Kabir doha · Choose Wisely · Level 3
निंदक नियरे राखिये, आँगन कुटी छवाय।
बिन पानी साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाय।
Nindak niyare rakhiye, aangan kuti chhavaay
Bin paani sabun bina, nirmal kare subhaay
Nindak niyare rakhiye means: keep the person who points out your faults close to you. Kabir says such a person cleans your nature without water or soap. For children, it is a gentle way to see that honest feedback, given kindly, helps them grow, and that it is different from being teased.
Updated
Meaning in English
Keep your critic close by —
build them a little hut in your yard!
Without water or soap
they clean you up from the inside.
अर्थ (हिंदी में)
जो तुम्हारी बुराई करता है, उसे अपने पास रखो। वो बिना पानी और साबुन के तुम्हारा स्वभाव साफ़ कर देता है। जो तुम्हें टोकता है, वो तुम्हें बेहतर बनाता है।
This doha is also one of the eight in the chapter Kabir ke Dohe in NCERT's Class 8 Hindi textbook, Malhar.
Meher shows her drawing of a peacock to her older cousin. "The feathers are lovely," he says, "but his legs are so thin he'd fall over."
Meher frowns and walks away.
Ten minutes later she is back with a thicker pencil, giving the peacock sturdy, slightly funny legs. It is the first drawing she pins on the wall.
Keep it light. Let the child answer in their own words, draw it, or hum the line again.
Try this: Play "two stars and a wish": after a drawing or a story, share two things you like and one small wish for next time. Then let your child do the same for a grown-up's work.
The word "nindak" can sound harsh to young children, so introduce it as "the friend who tells you the truth". When reciting, pause after "aangan kuti chhavaay" and let the smile arrive on "bin paani saabun bina", a line children usually find funny.
It means: keep your critic close, even build them a hut in your courtyard. Without water or soap, their honest words clean your nature.
A nindak is someone who criticises or points out faults. Kabir is not asking us to keep unkind people close. He means people whose honest words help us see ourselves clearly.
Yes. It is one of the eight dohas in the chapter Kabir ke Dohe in NCERT's Class 8 Hindi textbook, Malhar.