Songs of Kabir (translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra)

Answer this and do it quickly,
If you care at all for your devotee

Who's greater?
The lord of the universe
Or the one who made him?
The Vedas
Or their source?
The mind
Or what the mind believes in?
Rama
or Rama's supplicant?

The question that's killing me, says Kabir,
Is whether the pilgrim
Or the pilgrim town is greater?

KG 27
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The yogi's a solitary

He doesn't go on pilgrimages
Or to religious fairs
Or attend congregations
He doesn't keep fasts

He doesn't have a travel bag
Or utensils to cook in
Or a plate to eat from
He doesn't carry a purse
He doesn't rub
His body with ash

He doesn't have an alms bowl
But never goes hungry
At night
After his wanderings
He returns to his house
And sleeps in the courtyard

You can't meet him
Says Kabir
He's left the country
We're citizens of
And he's not coming back

K.GG 3.6 Arvind Krishna Mehrotra