Pristine and pure as the enchanting lotus

Knowledge seems so deep and mysterious,
Unfailing remedy for anguish and sorrow
Beckoning us how to live than just earn a living,
Like a butterfly, beyond our grasp when pursued
Knowledge comes of its own sweet accord,
To dwell in the heart of Kabir, simple weaver
But befriends not the arrogant and proud scholar

The man of knowledge seeks not to outshine
But strives to shine deep in heart and mind,
Exalts not himself finding faults in others
But is humbled by his very want of knowledge,
Seeks not the approval and applause of the world
Ever content with a pure and unsullied conscience

Knowledge there is not in the halls of power
Where men gather to outwit each other,
Seek not knowledge at the feet of fake gurus
Eloquent in speech, but crooked in actions,
Look not for it in mere outward sacred garb
For many so attired have but ulterior motives,
And knowledge quickly flies from such pretence
Knowledge not revealed retreating from the world,
To torture body and mind with penance severe
While on sensual objects their thoughts still dwell

So often said that knowledge to be garnered
In the field of action, the battlefield of life itself,
In the crucible of life’s experiences and suffering
Where purged and molded by the Maker Himself,
Like crushed, hardened carbon fashioned to diamond
We are made worthy to receive the gift of knowledge,
Sublime, shinning and purifying as the holy Ganga
To destroy dense darkness of ignorance and fear.

CECIL RAMKIRATH
Bayonne, NJ, USA