception behavior and tendencies. It has been invariably noticed that we tend to find fault with someone else for our situations and circumstances. Our "I", the ego, always tries to put blame on others. Non-awareness of our own self is the cause of this attitude. Resultantly, we find ourselves being busy in criticizing and condemning others and conveniently term them as crooked or evil.

So Kabir says that instead of finding fault and maligning others, dive deep into your own-self. Amazingly, an honest introspection will reveal that all fault lies with "me" and "my" own perceptions and attitudes. If there is any evil or crookedness, it is in "me". Correcting this and opting for a loving and compassionate attitude will change one's perceptions and the world will appear wonderful all over again.
 


Rajender Krishan
Visual Art by Simi Nallaseth

Views: 204358      Comments: 60


Comments on this Doha

Comment In this Dhoa , Sant Kabir is trying to tell us , that good or bad it is all in us . If we go out to find , we will see only bad in others . Here he says , I am the worst of all because I am not looking for goodness or good things out there, instead finding faults and deficiencies in others.

Ravinder Kaur

06-Jun-2023 11:01 AM


Comment @Naresh J
The answer to your question
The poet here trying to talk about perception, in real world all people perceive themselves as right. I read books where criminals justify their crime and say they were right in what they did. One one says I am wrong or my deeds are wrong not even the wrong doers. So rather than searching and analysing others, poet wants a person to search self and talk about yours self. The poet knows when a person, wrong doer or not, dives into his heart, he will find the truth. When poet says "Mujhse bura na koye." I feel he is referring to the lens of perception (nazaria) rather than the person. What he really means is "It is my perception that is wrong. Conversely when my perception is right whole world is beautiful. Even with all crimes.

This is evident when Kabir himself asked King Lodi to follow his priests advise and order him to be put in river with a stone tied to him. But the water brought him to the shore.

But such a great lens to see and immerce into and practice is not everyone's cup of tea and some greats like Kabir could wear that lense and hence see the world beautiful and preached love over hatered and killing. It is because of his this lense Hindu and Muslim claimed him even when whole his life he cricised many of their practices.

vijay

06-Feb-2022 16:56 PM


Comment I understand that its not a good idea to keep complaining about others or doing fault finding.

If a person is a murderer/thief and I say that that person is a crooked/bad, that doesn't mean that I am bad (or that is just my perception). It is indeed true that there is something wrong with that person (that's why he/she committed murder or is stealing).

Hardeep

21-Oct-2019 18:28 PM


Comment Kabir is really a motivating figure. All his dohas tell the truth of the life. The recent thought that I read in a book is that one should perform his Dharma- that is his work, in this way he can be called the true Sanyasi, who has sacrificed all his pleasure for his duties. And this is the only way to attain the Moksha. While working many people long for Moksha, but as per Kabir one can attain it while enjoying his Dharma that is his work and the work that is related with him.

A Kabir Panthi

Tayade Arvind

27-Mar-2014 04:19 AM


Comment Truly said, this is the true facts of modern world. We always in a hurry to blame others, but forget that we are also to blame for the same mistake.

nicky

17-Jul-2013 04:44 AM


Comment thanks kabir dohas for inspire me .. it's very true..


















sarojranjan dash

08-Jul-2013 01:40 AM


Comment best doha of kabir in hindi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOW............

jack

20-May-2013 07:22 AM


Comment What a nice person kabir was.First person in the universe till date saying"see all bad things in you and good things in others."

Dr. Prakash kachhwal

07-Apr-2013 21:50 PM


Comment I like the song very much but when , I tried to download it was not possible insted I to download all unnecessary, software,

punjabi

22-Mar-2013 10:07 AM


Comment Apna Apna kro Sudhar, Tabhi Sukhi hoga Sansar................................................9971462858

VISHWAS

26-Dec-2012 09:51 AM


Comment Today what is delicious food, touches me and turns into dung overnight. Who else is bad then? How very true.
Our perceptions of right and wrong, good and bad, love and hatred are all so very space-time constrained, that Kabir urges to remove these coloured glasses we all are wearing and look at the world from a perspective where the opposites cease to exist. And in this process of self-discovery, one realises, it is "I" and my perception that is the one to be blamed, no one or nothing else.

