7.6: Kabir’s public persecution

99. When evil-minded persons hear the praises given to the good, they have doubts arisen in their hearts; just as when the sun arises, owls become ashamed and go in hiding;

100. or as when thieves are intensely troubled when they see the moon arise; or as when a miser hears the great praise given to a donor his mind burns with malice;

101. or as when a prostitute becomes angry, as she hears praise given to a dutiful wife; or as when hearing from anyone an exposition of the vedanta, a heretic becomes irritated;

102. so, as soon as Kabir’s high reputation spread, revilers sought to find some fault in him. These evil-minded persons then met together in private and discussed the matter,

103. ‘Through the unusual service rendered by the bhakta Kabir to saints, his reputation has vastly increased. But he killed his own son with his own hand, and the saints raised him to life.

104. From that day everyone bows to him. So now unknown to Kabir, let us bring here a company of saints and good men.

105. Let us write letters to them, and some day bring a company of Vaishnavas here. When Kabir sees with his own eyes the great number of saints, he will run away.

106. If a very great gathering of these saints should once take place, Kabir would become disgusted with them. Then the saints will curse him and no blame will be attached to us.

107. Starting a quarrel between the demons and the gods, the son of Brahmadev [Brahmadeva] (Narad [Narada]) watched the fun; or as having started a fight between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Shakuni watched them from a distance;

108. so let us invite a vast number of saints, and dishonour the bhakta Kabir.’ Such was the plan which these evil-minded persons formed at that time.

109. Writing letters in the name of Kabir, they sent them to Hardwar, Mathura, Gokul [Gokula] and Vrindavan [Vrindavana], and to the city of Dwarka as well.

110. All the Vaishnavas were invited to come on a certain day in a certain month. They also sent messengers, inviting all the mendicants who lived in the sacred cities.

111. They decided among themselves not to let Kabir know of this. If these saints came unawares, what would he do?

112. If there should be a great gathering of a hundred thousand or more on some special date, who was there so foremost in doing good that he would provide them all with food?

113. So they spent their own money in inviting these Vaishnavas. The evil men arranged for Kabir’s discomfiture, that they might bring out his faults.

114. Just as Duryodhan [Duryodhana] endangered his merit and sent the yogi Durvas to the Pandavas, so, with evil thoughts in their mind, these people invited an innumerable number of saints.