RAAND, SAAND, SEEDI, SANYASI sums up the spiritual lifeblood of Varanasi or Banaras dealt with in acidic tongue and cheeky humour by the lightning wit of famed 15th century local weaver-poet Kabir, to whom this poem is often attributed. It goes “Raand, Saand, Seedi, Sanyasi, Inse Bacche to Sevai Kashi!” A rough translation is, “Widows, Bulls, Stairs, Saints, Save us from them so that we can reach Kashi!! (attain liberation)”
>RAAND – widows who were abandoned and left to seek their survival as prostitutes in the famous brothels of Kashi during the days of the yore– symbolises distraction of sexual pleasure
>SAAND – the Bulls of Kashi who roams freely and can injure you badly if you are not careful and come in their way - symbolizing uncharted and uncontrolled journeys of the five senses
> SEEDI – Flights of slippery steps leading to the River Ganga where you can fall and injure yourself badly if not careful – symbolising one has to be careful and alert so as to not deviate in this journey
> SANYASI – Fake Sadhus who sell phony spiritualism and exploit people – symbolising the ones who journeyed to Kashi, but got deviated in their journey.