u/A_Guava_Tree_ — reddlx

“निंदक नियरे राखिए, आंगन कुटी छवाय

बिन पानी, साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाय।”

Translation:-

Keep your critic close to you, give him a space in the courtyard of your heart. Because they help you to cleanse your nature (help you to see your inner contradictions), without water or soap.

My thoughts:-

This is a very powerful doha of kabir according to me. Because most of us wants to keep our critic (the person who criticizes me) away from us, because we think that "I" am right and "he" is wrong, which is a subtle form of ego if we see carefully.

We make -ve thought feelings emotions as our enemies and we don't want to look at them, maybe because they expose our inner contradictions.

Kabir says to give the critic a small place in the courtyard of your heart, as he is the one who is helping you (or making a situation) in which you have a chance to see your inner, the concept/formula you have hold onto. Even if his intention is not right, Atleast he is making an effort for you.

Most of us have painted, thought, feeling, emotions, regrets, and all the rest, as some sort of enemy (even if we don't explicitly say them as enemy, but still we have preconceived notion about them, by which we judge them). If we can actually listen to them (observe them), then maybe we will find something new about ourselves.