Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.
– Wayne Dyer
Kabir – The couplet
जाति न पूछो साधु का, पूछ लीजिये ज्ञान ।
मोल करो तलवार का, पड़ा रहन दो म्यान ॥
transliterated:
Jati na pooch sadhu ka, pooch lijiye gyan |
Mol karo talwar ka, pada rahan do mayan ||
Translation:
Ask not of the ancestry of the seer, seek his knowledge instead |
Value the sword, focus not on the scabbard ||
My understanding:
Our physical senses misguide us just as often as they provide valuable insight.
Food that smells good may not be nutritious, or may be too rich for the belly J
We tend to assign more value to the well-dressed than the simply dressed, even if reality may be different.
Kabir, ever the gentle teacher, in this couplet, warns us to rush not to judgment, but to search for the true value of the contents. He is the conscience on our shoulder, warning us to look for the true value of the contents, rather than getting misled by the glitter of the cover.
Warm regards,
Mani