Kabir's Chadariya
The Fine Cloth of Ram's Name
Kabir's bhajan on the body as a fine cloth, dyed in Ram's name and returned unstained, with a reminder that life is brief.
Verses
When we were born, the world laughed and we wept. So live your life that when you depart, you may laugh and the world may weep.
Verse 1
The body is a delicate, fine cloth, steeped in the essence of the Lord’s name.
Verse 2
The eight-petaled lotus was made into the spinning wheel, and the five elements formed the thread. Nine or ten months were spent in weaving it, yet the foolish one has soiled this cloth. The body is a delicate, fine cloth…
Verse 3
When this cloth came home after being woven, it was handed over to the Dyer. Such a hue did the Dyer impart that He made it entirely red with love. The body is a delicate, fine cloth…
Verse 4
Wear this cloth without doubt or fear; it is given to you only for a few days. Foolish people, not knowing its secret, defile it day by day. The body is a delicate, fine cloth…
Verse 5
Dhruv, Prahlad, and Sudama wore this cloth; Shukadev kept it spotless. Servant Kabir wore it in such a way that he preserved it just as it was given – a cloth steeped in the essence of the Lord’s name, a delicate, fine cloth indeed.
Verse 6
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
Daily or auspicious lunar days (Ekadashi, Purnima, Pradosham)
Brahma Muhurta (4:00 AM – 6:00 AM) or Evening Dusk (Sandhya)
Ghee lamp (Deepa), Incense (Dhoopa), Fresh flowers & Water offering
- Peace of mind, spiritual upliftment, and harmonious energy in the home
Background
This bhajan is attributed to Kabir (15th century), the Bhakti-era weaver-poet who is honoured in the Kabir Panth and Sant Mat traditions as well as in Sikh devotional memory. Its image is the 'chadariya', a fine cloth that stands for the human body: a loom of eight lotuses, a spindle of the five elements, nine to ten months of weaving in the womb, and a dyer who is God. The closing couplet names Dhruva, Prahlada, Sudama and Shukadeva as those who wore the cloth without stain; their stories are told in the Bhagavata Purana (Dhruva at 4.8-4.12, Prahlada at 7.4-7.10, Sudama at 10.80-81). The pad 'Jhini jhini bini chadariya' circulates in several wordings (Kavitakosh carries one built on the Ida and Pingala channels); this page follows the version commonly sung as a bhajan, with the couplet 'Kabira jab hum paida hue', popularly credited to Kabir, placed before the refrain.
About this Text
Composed by: Sant Kabir · Medieval Nirguna Bhakti Poet-Saint · 15th century, Varanasi
A mystic poet and weaver by trade from Varanasi, whose blunt, image-rich couplets (dohas) rejected ritualism and caste distinctions in favor of direct, formless (nirguna) devotion. His verses are revered across Hindu, Sikh (many appear in the Guru Granth Sahib), and Sufi-influenced traditions alike.
Did You Know?
Metaphor of the body as a cloth
The 'chadariya' (thin cloth) represents the human body, which is woven from the eight lotuses (eightfold nature or chakras) and five elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether). The nine to ten months refer to the gestation period in the womb, and 'murkha (fool) made it dirty' means ignorance stains the body with worldliness.
The dyer as God
The verse about giving the cloth to the 'rangrez' (dyer) symbolizes surrendering the body to the divine. The dyer dyes it deep red, which stands for love, devotion, and the color of renunciation — the ultimate transformation through divine grace.
Saints who perfected the body
The bhajan lists Dhruv, Prahlad, Sudama, and Shukadeva as those who wore this cloth of the body without stain. Dhruv and Prahlad were steadfast devotees, Sudama had extreme poverty and devotion, and Shukadeva was a celibate sage. Kabir says he kept it exactly as given, implying he returned his body pure to God.
The opening couplet's meaning
'When I was born, the world laughed, I cried.' This couplet, popularly credited to Kabir, is sung here as a prelude to 'Chadariya'. It contrasts worldly joy at birth with the soul's sorrow at entering the cycle of birth and death. The goal is to live such that at death, the soul laughs and the world weeps — a life lived for the eternal.
Structure and refrain
The bhajan is built around the refrain 'Chadariya jhini re jhini, Ram naam ras bhini' (The cloth is very fine, soaked in the essence of Ram's name). This repetition emphasizes that constant remembrance of God keeps the body pure and light, like a fine fabric drenched in divine love.
Rama
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