Kabir doha · Speak Kindly · Level 1
कागा काको धन हरे, कोयल काको देय।
मीठे वचन सुना के, जग अपना कर लेय।
Kaaga kaako dhan hare, koyal kaako dey
Meethe vachan suna ke, jag apna kar ley
Kaaga kaako dhan hare means: whose wealth does the crow steal, and what does the koel give anyone? Yet people shoo the crow away and love the koel, only because of how each one sounds. Kabir says sweet words can win the whole world. For children, it shows that how we speak changes how people feel.
Updated
Meaning in English
The crow steals nothing
but no one likes it.
The cuckoo gives nothing
but everyone loves its sweet song.
It's all about how you speak.
अर्थ (हिंदी में)
कौआ किसी का धन नहीं चुराता, फिर भी कोई उसे पसंद नहीं करता। कोयल किसी को कुछ नहीं देती, फिर भी सबको प्यारी लगती है। यह फ़र्क़ है बोली का।
Two children need the school watchman's help: their ball has gone over the wall.
The first shouts, "Give it back! It's ours!" The watchman frowns and keeps reading his newspaper.
The second walks up and says, "Uncle, our ball went over. Could you please help us?" He folds the paper and goes to fetch it.
Keep it light. Let the child answer in their own words, draw it, or hum the line again.
Try this: Play "crow voice, koel voice": say an everyday sentence, like "pass the water", first in a grumpy crow voice and then in a gentle koel voice. Talk about which one makes you want to help.
Let children caw like crows on "kaaga kaako dhan hare" and sing a soft "koo-oo" on "koyal kaako dey". It always gets a laugh, and the last line lands better after it.
It means: the crow takes no one's wealth and the koel gives no one anything, yet people love the koel and chase the crow away. Sweet words win the world.
Both are ordinary birds that take nothing and give nothing. The only difference people notice is their voice: the crow's caw is harsh and the koel's song is sweet. Kabir uses this to show the power of how we speak.
Yes. Kauwa Aur Koyal is a Little Kabir Song inspired by this doha, with simpler words for young children.