Biswajit Maji

06-Oct-2012 03:20 AM


Comment @Naresh ur ans is..

i see many bad things in others but always forget and ignore about my own bad things wrong deeds etc.
so here kabir wants to say that rather than finding wrong in others do good and change urself..

sagarblog

09-Sep-2012 05:17 AM


Comment It gives peace to the restless
mind

B.S.Mahindru

24-Jul-2012 01:23 AM


Comment ye toh such hi hai ..........................
i like this doha.....................................

harish ijardar

29-May-2012 05:18 AM


Comment when we sit alone and try to remember God or meditate than our Mann(mind) is not concentrate ..he will start wondering here and there...and we remember our faults.......burey karam aur wo humey baithney nahi
detey

Geeta

04-Apr-2012 04:44 AM


Comment lovely doha,,,, wish i can find all that which i forgot

shashi

31-Mar-2012 18:55 PM


Comment Please list sites where we can find Sant Kabir's dohas. I am looking for one where he emphasizes the need to do away with material desires and how one can be at peace if that can be achieved

Latha Padmanabhan

24-Mar-2012 05:22 AM


Comment unke dohe padhne aur samaghne k bad life ek tarah se badli hui lagti hai.nazaria hi badal jata hai jeevan ko dekhne ka.ati sundar n saral

hina deora

17-Feb-2012 13:36 PM


Comment i like it

ghane.chhetri

26-Jan-2012 07:21 AM


Comment Kabira touches one of the most common mistake made by man, that is of looking for evil in the outside world, when there is some much darkness within oneself.

Vijay Dey

06-Jan-2012 06:11 AM


Comment THIS IS WHAT HAPPENING......

eswaran

02-Dec-2011 09:55 AM


Comment i loved this doha

yashi

10-Nov-2011 10:19 AM


Comment thts chang my life .....sooo gud

somil

28-Sep-2011 03:05 AM


Comment bilkul sahi bat boli hai kabir ji ne.agar har insan isi tarah soche to pura ka pura samaj badal jayega,aur aaj iski zarurat bhi hai.

manu singh

15-Jul-2011 05:44 AM


Comment The world is good for the good and bad for the bad. Your own attitude towards your surroundings is responsible for the result - good or bad. So, don't think or say that someone or something is responsible for something bad.

Rajesh Karmahe

10-Jun-2011 21:53 PM


Comment Once again, we are going overboard in praising Kabir.

Sure, if each and every one of us thinks this way, then the world will be a better place. The problem is that only a few of us think this way. I dont think I can look at a murderer or a rapist and say "there is no evil in him". We should fight evil whether it exists in us or in others. I like this Doha but I take it with a grain of salt.

Ramesh

14-May-2011 23:14 PM


Comment if u r good whole world seems 2 b good so u will b not able to find anybody worse,and if u r bad whole world seems 2 b bad and u will b not able 2 find any good person

sakshi gautam

12-May-2011 03:59 AM


Comment Rightly said . I liked it .One must think on this Doha

Narain Singh Bisht

11-May-2011 12:50 PM


Comment it ws really nice to read kabir ws sch grt?????

mahvish

30-Apr-2011 10:41 AM


Comment
accha jo dekhan main chala, accha na milya koi,

jo man khoja apna, mare sai accha na koi.

sanajy

01-Apr-2011 04:08 AM


Comment Very well written.I am using your site to learn all dohes in group study.

Great Work Done !

Radha Sabhapathy Iyer

25-Mar-2011 14:28 PM


Comment though a tamilian ,i have been influenced by kabir's doha all my life.each time I recite kabir's doha , i feel so rejunevated. there is so much truth in his dohas.

malathi kubendran

21-Mar-2011 08:30 AM


Comment i like kabir s all doha

rekha

16-Mar-2011 11:14 AM


Comment one person always goes down for poor thinking and bad manner.These are the words which can change our thinking and lifestyle.It seems very simple but meaning is electrifying.everybody should read one doha daily.

sanjay mallick

05-Mar-2011 23:58 PM


Comment I don't think that the crooked one is necessarily negative. He could be referring to something that is different or out of place. When he looks outside of himself to find where the universe is different or maybe unusual he can't find it. When he tries to look at himself he sees that he is where the universe is strange. His own consciousness trying to see itself. The universe trying to see its eye with its own eye.

