Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 68 — the fly that skips the sandalwood
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: the one stuck in wrongdoing does not like loving devotion; worship of the Lord does not please them.
Like a fly, they leave the sweet sandalwood and go wherever the bad smell is.
A mind caught in wrongdoing turns away from the sweet and goes looking for the rotten.
The paapee is someone caught up in doing wrong. To them bhagat na bhaav-ee, loving devotion holds no appeal, and har poojaa na suhaa-ay, worship of the One feels dull.
Kabir's picture: maakhee chandan parharai, the fly leaves the sandalwood, one of the sweetest-smelling woods there is, and jah bigandh tah jaa-ay, goes wherever the stink is. Every mind has a little of that fly in it.
Think of a perfect picnic, and a fly that heads straight for the trash can.
What good thing right in front of you do you sometimes fly past?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI