Verse 161 of 450
Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 103 — the strings have snapped
ਕਬੀਰ ਜੋ ਹਮ ਜੰਤੁ ਬਜਾਵਤੇ ਟੂਟਿ ਗਈਂ ਸਭ ਤਾਰ ॥
kabeer jo ham jant bajaavtay toot ga-eeN sabh taar.
Kabir, all the strings of the instrument I played are broken.
ਜੰਤੁ ਬਿਚਾਰਾ ਕਿਆ ਕਰੈ ਚਲੇ ਬਜਾਵਨਹਾਰ ॥੧੦੩॥
jant bichaaraa ki-aa karai chalay bajaavanhaar. ||103||
What can the poor instrument do, when the player has departed as well. ||103||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: the instrument I used to play has broken all its strings.
What can the poor instrument do, when the player has left too?
The body is an instrument; make good music while the player is here.
When a life ends, the body falls silent, like an instrument whose player has gone.
Jo ham jant bajaavtay: the instrument we used to play. The jant is the body, and its sabh taar, all its strings, are the breath and the senses.
Chalay bajaavanhaar: the player, the soul, has left. Without the player, the instrument cannot make a sound by itself. Kabir says this plainly and gently, as a reminder to make music while the player is here.
A Question to Sit With
What music do you want to make with your days?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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