Kabir Das: Mosque with Ten Doors

Broadcast, O mullah,
your merciful call to prayer—
you yourself are a mosque
with ten doors.

Make your mind your Mecca,
your body, the Ka’aba—
your Self itself
is the Supreme Master.

In the name of Allah, sacrifice
your anger, error, impurity—
chew up your senses,
become a patient man.

The lord of the Hindus and Turks*
is one and the same—
why become a mullah,
why become a sheikh?

Kabir says, brother,
I’ve got crazy—
quietly, quietly, like a thief,
my mind has slipped into the simple state.

*’Turk’ was commonly used for ‘Muslim’ in the time of Kabir Das.

Tr. Vinay Dharwadker

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.