Le Dude

24-Feb-2011 13:21 PM


Comment i discovered such wonderful site. thanks to the administrator for putting such a noble site on net. sant kabir das ji is doubtfully one of the greatest saints of our country and his teachings would purely give knowledge and a positive thinking to all.

Deepak Manchanda

19-Feb-2011 13:33 PM


Comment our friends and enimy are present within us.nature to love others,devine feelings are friends and anger,criticysing others are enimy.when we relize our faults and mistakes truely then we feel guilty, at that time we cannot see any fault of others. so it is not the thing that always we are wrong or the other members are wrong,it is that by ignoring mistakes of other we will be able to concentrate on our faults sothat we can escape from doing further. shree

shree

16-Feb-2011 10:25 AM


Comment Very nice translation and intriguing. Like to add a reply to Naresh's thoughts , well read between the lines. But what I can infer is the moment we search for crooked outside, it shows that the intention itself is crooked i.e to see bad in others. What Kabir might have intended here is See good in everything...you will see good in you. If you try to see bad outside, you will end up seeing bad in you ..

subramaniyan

04-Feb-2011 07:24 AM


Comment One way to interpret this doha is ' The imperfection that I associate with the outside world is really not there..every object,every creation, every moment is already perfect. If I really introspect, I will realize its my drishti(my perception) which is so imperfect!

Kabirbhakt

20-Jan-2011 03:49 AM


Comment nice....this is the truth

shivani

06-Jan-2011 08:38 AM


Comment We blame others for every wrong deeds and everything that goes wrong in our life and in the world. Kabriji says, I went looking for the cause of evil and could not find any.
But when I looked within myself, I found that I myself was evil.

Gandhiji said, "Be the change that you want to see in the world". This doha reflects to the same ideology - Change yourself, change your thinking and you will see a different world as per your liking.

If you want to see a different movie, all we do is change the film and not the screen.
The projector's light intensity remains same, screen is same, but perception or the image is different - Bharat Gohil

Bharat Gohil

23-Dec-2010 22:19 PM


Comment After reflecting on this doha a bit more, the heart of Kabir shines through with the light of a True Master. It seems to me that Kabir sees the reality, not the illusion. In the eyes of Kabir, every single human being on the face of this Earth is a temple of God. Everyone! Everyone is rich! And no one is poor! No one! But if the gift of this temple is never accepted, that person's heart will live in poverty, even though it has a tremendous amount of wealth buried inside it. Like a chest of treasure in your own backyard, if you never dig it up, you remain poor, even while the treasure of God lies buried on your own property.
Many of us look to words, and names and scriptures for this treasure, but the real treasure is beyond your vocabulary. For me, the benefit of the words of the Masters, past and present, is their ability to clarify. They point me to the One within, as does my living Master Prem Rawat (i encourage you to check out a few of his webcasts at wopg.org).

I see the world crooked because the lens through which I am viewing it is crooked. This lens called "I" is viewing everything through the grid of "right and wrong". Isn't there more to us than just right and wrong?

If the leaders of your country were to start destroying temples or churches or synagogues or mosques (which are made of wood and brick and mortar) you would scorn them and prosecute them. But they target temples made of flesh, and we 'blind' citizens dutifully join them and vote for the destruction and praise the soldiers who destroy them. One temple is made by God, the other by man. Which one is more holy? Both temples are made from the dust of this Earth. One breathes the breath of God. The other is as speechless as the coffin in a grave. You are the holiest of all temples! Let there be peace on this Earth as it should be.

M. Donahoe

03-Dec-2010 05:43 AM


Comment Yes. I understand. It is not my neighbor that needs to be straightened out. "I" am the one that needs to be straightened out. It is not my neighbor who needs enlightenment. It is me! I am the one who needs to take the pilgrimage to enlightenment. This pilgrimage is taken on the inside, not the outside. Whether others walk to it or not, I will not pass judgment on them. Only on myself. Am I on that beautiful road or not? Ultimately, for me, the worst kind of crookedness is the absence of true peace in my heart. Without that, I will never feel straight.

