Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 193 — struck by the True Guru's arrow
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: I have become like someone who cannot speak, out of my mind, and my ears cannot hear.
My legs can no longer carry me — the True Guru has shot me with an arrow.
Love for the Guru can strike so hard that everything goes still.
Kabir uses a surprising picture. He says he has become like someone who cannot speak, cannot hear, and cannot walk. Why? Maari-aa satgur baan — the True Guru has shot him with an arrow. The Guru is the teacher who shows the way to the One.
This arrow is a picture of love, not of hurting. Think of hearing a song so beautiful that you just stand there. You stop talking. You stop fidgeting. The busy chatter in your head goes quiet. That is the stillness Kabir means.
When has something so beautiful left you speechless?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI