Kabir doha · Be Patient · Level 2
धीरे-धीरे रे मना, धीरे सब कुछ होय।
माली सींचे सौ घड़ा, ऋतु आए फल होय।
Dheere dheere re mana, dheere sab kuch hoy
Maali seenche sau ghada, ritu aaye phal hoy
Dheere dheere re mana means: go slowly, O mind, everything happens in its own time. Kabir points to a gardener who can pour a hundred pots of water on a tree, yet the fruit still arrives only in its season. For children, it is a kind way to talk about practice, waiting and growing slowly.
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
Go slow, little heart, go slow.
Even if the gardener waters all day
the fruit comes when the season says so.
अर्थ (हिंदी में)
ओ मन, धीरज रखो। सब कुछ धीरे-धीरे होता है। माली चाहे सौ घड़े पानी डाले, फल तो तभी आएगा जब मौसम आएगा। इसलिए सब्र रखो।
Aarav plants a tamarind seed in a steel tumbler and checks it before school, after school and once more before bed. Nothing.
On the fourth morning he wants to dig it up to see what is wrong. His mother says, "Let's give it one more week."
On the ninth day a small green hook pushes through the soil, bent like a question mark.
Keep it light. Let the child answer in their own words, draw it, or hum the line again.
Try this: Plant a seed together, or draw a "patience plant" on paper and add one leaf each time your child keeps practising something that feels slow.
This doha suits a calm start to the day. Children can mime the gardener pouring water on "maali seenche sau ghada", then stand very still for "ritu aaye phal hoy", as if waiting for the fruit.
It means: be patient, O mind; everything happens slowly. Even if the gardener waters a hundred pots, the fruit comes only when its season arrives.
It means "fruit comes when the season comes". Ritu is season and phal is fruit. The line says that care and effort matter, but some things also need time.
It is traditionally credited to Kabir, the 15th-century poet-saint and weaver from Varanasi. His dohas were passed on by singers and storytellers for centuries, so small differences in wording are common.