Verse 267 of 450
Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 209 (Mehl 5) — the barking dog, and the True Guru who frees
ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ॥
mehlaa 5.
Fifth Mehl:
ਕਬੀਰ ਕੂਕਰੁ ਭਉਕਨਾ ਕਰੰਗ ਪਿਛੈ ਉਠਿ ਧਾਇ ॥
kabeer kookar bha-ukanaa karang pichhai uth Dhaa-ay.
Kabir, the mortal is a barking dog, chasing after a carcass.
ਕਰਮੀ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਪਾਇਆ ਜਿਨਿ ਹਉ ਲੀਆ ਛਡਾਇ ॥੨੦੯॥
karmee satgur paa-i-aa jin ha-o lee-aa chhadaa-ay. ||209||
By the Grace of good karma, I have found the True Guru, who has saved me. ||209||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: a person is like a barking dog, running after the body of a dead animal.
By grace, by good karma, I have found the True Guru, who has set me free.
The True Guru frees the mind from chasing what is dead.
A mind that chases dead things is set free by meeting the True Guru.
These lines are by Guru Arjan, placed among Kabir's saloks and spoken in Kabir's name. Kookar bha-ukanaa: a barking dog. Karang pichhai uth Dhaa-ay: it jumps up and runs after a carcass, the way a mind runs after things that cannot feed it. Karmee satgur paa-i-aa: karmee often means by grace, so the True Guru is found as a gift. Jin ha-o lee-aa chhadaa-ay: who has freed me.
A Question to Sit With
What has your mind been chasing that never quite fills you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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