Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 34 — fine clothes, empty hands
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: some people wear bright, fancy clothes and chew betel leaf and betel nut as a treat.
But without the Naam of the One, they are tied up and led away to the city of death.
Fine clothes and treats cannot set you free; the Naam of the One can.
Kabir pictures people in oojal kaapray, bright, showy clothes. They chew paan supaaree, betel leaf and nut, a treat people enjoyed after meals. The clothes and treats are not bad in themselves.
But without aykas har kay naam, the Naam of the One, such people are baadhay, tied up, and taken to jam pur, the city of death. That is Kabir's strong picture for a life that ends with nothing it can carry along.
Think of a kid with the newest sneakers who still feels lonely inside. The shine stays on the outside. The Naam reaches the heart.
What is something you enjoy that you know you cannot keep forever?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI