Kabir in this poem mocks those desperately seeking the divine far and wide when all they need to do is look within in self realization:
DEEP IN THE WATER A THIRSTY FISH
( PANI BEECH MEEN PYASI)
It makes me laugh to think
That a fish in the water
Thirsts for a drink.
From forest to forest he sadly roams
In search of a jewel
Lying at home.
It makes me laugh to think
A musk-deer is seeking
The very fragrance
Which emanates from him.
Without knowledge of the Self
What use O pilgrim,
At Mathura or Kasi
To go looking for him?
It makes me laugh to think
That a fish in the water
Can thirst for a drink.
- The perfect pilgrim
Credit: The Met. New York
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