Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 54 — devotion beside the Ganges
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: some people make their homes on the banks of the Ganges and drink its pure water.
Without loving devotion to the Lord, no one is set free. Kabir says this loud and clear.
Loving devotion to the One is what sets a person free, wherever they live.
The Ganges is a river held sacred by Hindus. Some people make their ghar, their home, gangaa teer, on its banks, and drink its nirmal neer, its pure water. Kabir speaks of this with respect.
His point is about the heart: bin har bhagat na mukat ho-ay, without loving devotion to the One, there is no freedom. The same is true of any outward practice in any faith. A holy place helps when the heart is loving too.
Think of living next to a library. Being close to the books does not make you a reader; opening them does.
Why can two people do the exact same ritual and only one of them be changed by it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI