Last week, I posted 6 highly inspiring Dohas by Sant Kabir Ji. In this sequel, I have 6 more of those awesome couplets — your go-to literature for a quick ‘pick-me-up’! 🙂
Every 2-liner is a powerhouse of inspiration in the form of Spirituality, mysticism, habits, daily life, education, human behaviour etc. Have compiled my most favourite and diverse ones for you. Please feel free to add more in the comments below / correct me if I am wrong with any of the explanations / add your version or understanding to the Dohas. Would love to read them!
Quick Reference: 6 Inspiring Dohas in This Post
- Jab tu aaya jagat mein — On the life you want to leave behind
- Chandan jaisa sadhu hai — On being the sandalwood, not the snake
- Dheere dheere re mana — On patience and trusting the process
- Kabira dheeraj ke dhare — The elephant vs the dog on patience
- Mala toh kar kein fire — On focus and not letting distractions win
- Prem gali ati sankari — On love, ego and the narrow path
6 Powerful Kabir Dohas With Meaning in English
1. Jab Tu Aaya Jagat Mein — How Do You Want to Be Remembered?
जब तू आया जगत में, लोग हँसे तू रोये
ऐसी करनी न करि, पाछे हँसे सब कोये
Jab tu aaya jagat mein, log hanse tu roye
Aise karni na kari, pachhe hanse sab koye
Translation: People rejoiced while you were crying at your birth. Don’t live a life that makes people laugh and heave a sigh of relief when you die.
I so much love these lines. So so highly relevant in every era & time. And applicable to each one of us, irrespective of the walk of life we come from. If you look at your life like a movie in flashback – how would you want the picture to be? Are you leaving behind disappointment and sadness with your Karma? Are you leaving behind people who will be glad that you are no more?
Have you read Uncle Scrooge’s story? If not – Google it now!
It is only one beautiful simple life that we get. Let us leave a mark, create our own little ding in the universe, leave behind a name and a legacy that is irreplaceable. Let us leave behind people who are in our debt for whatever we do for them. Let us leave behind a world that is a little better because of our presence; or at least make someone else’s world a little better with our presence.
Kabir Doha 7 — On the Legacy You Leave
Every birth is a celebration. Very few deaths are. Don’t let your death be a happy celebration. Be a martyr. Be a hero. Be someone people look up to – even if they laugh at (applicable to comedians :)).
📌 What This Doha Teaches: You arrived crying while the world celebrated. Earn the reverse ending.
2. Chandan Jaisa Sadhu Hai — The Sandalwood and the Snake (Chandan Doha)
चंदन जैसा साधु है, सर्प ही सब संसार
ताके अंग लिपटा रहे, मन में नहीं विकार
Chandan Jaisa Sadhu Hai Sarp Hi Sab Sansar
Taake Ang Lapta Rahe Mana Me Nahi Vikar
Translation: A good person is like a sandalwood tree and the world is like a snake. Even if the poisonous snake wraps itself around the tree, the sandalwood doesn’t become poisonous.
Like that sandalwood tree, imbibe only that which is good for you.
Let me use an analogy which Harry Potter fans will identify very much with. In the fiction series, there is a metal called the Goblin Silver. Its magical properties include the ability to only imbibe those chemicals which strengthen it and repel everything else. Do you have that sort of a property imbibed in you? Like the Sword of Gryffindor & the sandalwood tree?
Kabir Doha 8 — Be the Sandalwood, Not the Snake
There will be a lot of poisonous snakes around. A learned person, a good human being – won’t get affected by its poison. Have that strong filter in you – to not let any and every garbage seep in. Do not lose your fragrance and purity to your nearby reference points. Imbibe only that which makes you better – is what Sant Kabir says here.
So very apt. And beautiful.
📌 What This Doha Teaches: The environment doesn’t have to define you. Be the sandalwood. Stay fragrant.
3. Dheere Dheere Re Mana — On Patience (With Meaning in English)
धीरे-धीरे रे मना, धीरे सब कुछ होय
माली सींचे सौ घड़ा, ऋतु आए फल होय
Dheere Dheere Re Mana, Dheere Sub Kutch Hoye
Mali Seenche So Ghara, Ritu Aaye Phal Hoye
Translation: Slowly tread, O Mind! For everything happens in its own pace, no matter what you do. Even if the gardener waters the plants with 100 buckets, the fruits come only when the right season comes.
