Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 33 — the touchstone of the One
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: the Lord has a testing stone, like the stone used to test gold, and no one who is false can stand up to it.
Only the one who has let the proud self die while still alive can pass the Lord's test.
Nothing false passes the One's test; a heart that has let go of pride does.
A kasa-utee is a touchstone, a dark stone that goldsmiths rub gold against to see if it is pure. Kabir says the jhoothaa, the false, cannot stand up to the touchstone of raam, the One.
Who can? The one who is mar jeevaa: dead while still alive. This does not mean the body dies. It means the proud, showing-off self has stopped running the show, while the person goes on living, kind and awake.
Think of a coin painted gold. It shines until someone rubs it on the stone. A coin that is gold all the way through has nothing to fear from the test.
What is one way you could let go of showing off today?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI