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THE SECRET WORD
O how may I ever express that secret word, O God?
O how can I say You are not like this, and You are like that?
If I say that You are within me, the universe is ashamed;
If I say that You are without me, it is falsehood.
You make the inner and the outer worlds to be indivisibly one.
Where are the words to tell truly who You are?
WHO ARE YOU?
We rejoice, O God, that:
You are in us, and we are in You,
Each being distinct, yet ever united.
You are the tree, the seed, and the cell;
You are the flower, the fruit, and the shade;
You are the sun, the light, and the lighted;
You are the manifold form of infinite space;
You are the breath, the word, and the meaning;
You are the limit and the limitless.
You are the Immanent Mind in us;
You are the Supreme Soul within the soul.
Blessed are all who see You.
Kabir (1398 or 1448) was a mystic poet in India whose work remains in many sacred texts. His philosophy synthesized Hindu and Muslim concepts and promoted egalitarianism. He was one of the major inspirations to Sikhism.