P.S – no fun in hybrid ones 😉
Kind of like – if you hurry, you still won’t get nine babies in one month. That is not earthly possible. The same with our lives. Hurry leads to chaos and worry. It distracts and divides our attention to detail and sets loose the beast of carelessness and wastefulness.
Kabir Doha 9 — Dheere Dheere Re Mana
This doha talks about the virtue and value of patience. Trust me – it sounds easy. But in practice, inculcating patience is a very difficult task. What is important is – we keep making efforts that keep adding up while we move towards our big bang impact!
Sometimes it may so happen that your destination is just around the corner but you will need detours or take time to reach there. That is when your patience will get tested most. Try not to fail when you have come so far and specially because you are so near. A little more perseverance, is all it takes. And do not worry about others reaching first. It is your and your own journey. Your virtues, your values, your patience, your accumulation of efforts and your ultimate, on the right time success.
📌 What This Doha Teaches: Season your ambition with patience. The fruit comes when the season is right — not when you are ready.
4. Kabira Dheeraj Ke Dhare — The Elephant and the Dog
कबिरा धीरज के धरे, हाथी मन भर खाय
टुक-टुक बेकार में, स्वान घरे-घर जाय
Kabira Dheeraj Ke Dhare Haathi Man Bhar Khaaye
Tuk Tuk Bekar Me Svan Ghare Ghar Jaaye
Translation: The patient elephant eats his meals properly. The impatient dog keeps roaming from door to door.
This one explains the previous doha in a much better light. With our impatience, we also while away our peace of mind. While the elephant patiently eats its food, it not only eats to its heart’s content but also derives more nutrition from the food. On the other hand, a stray dog eats whatever it finds in a hurry. And it tries to eat at every doorstep; never finding contentment.
Kabir Doha 10 — The Elephant and the Dog
Same with our lives. We want everything and we want it now. And in this process of wanting everything now, we never wait to relish what we have now. We lose out on the swaad of life in the slow, beautiful things because we are too busy picking up the attractively useless chaskas of life.
Who do you want to be like – the elephant or the dog?
📌 What This Doha Teaches: Patience isn’t just a virtue — it’s a strategy. The elephant eats well. The dog goes hungry.
5. Mala Toh Kar Kein Fire — On Focus and Defeating Distraction
माला तो कर में फिरे, जीभ फिरे मुख माँहि
मनवा तो चहुँ दिशि फिरे, यह तो सुमिरन नाहिं
Mala toh kar kein fire, jibh fire mukh maahi
Manwa toh chahu dishe fire, yeh toh sumiran nahi
Translation: Your rosary beads move in your hands and the tongue makes the prayer. But your mind wanders all around the world. What kind of prayer is this?
Kabir Doha 11 — On Focus and Eliminating Distraction
I smile every time I read this. Reminds me of me. But I am improving! Are you trying?
This doha talks about concentrating on the task at hand. It may not necessarily be about praying with all your heart. The atheists could see it in light of their own goals in life. Think about it. Are you letting your temptations distract you?
If you are doing something, do it well. With all your heart and soul. Don’t just master the mechanics. Master your emotions behind them too. There is no use of the rosary beads moving incessantly in your hands and you making prayers if your surrender to the Lord is not whole-hearted, your love for Him infinite. If you let your mind wander around, you might as well give up.
Don’t let your temptations and distractions get the better of you. Remember – what doesn’t take you towards your goals, takes you away from them. It is that simple, it is that easy. Slowly eliminate your distractions and add beauty and simplicity to your life.
Do what you do like no one else can do it better than you.
📌 What This Doha Teaches: Going through the motions is not the same as being present. Do it fully or don’t do it at all.
6. Prem Gali Ati Sankari — On Love, Ego and the Narrow Path
प्रेम गली अति साँकरी, तामें दोउ न समाय
जब मैं था तब हरि नहीं, अब हरि हैं मैं नाहिं
Prem gali ati sankari, tamein dou na samai
Jab mein tha tab hari nahi, ab hari hai mein naahi
Translation: The pathways of love are very narrow. Two people won’t fit in. When I found myself on the path, my beloved God wasn’t there. And when I found HIM, I wasn’t there.
