Religion, at its highest, is meant to transform the human being. It should dissolve ego, purify desire, awaken compassion, and lead the seeker toward truth. Yet across history, Kabir and Yogi Vemana observed a painful reality: • People perform rituals, but remain unchanged. • Temples and scriptures multiply, but greed and hatred persist. • Religion becomes identity, not inquiry. Both poets lived in societies overflowing with outward religiosity: • temples filled with worship • priests reciting sacred texts • pilgrims traveling to holy rivers • caste pride masquerading as holiness And both ask the same question: Where is the inner awakening? Their critique is not against devotion. It is against empty devotion. Not against worship. But against worship without understanding.