Brother, I have seen some astonishing sights. A lion keeping watch over pasturing cows; a mother delivered after her son was; a guru prostrated before his disciple; fish spawning on treetops; a rooster is eating a cat; a gunny sack driving a bullock cart; a cat carrying away a dog; a tree with its branches in the earth and roots up in the sky, a tree with flowering roots. Says Kabir—this verse, if understood, is your key to the universe (lit. understanding the three worlds).
~ Kabir
Questioner: I have read this poem multiple times, and each reading bewilders me more and more. Kabir says that this is your key to the universe, if you can figure the verses out. Is Kabir Sahib talking about the different shades of Prakṛti (physical nature)? A guru prostrating before his disciple and a tree with flowering roots have left me totally blank. What is the meaning of this?
Acharya Prashant: No, it’s not the way the universe is; it’s the way we live. It’s a commentary on the ego. It’s the way our world runs, not the world. It’s the way the world of the ego runs, our world runs.
So, “