This one always makes me smile 🙂
Devotion, I find to be – a very pious, peaceful, serene and beautiful thing. To those who seek the Almighty and believe in Him, this doha has possibly the most beautiful connotation ever.
It refers to finding God within you and realizing that you and He are not separate. And if you treat Him like a separate entity, you will find yourself standing very much alone on your roads. It is about merging the concepts of separate entities to realize that your God and you are not different.
I kind of think it is applicable to every kind of love. If you walk on the roads of love with your ego beside you – you will never reach that blissful point that you seek. Either you can keep your ego, or you can keep your love and relationship. Neither can live while the other survives. Considering your most loved ones as an inseparable part of you – is the stepping stone of any great relationship!
Kabir Doha 12 — Love vs Ego. Only One Can Stay.
📌 What This Doha Teaches: The path of love is one-lane. Ego doesn’t fit. Choose one and walk fully.
Best Kabir Dohas from Part II — For School Assembly
Teachers and students — here are the three most impactful and inspiring dohas from this post for morning assembly, with their core lesson in one line:
- Jab tu aaya jagat mein… — On leaving a legacy worth celebrating. Powerful for any age.
- Dheere dheere re mana… — On patience and trusting your process. Perfect for exam seasons.
- Mala toh kar kein fire… — On focus and not going through the motions. Hits hard for students distracted by phones.
I am sure I would have missed many better ones. Do let me know your favourites so that other people can get more of Kabira’s insights and grow 🙂
The world is always a better place when there is more knowledge around, more wisdom to share and learn from. Do share this with your friends if you believe it would add any value to ease the complications of the lives we live these days.
P.S — The first part of this post: Inspiring Dohas by Sant Kabir — Part I can be read here.
Also explore Best Motivational Hindi Poems and Inspirational Shayaris — more poetry that hits as hard as Kabir Ji.
Best wishes
FAQ: Inspiring Kabir Dohas Part II — Questions Answered
What is the meaning of “Dheere Dheere Re Mana” doha in English?
“Dheere Dheere Re Mana, Dheere Sub Kutch Hoye” means: go slowly, O Mind — for everything happens in its own time. Even if the gardener waters the plant with a hundred buckets, the fruit only comes when the right season arrives. The doha teaches patience — not passive waiting, but active effort without the anxiety of premature results. You cannot rush nine babies into one month, and you cannot rush your goals either.
What is the meaning of the Chandan Doha (Chandan Jaisa Sadhu Hai)?
“Chandan Jaisa Sadhu Hai Sarp Hi Sab Sansar” means: a good person is like the sandalwood tree, and the world is like a snake. Even when the poisonous snake wraps itself around the tree, the sandalwood does not become poisonous — it stays fragrant. Kabir’s message: your environment does not have to define you. Imbibe only what strengthens you. Let everything else slide off.
What does “Prem Gali Ati Sankari” mean?
“Prem Gali Ati Sankari, Tamein Dou Na Samai” means: the path of love is very narrow — two cannot walk it together. When the ego is present, God (or the beloved) is not. When God is present, the ego has dissolved. Kabir applies this to both devotion and human relationships: ego and love cannot coexist. Either you walk with ego, or you walk with love. The lane is too narrow for both.
What is the difference between the elephant and dog doha by Kabir?
“Kabira Dheeraj Ke Dhare Haathi Man Bhar Khaaye” compares the patient elephant who eats properly and with contentment to the restless dog who roams door to door, eating scraps in a hurry. The doha teaches that impatience doesn’t just delay results — it steals your peace of mind and your ability to enjoy what you already have.
What is the Mala doha by Kabir about?
“Mala Toh Kar Kein Fire, Jibh Fire Mukh Maahi” is about the futility of going through the motions without genuine presence. The rosary moves, the tongue prays — but the mind is wandering elsewhere. This is not devotion; it is performance. Kabir’s lesson applies beyond prayer to any meaningful work: do it fully and with your whole heart, or the mechanics are meaningless.
How are Kabir’s dohas useful for students?
Kabir’s dohas are exceptionally useful for students because each one compresses a complete life lesson into two lines — easy to memorize, hard to forget. For students: “Dheere Dheere Re Mana” teaches patience through exam pressure and long preparation cycles. “Mala Toh Kar Kein Fire” teaches full focus vs. distracted studying. “Jab Tu Aaya Jagat Mein” plants the seed of legacy thinking early. All three are included in the school assembly section above.
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