Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 131 — the pot that leaves soot on your hands
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: do not keep company with those who have turned away from the One. Run far away from them.
If you touch a pot black with soot, some of the soot will stick to you.
The company we keep rubs off on us, like soot from a blackened pot.
A saakat is a person who has turned away from the One and lives only for themselves. Saakat sang na keejee-ai: do not keep that company. Dooreh jaa-ee-ai bhaag: run far away.
Baasan kaaro parsee-ai: touch a black pot, and kachh laagai daag, some stain sticks. Even good people pick up habits from those around them. The warning is about the pull of company, not about looking down on anyone.
How do the people around you change your mood and your choices?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI