a doha i shared with hema

सावन  केरा  सेहरा, बूंद पड़ा आस्मां
साड़ी दुनिया विष्णव भाई, गुरु नहीं लगा कान 


saawan kaera sehra, bund paraa asmaan

saari duniya vaishnava bhayee, guru nahi lagaa kaan

Twice a day this little girl used to come  to my house (in 2009 for a few months, till August) to help me with the chores. Hearing me talk so much about Kabir, her own curiosity is roused now and she wishes to know better; and I am the happier for this. She borrowed a book from me- the Bijak and took it home. Then I asked her what she understood...

Instead, I proposed, why not I choose a doha for her everyday and she learn it and also understand the meaning of it everyday and then let me occasionally check how much you remembered? That way in a week she would learn seven dohae and in a month, at least 30?!

Doha is a couplet and Kabir's language is full of them, explaining simple things in simple ways succintly.

Starting out as we did in this rainy, monsoon season...this is the doha my eyes fell upon and i chose it for her to absorb and explained the meaning too. I roughly translate the meaning here, though I am unable to do a poetic translation myself.

Translation-

Rainy clouds have come and cluster around in the sky. Just like a groom wearing a sehra* looks so beautiful and majestic, so does this formation in the sky and then raindrops come pouring down. Similarly says Kabir, the world is suddenly full of so many teachers and preachers and the entire world is filled with folks who are vaishanavas (meaning devotees- technically, bhaktas of the Hindu god Vishnu). But they have yet to find the true master whose truth will reach them instantly, and free them of their ignorance.