Kabir doha · Look Within · Level 4
बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय।
जो मन खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय।
Bura jo dekhan main chala, bura na miliya koy
Jo man khoja aapna, mujhse bura na koy
Bura jo dekhan main chala means: I set out to find someone bad, and found nobody. When I searched my own heart, I found no one worse than me. Kabir is not asking children to think badly of themselves. He is asking them to look at their own actions first, before blaming others.
Updated
Meaning in English
I went looking for someone bad
but couldn't find anyone.
Then I looked inside myself
and found I was the one who needed fixing.
अर्थ (हिंदी में)
मैं दूसरों में बुराई ढूँढने निकला, लेकिन कोई बुरा नहीं मिला। जब अपने मन को खोजा, तो पाया कि मुझसे बुरा कोई नहीं। पहले अपने आप को सुधारो।
"He started it!" says Rohan, pointing at his sister across the broken toy.
"She pushed first!" says his sister, pointing back.
Papa asks them both one question: "What did you do?" There is a long silence. Then, very quietly, both of them start to answer.
Keep it light. Let the child answer in their own words, draw it, or hum the line again.
Try this: Try the "one finger, three fingers" trick: when you point at someone, three fingers point back at you. Use it gently, with a smile, when blame starts flying at home.
This is a Level 4 doha, best for older children. Point outwards on the first line, then turn the hand to your own heart on "jo man khoja aapna".
It means: I went looking for bad people and found none; when I looked into my own heart, I found no one worse than myself. Look at yourself before you judge others.
Not when it is framed gently. Kabir is not saying "you are bad". He is saying "look at your own actions first". For young children, the pointing-finger picture makes the idea feel like a discovery, not a scolding.
It is traditionally credited to Kabir, the 15th-century poet-saint and weaver from Varanasi. His dohas were sung and passed on by word of mouth for centuries before they were written down, so small differences in wording are common.