Kabir doha · Choose Wisely · Level 2
करता था तो क्यों भया, अब करी क्यों पछताय।
बोया पेड़ बबूल का, तो आम कहाँ से लाय।
Karta tha to kyon bhaya, ab kari kyon pachhtay
Boya ped babool ka, to aam kahaan se laay
Boya ped babool ka means: if you plant a thorny babool tree, how can you expect mangoes? The full doha, which begins "karta tha to kyon bhaya", asks why we feel sorry afterwards for something we chose to do. For children, it is a gentle way to talk about thinking before acting.
Updated
A Little Kabir Song from Kabir for Kids, made for ages 5–9. Watch it together first, then read the meaning below.
Meaning in English
Why feel sorry now?
If you planted a thorny babool tree
how will sweet mangoes grow?
You get what you plant.
अर्थ (हिंदी में)
जब तुमने गलत काम किया तब क्यों नहीं सोचा? अब पछताने से क्या फ़ायदा? बबूल का पेड़ लगाओगे तो आम कैसे मिलेगा? जैसा करोगे वैसा पाओगे।
Kiaan grabs the last slice of mango before his sister can reach it.
That afternoon he asks to borrow her orange crayon. She hugs the box and says no. "That's not fair," he says. Then he thinks about the mango slice, and goes quiet.
The next morning, he saves her the biggest piece.
Keep it light. Let the child answer in their own words, draw it, or hum the line again.
Try this: Before reacting in a hard moment, practise one question together: "What am I planting right now?" It is short enough to remember when feelings are big.
Pair the doha with a real seed, or a picture of a babool tree beside a mango tree. Children can say the last line as a question, "to aam kahaan se laay?", with a shrug and open hands.
It means: if you plant a babool tree, which has thorns, you cannot expect mangoes from it. What we do comes back to us, so it helps to think before we act.
Karta tha to kyon bhaya, ab kari kyon pachhtay. Boya ped babool ka, to aam kahaan se laay. The wording varies a little between versions; many end with "aam kahaan se khaay".
Jab Kiya Tha Tab Na Socha. It is a child-friendly song inspired by this doha, with simpler words for young children.