Verse 138 of 450
Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 80 — one boat ride on the river
ਕਬੀਰ ਨਉਬਤਿ ਆਪਨੀ ਦਿਨ ਦਸ ਲੇਹੁ ਬਜਾਇ ॥
kabeer na-ubat aapnee din das layho bajaa-ay.
Kabir, take your drum and beat it for ten days.
ਨਦੀ ਨਾਵ ਸੰਜੋਗ ਜਿਉ ਬਹੁਰਿ ਨ ਮਿਲਹੈ ਆਇ ॥੮੦॥
nadee naav sanjog ji-o bahur na milhai aa-ay. ||80||
Life is like people meeting on a boat on a river; they shall not meet again. ||80||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: beat your drum while you can. Your turn lasts only ten days.
Life is like people meeting in a boat on a river. Once the ride is over, they will not meet again.
The people in your boat are with you for this one crossing.
Our time together here is short, like one boat ride shared with others.
The naubat is the big drum kings had beaten to announce their rule. Kabir says: beat it for din das, ten days. Ten days is a way of saying "a short while."
Then the picture: nadee naav sanjog, a meeting on a river boat. People sit together for one crossing, then step off on different shores, and bahur na milhai, they do not meet again. The people beside us now are with us for this crossing.
A Question to Sit With
Who is in your boat right now?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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