M. Donahoe

15-Nov-2010 03:44 AM


Comment Kabir has taught to me the universal truth that man by nature is self centered and therefore bad because he will always put himself before others and the said aspect is percieved as a fault. Therefore, viewed in the aforesaid perspective, Kabirdas simply says `introspect regarding your own actions' before point out faults in others and you will find that you have the very same faults as others.

rakesh sanghi

05-Nov-2010 04:51 AM


Comment We all know that stealing is wrong (thieves), that lying is wrong (politicians, not all, well, maybe : ), hording and amassing large amounts of money without giving is wrong (greed). No one can deny the crookedness that is out there, whether it is you or me doing it, it happens in this world. But the worst kind of crookedness is self-cheat and self-deceit. This is the big daddy of them all. Telling yourself "I am full because I read the book" while your stomach is growling for real food will rob you of some good eating. Telling yourself "This is mine" while both the object you are holding in your hand and your hand itself slowly turn into dust, this is self-deception. What do you truly know? What do you truly have? Search your heart for these answers. In India, they have coined the word "Maya", illusion. In this doha, Kabir searches deep within in his own being and in the fullness he discovers that his "I" is an illusion, that herein lies where the real crookedness takes place.

M. Donahoe

04-Nov-2010 08:08 AM


Comment The explanation to this couplet of Sant Kabir Das ji has been very aptly worded.....


...if at any point in time, YOU want to find the person who has wronged you, then you don't have to go very far to find him....... just go and stand in front of the mirror and YOU will see him.....

HATIM SINGH

02-Nov-2010 14:23 PM


Comment It was really really nice:D:D

archit

31-Oct-2010 03:47 AM


Comment well said

amit kumar

04-Oct-2010 06:28 AM


Comment great person never born never dies they just lives around us as ....kabir

dr prakash

25-Sep-2010 12:35 PM


Comment great saint...evry individual is responsible for his or her acts..it is his deeds n action that will earn him reward or punishment..

saba

17-Sep-2010 05:24 AM


Comment like it

arkhan

12-Sep-2010 03:08 AM


Comment i have found my crooked self indeed!
finding self in all, and all in self is an achievement
it will lessen misunderstanding and pain in this world of the blinds

vicky tam lin

23-Aug-2010 10:27 AM


Comment Why is Kabhir so great....????? :)
Hat's of to his comparisions, to convey the meanings.....

NC

19-Aug-2010 02:57 AM


Comment Naresh,
Exactly the confusion that you project in your comment is what Kabir has handled in the Doha. "All is Well", yet it is our own perception and sense of discrimination that we see one as "right" and one as "wrong". The key word is "our own" perception. Hence Kabir's second line that "if" there be something wrong, then it is within "me" i.e. in my perception. It speaks of the highest level of humility that man can think of.

Raj

18-Aug-2010 07:57 AM


Comment ?"Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya KoyeJo Munn Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye"

Translation : I searched for the crooked, met not a single oneWhen searched myself, "I" found the crooked one ~Kabir



Here is something I could not accept completly. When I started my search, I came across the same point where I found that no one is crooked, no one is 'Bad', I found no one eligibal for 'Hell'...!

Yes I still categorize people in two categories. But its not "Good People" and "Bad People", but now I categorise people in "one who accpets what he understands" and other one "who rejects even if he understands" (Due to past conditioning, ego, fear etc kind of reasons)...

I understand why Kabira said "Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye"(I searched for the crooked, met not a single one) but unable to get his second line "Jo Mun Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye"(When searched myself, "I" found the crooked one).......??

No !! If no is bad, how could I be than ???


No one is bad... not even me..!! How could I be bad is no one is ?? was Kabira comparing himself on some other parameters ???

Naresh J

18-Aug-2010 04:19 AM


Comment I m very happy to see this.within two lines kabir had explained the truth of life.stories are also heart touching.

ARUNA

17-Aug-2010 11:05 AM


Comment how very true..

shweta

13-Aug-2010 02:18 AM


Comment these r d truths of life which are ignored y us

priya

02-Aug-2010 09:08 AM


Comment I was on the lookout for inspiration that is simple,pious and touches my heart.
Thankyou so much for the expalnation as it has put me on the path of harmonious words and actions

Vijayalakshmi.R

25-Jul-2010 04:57 AM


Comment thnx 4 putting all the effort....it ws really nice to read this n rejuvenate oneself..

ira

16-Jul-2010 13:49 PM





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