Kabir and His Daughter

Kabir used to conduct satsang in his house in Varanasi. If you go to
Kabir Tola you can see it. I have also been there. It’s a beautiful old
place. He spent his whole life there, praying for the good of everyone.
He held satsang in his house every morning at four o’clock.
Sometimes he would go out and people would follow him.

One day his seven-year-old daughter, Kamali asked him, “Papa, so
many people come here. Six hundred people every day. What do they
come for?”

“For freedom. They come for freedom.”

“I don’t believe it, Papa,” she said. “I don’t believe it. So many people
collected together, and you say they want enlightenment? It has not
happened so far, Papa. You may be confused. You are surely wasting
your time.”

“No, no, no, no,” says Kabir. “Why should so many people come here
every day at four o’clock in the morning and stay until night? They get
up very early, go to the Ganga for a bath, and then come to your father.
Why should they go to all this trouble unless they want freedom?”

“No, no, Papa. There is something wrong. I don’t see it in their faces.
Their faces are no good, Papa. You do not know. You are too simple.
You are too simple, Papa. You are old. There may be something wrong
with your eyes. You cannot see their faces.”
Kabir didn’t believe her.

So this girl, she was very mischievous. She was only seven years old.
The next day at four o’clock sharp, while her father was inside the
house singing bhajans, she stood outside in front of the door with a
coconut chopper in her hand and a big log of wood at her feet.

As each person came, she announced, “Today my father has decided
to give freedom to everybody because he is now old and there may
be only a satsang or two left in his destiny. So he has decided to
interview everyone first and only have satsang with those who are
approved.

“So will you please come and lie down here with your head on this log
of wood. My knife is very sharp. I have been sharpening it the whole
night. You will not feel any pain.

“You simply lie down here, and I will remove your head with a single
stroke and take it to my father. If he approves, then you can come in
for satsang.

“So come along now, make a queue. It’s getting late. My Papa is
waiting,”

But when they heard her, they called and said things like, “Oh, no, no,
no, no. We just came because we are about to arrange the alliance of
our daughter. The boy’s side will come at six o’clock. We only came
here for Kabir’s blessing so that we may be successful. The boy is
very good. No, no, it’s all right. We need not see your Papa today. It
doesn’t matter. We’ll salute him from here.”

And another one said, “That’s all right. We are going to court today.
We only wanted his blessings for a settlement in our favor. We can
come back some other time.”

And another one said, “My wife is sick. I only came for his blessing.
I’ll just touch the gate. That will be enough, I’m sure.”

And another said, “My son has to appear for an examination. He wants
a blessing so that he may pass. It doesn’t matter. We need not see
your father today.”

Another said, “My son wants to get appointed to a certain job. We
wanted Saint Kabir’s blessing so that he might get it. It’s all right. We’ll
come back later.”

So, like this, everybody comes, gives his story and says, “It doesn’t
matter. One day missing doesn’t matter. We’ll come tomorrow.” And
then they go away.

So everyone explained his reason and left. No one remained.
Kabir had been waiting inside all this time.

Finally, he came out and saw his daughter standing there with the
chopper in her hand. “No one has come?” he asked.

“No, no, Papa. I told you. Nobody comes for freedom. No one will
come hereafter. No one will come because I have tested them.”
“What did you do?” Kabir asked. “You must have done some
mischief.”

“No, no, Papa,” said Kamali. I told you nobody comes for freedom. I
tested them. I told them that I would first remove their heads and
bring them to you for approval. If you said they were worthy of
satsang, you would call them in.

“Look, Papa. This chopper is only made out of a banana trunk. Even
if I had used it, it would only bend. It cannot kill a man.

“But nobody agreed, Papa. Everybody turned away, telling me
different stories. So many things they said. But no one came for
satsang.

“And you said everyone comes for enlightenment, Father. Don’t
waste time!”

This is satsang.

What does it mean? This seven-year-old girl is teaching a big lesson.
She was enlightened at only seven. There are many other stories
about her mischief.

Cutting off the head means when you attend satsang, you must leave
your head outside. Neither you nor your Teacher bring their heads
into satsang.

That means leave your concepts, your notions, your vain
argumentation outside. Don’t argue. Simply listen to the teaching,
that’s all.

That’s what she meant. Don’t bring your head to satsang. Satsang
has got nothing to do with your head. It means only heart. Open the
heart.

One word is uttered now, one word. Where has it to land? Where
does it enter?

Just here. In the heart.

Allow it to enter from where it comes.