Book Reviews,  Rupa Publishers

Book Review: The Vision of Wisdom- Kabir by Chandan Sinha

The Vision of Wisdom: Kabir (Selected Sakhis)
Translator: Chandan Sinha
Publisher: Rupa Publication
Rating: 4.5/5

I have always been fascinated by the idea of small verses that often project a stark reality that we fail to notice while living this chaotic life. Some time back, I had got a chance to read Looking Within: Life Lessons by Lal Ded. I was thrilled to read such a beautiful book and now I got a chance to read the selected (also translated) sakhis by Kabir. It was such a quaint experience reading these short musings that store so much wisdom and learning.

The Vision of Wisdom neatly translates the emotion and the purpose of the sakhis and presents a simpler version for every reader to understand better. Right from the sakhis based on a teacher, God and sins to love for self, dualism and the virtues that define humble living- all these themes have been covered in this translated work. The effort that the translator has put to keep the real essence of Kabir’s work alive is praiseworthy. Such books have a lingering scent of freshness as they never get old and can be read at leisure.

I generally refrain from quoting lines from any book as that adds to the spoilers but I am quite tempted to quote a few sakhis here because they do not seem to leave my mind:

To whom should I bow, my Guru or the Lord?
I bow to you, O Guru, for you have shown me God.

I can’t find even one to whom I could bare my heart;
Whoever I bare my heart to seems to stab it with a dart.

The three worlds make up a cage, sin and good deeds a net.
All creatures are merely prey: the solitary hunter- Death.

Go for it! It will have a soothing effect on your mind and heart.

Buying link: Amazon

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