Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 57 — the love that erases labels
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: the turmeric loses its yellow, and no trace of the lime's white is left.
I give my whole self to this love, which takes away caste, social class and family name.
Love for the One takes away every label of caste, class and family.
Hardee peertan harai, the turmeric's yellow is gone. Choon chihan na rahaa-ay, no sign of the lime is left. The two have become one new color.
Balihaaree ih preet ka-o, I give myself to this love, jih jaat baran kul jaa-ay, by which jaat, caste, baran, social group, and kul, family line, all fall away. This is one of the clearest statements in the Guru Granth Sahib that every person has the same dignity.
Think of a choir. When everyone sings together, no one asks whose family is grander. There is only the song.
How would the world look if the labels that divide people fell away?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI