Kabir poem - Sunta Hai Guru Gyani

सुनता है गुरु ज्ञानी, ज्ञानी, ज्ञानी गगन में आवाज हो रही है झीनी झीनी	suntā hai guru jñānī, jñānī, jñānī gagana mēṁ āvāja hō rahī hai jhīnī jhīnī
पहिले आये नाद बिंदु से पीछे जमया पानी हो जी सब घट पूरन पूर रहा है अलख पुरुष निर्वाणि हो जी ॥१॥	pahilē āyē nāda bindu sē pīchē jamayā pānī hō jī saba ghaṭa pūrana pūra rahā hai alakha puruṣ nirvāṇi hō jī.1.
वहां से आया पता लिखाया, तृष्णा तौने बुझाई .. अमृत छोडसो विषय को धावे उलटी फांस फसानी हो जी  ॥२॥	vahāṁ sē āyā patā likhāyā, tr̥ṣṇā ṭā'unē bujhā'ī.. Amr̥ta chōḍasō viṣaya kō dhāvē ulaṭī phānsa phasānī hō jī .2.
गगन मंडल में गौ भी आनी भोई पे दही जमाया माखन माखन  संतो ने खाया छाछ जगत बापरानी हो जी ॥३॥	gagana maṇḍala mēṁ gau bhī ānī bhō'ī pē dahī jamāyā mākhana mākhana santō nē khāyā chācha jagata bāparānī hō jī.3.
बिन धरती एक मंडल दीसे, बिन सरोवर जूं पानी रे गगन मंडल में होए उजियाला बोले गुरु-मुख बानी हो जी ॥४॥	bina dharatī ēka maṇḍala dīsē, bina sarōvara jūṁ pānī rē gagana maṇḍala mēṁ hō'ē ujiyālā bōlē guru-mukha bānī hō jī.4.
ओऽहं सोऽहं बाजा बाजे, त्रिकुटी धाम सुहानी रे इडा पिंगला शुषुम्न नाडि, सुनत भजन पहरानी हो जी  ॥५॥	Ō̕haṁ sō̕haṁ bājā bājē, trikuṭī dhāma suhānī rē iḍā piṅgalā Śuṣumna nāḍi, sunata bhajana paharānī hō jī .5.
कहत कबीरा सुनो भई साधो, जाई अगम के बानी रे.. दिन भर रे जो नज़र भर देखे, अजर अमर वो निशानी हो जी ॥६॥	kahata kabīrā sunō bha'ī sādhō, jā'ī agama kē bānī rē.. Dina bhara rē jō nazara bhara dēkhē, ajara amara vō niśānī hō jī.6.

Interpretation 

सुनता है गुरु ज्ञानी, ज्ञानी, ज्ञानी

गगन में आवाज हो रही है झीनी झीनी

The right student listens to the Guru’s instructions which are always present and he/she shall be guided by the Guru provided the student enters into that emptiness through stillness (here the sky is compared to that of emptiness or stillness). The Guru always speaks in Silence. Only when our minds chatter stops and when we enter into Silence we can hear the whisper of Guru or Cosmos.

पहिले आये नाद बिंदु से

पीछे जमया पानी हो जी

सब घट पूरन पूर रहा है

अलख पुरुष निर्वाणि हो जी ॥१॥

We all came from the naada bindu, i.e., the One and only avyakta (unmanifest) and took different forms.

The ONE which is ever present is called as Purusha which is Universal Awareness and Universal Consciousness. This is the unmanifested form of the Universe. This when gets expressed into manifested form is called as Prakruti which will have limited consciousness and hence called as unconscious. (The word consciousness here should not be considered as the word that we use in general forms that of related to mind.)

The Prakruti gets expressed into the Cosmos that we perceive and see. For this Prakruti to get expressed in various forms, it splits into three characteristics called as Triguna - Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. While the Rajas characteristic takes care of activity, the Tamas characteristic takes care of the inertia. The Sattwa characteristic takes care of the equilibrium of activity and inertia. Whatever we see, perceive and experience in this cosmos is a combination or recombination of these three characteristics.

While the three characteristics makes the framework for the manifestation of the cosmos, it is further manifested into 23 elements. The first is the Mahat tattwa which forms the basis for the Buddhi or Cosmic Intelligence. The Buddhi gives rise to Ahankara. Ahankara with the help of Sattwa characteristic expresses into the subtle substance of thoughts called as Mind, 5 organs of perception called Jnanendriyas, 5 organs of action called Karmendriyas. The same Ahankara with the help of Tamas characteristic expresses into the 5 gross elements called Pancha Bhutas and 5 subtle elements called Pancha Tanmatras. The Rajas characteristic provides energy for the evolution and existence of these 21 elements.

Since the most subtle part of these 21 elements is mind, the Saints advice to quieten the mind and prescribe various methods of practices. While the Yama, Niyama, Asana methods of practice reduce the effect of Rajas characteristic; the Pranayama, Pratyahara reduces the effect of Tamas Characteristc and makes the aspirant to look into its mind through Dharana. During the Dhyana the mind is perceived as something else. And, during Samadhi the mind is treated as nothing but a bundle of thoughts and is just a wave which is part of the ocean, hence is completely ignored. This rises to Atma Jnana where the aspirant (henceforth called as Spirit) clearly realizes that It (He/She) is not only different from Prakruti and also a part of it which was its temporary existence and is beyond the three characteristics or Triguna and goes beyond duality. Then Once the Spirit completely realizes the transitoriness and the impermanence of the manifested cosmos as only an expression of the Purusha or Unmanifested, It merges into That - rather is constantly in that Universal Awareness.

Everyone in reality is that absolute. We all are Full (pUrNaM). The individual who realizes this attains Nirvaana.

वहां से आया पता लिखाया,

तृष्णा तौने बुझाई ..

अमृत छोडसो विषय को धावे

उलटी फांस फसानी हो जी  ॥२॥

We all have come on to this earth with an address/destiny based upon our pre-conditioned thought processes (karma). The desire has made us to come on to earth or take birth. This desire has removed our knowledge of our true immortal nature (amrut) and deluded us to think that we are mortals and got entangled with all worldly activities. To attain back this knowledge of immortality we have to take our consciousness in the reverse way i.e., in upward direction instead of downward direction. Upwards from moolaadhaara to agna chakra instead of agnaa chakra to moolaadhaara. By doing so we can burn off the desire to take birth meaning we can get rid of conditioned thinking.

गगन मंडल में गौ भी आनी

भोई पे दही जमाया

माखन माखन  संतो ने खाया

छाछ जगत बापरानी हो जी ॥३॥

This verse is an explanation of Kriya Yoga. From various sources it is understood that Saint Kabir has practiced Kriya Yoga and Kechari. Up the palate which is in the form cow’s ear, practice Kechari and by doing so one can drink the eternal nectar that comes through this practice similar to other saints who keep drinking this nectar through practice of Kechari. By doing so one can be in the world but not of the world.  

बिन धरती एक मंडल दीसे,

बिन सरोवर जूं पानी रे

गगन मंडल में होए उजियाला

बोले गुरु-मुख बानी हो जी ॥४॥

Like many stellar spherical objects, earth is one among them similar to that of water in a lake. We all are nothing but a tiny speck among the infinite forms that are present in the Cosmos. Once we understand this limited nature of this physical body, we cannot get deluded further and get into the awareness of the transitory nature of the physical body. We can get into the awareness of our infinite nature by listening to the Guru’s words directly in meditation.

ओऽहं सोऽहं बाजा बाजे,

त्रिकुटी धाम सुहानी रे

इडा पिंगला शुषुम्न नाडि,

सुनत भजन पहरानी हो जी  ॥५॥

To understand or listen to Guru’s words, one has to practice pranayama repeatedly by keeping the attention on the forehead between the eyebrows (trikuta) or the ajna chakra which is the meeting point of the ida, pingala and sushumna nadis. By staying at trikuta while practicing hamsa or soham and going to the root of “Who am I?” one enters into the Stillness and can experience the Silence. Here one can also listen to the eternal naadam.

कहत कबीरा सुनो भई साधो,

जाई अगम के बानी रे..

दिन भर रे जो नज़र भर देखे,

अजर अमर वो निशानी हो जी ॥६॥

As Kabir I am saying this, please listen, understand and experience yourself this non-dual, ageless and immortal eternal Truth. All those who become aware of this eternal truth shall see this world as transient and attain the same ageless and immortal state.