Verse 136 of 450
Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 78 — held close by a holy one
ਕਬੀਰ ਜਮ ਕਾ ਠੇਂਗਾ ਬੁਰਾ ਹੈ ਓਹੁ ਨਹੀ ਸਹਿਆ ਜਾਇ ॥
kabeer jam kaa thayNgaa buraa hai oh nahee sahi-aa jaa-ay.
Kabir, Death's club is terrible; it cannot be endured.
ਏਕੁ ਜੁ ਸਾਧੂ ਮੋੁਹਿ ਮਿਲਿਓ ਤਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹਿ ਲੀਆ ਅੰਚਲਿ ਲਾਇ ॥੭੮॥
ayk jo saaDhoo mohi mili-o tiniH lee-aa anchal laa-ay. ||78||
I have met with the holy man; he has attached me to the hem of his robe. ||78||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: the club of death is a terrible thing. No one can bear its blow.
But I have met one holy person, and he has held me close, tucked into the hem of his robe.
The fear of death is heavy, and the holy one's embrace is the shelter.
Death is frightening, and the shelter from that fear is a holy person who holds you close.
Jam kaa means "of death": in old pictures, death carries a club. Kabir does not pretend this is easy. He says nahee sahi-aa jaa-ay: it cannot be borne.
Then comes the turn. He met a saadhoo, a holy one, who took him anchal laa-ay, tucked into the edge of his robe, the way a parent pulls a small child close under a shawl.
A Question to Sit With
Who or what helps you feel held when you are afraid?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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