Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 40 — like a snake sheds its skin
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: do not be proud when you look at how beautiful your body is.
Today or tomorrow you will leave it behind, the way a snake slips out of its old skin.
One day you will leave this body behind, so do not be proud of it.
Kabir warns against garab, pride, when you look at how surang, how beautiful, your body is. Aaj kaalih, today or tomorrow, you will leave it.
The picture is the bhuyang, the snake, slipping out of its kaanchuree, its old skin. The snake moves on, and the old skin is left lying on the ground.
Think of outgrowing your favorite jacket. It served you well, and one day it no longer fits. You can take good care of your body and still remember that you will leave it behind.
How does it feel to think of your body as something you will one day leave behind?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI