- ਕਬੀਰ ਚਾਵਲ ਕਾਰਣੇ ਤੁਖ ਕਉ ਮੁਹਲੀ ਲਾਇ ॥ ਸੰਗਿ ਕੁਸੰਗੀ ਬੈਸਤੇ ਤਬ ਪੂਛੇ ਧਰਮ ਰਾਇ ॥੨॥: Kabeer chaaval kaarane tukh kaou muhalee laai. Sang kusangee baisate tab poochhe Dharam Raai ||2|| (sggs 965 and 1375).
Through the example (ਮਿਸਾਲ) of the rice and the husk, the foregoing two verses make the following (if not more!) very important points.
- In the process of separating the rice and the husk, the rice is beaten with mallet to get rid of the the husk. As the rice is beaten, the husk also gets beaten along with the rice. Similarly, the Gurbani tells us, if we stick (keep, join, etc.) with a bad association (ਕੁਸੰਗ, ਵਿਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਦੀ ਸੁਹਬਤਿ, ਸਾਕਤ ਸੰਗ, etc.) we also get threshed along with the bad company we keep. For, we also become Bikaaree – we also do evil. As the expression goes, “we are the company we keep!”
- If rice is likened to “life” and husk is likened to “Maya”, we must remove the husk of Maya from the rice of the life. In other words, through discriminative self-analysis (the proper use of the Viveka-Budhi) and the Inner Inquiry (Vichaar, Reflection, etc.), we can separate the True Self (Originality, True Nature, True Essence, Joti-Svaroopa, etc.) within from the body-senses-mind-intellect personality as one separates the rice from the husk.
- Removal of the husk of Maya from the rice of the life will not come easy! It demands sincere efforts (ਉਦੱਮ).