Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The fifty-two letters of the alphabet can be joined together to make every word there is — and yet, with all those words, people still often miss the one thing worth knowing: the living reality of the One that no single word can fully hold.
So the truest word is spoken from a settled, fearless heart. It's good to be learned and to know how to put letters and ideas together — that's a fine skill. But the deepest wisdom isn't about stacking up clever words; it's about really understanding the heart of things. And in the end, each person understands as far as the wisdom that has grown inside them allows. Keep growing yours.
This closing pauri of the acrostic reflects on the whole enterprise. baavan akhar joray aan — the fifty-two letters (baavan akhar — the name of the whole composition) are strung together to form all speech; saki-aa na akhar ayk pachhaan — yet people cannot recognize the ayk akhar, the "One Word/Letter" — the imperishable One that no combination of letters can capture. sat kaa sabad kabeeraa kahai — Kabir speaks the Shabad, the Word of Truth. pandit ho-ay so anbhai rahai — the true scholar (pandit) abides anbhai — fearless. The gentle distinction that follows honors learning while pointing past it: pandit logah ka-o bi-uhaar — joining letters is the scholar's craft; gi-aanvant ka-o tat beechaar — the wise one contemplates the tat — the essence. The generous, non-judgmental close: jaa kai jee-a jaisee budh ho-ee — each understands according to the budh (wisdom) grown within their own being. Kabir does not shame the learned; he simply invites everyone deeper — beyond words to the reality words point toward.
What's something you truly understand deep down that would be hard to fully explain with words alone?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI