Verse 224 of 450
Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 166 — family honor at the cremation ground
ਕਬੀਰ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਕੇ ਦੋਖੇ ਮੂਆ ਚਾਲਤ ਕੁਲ ਕੀ ਕਾਨਿ ॥
kabeer dunee-aa kay dokhay moo-aa chaalat kul kee kaan.
Kabir, the mortal dies of his worldly troubles and pain, after worrying about his family.
ਤਬ ਕੁਲੁ ਕਿਸ ਕਾ ਲਾਜਸੀ ਜਬ ਲੇ ਧਰਹਿ ਮਸਾਨਿ ॥੧੬੬॥
tab kul kis kaa laajsee jab lay Dhareh masaan. ||166||
Whose family is dishonored, when he is placed on the funeral pyre? ||166||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: people wear themselves out with the world's troubles, worrying about the family's good name.
Whose family is shamed, then, when they lay you down at the cremation ground?
Family pride does not travel past the end of life.
Worrying about family pride can take up a whole life, and it counts for nothing at the end.
Dunee-aa kay dokhay moo-aa: dying of the world's troubles. Chaalat kul kee kaan: living by what the family name demands.
Masaan is the cremation ground, where the body is laid at the end. Tab kul kis kaa laajsee: whose family is shamed then? Kabir asks whose family honor counts there.
A Question to Sit With
How much do you let worry about appearances steer you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
Use ← → to navigate