Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
They keep doing harm while calling themselves 'too pure to touch anything.'
All that pride just keeps them wandering in circles, and it drags their families down too.
Being proud of how pure you are is its own way of getting it wrong.
Mukhahu apras kahaaveh — they call themselves apras, "touch-nothing" saints. They are proud of never touching anything they think is impure. Yet sadaa fireh apraadhee — they keep doing wrong.
Kabir says the deepest problem is not their fussy rules. It is the pride underneath: abhimaanee, full of themselves, sure they are holier than everyone else. Sadaa sadaa fireh — that pride keeps them wandering in circles, never arriving.
And pride spreads. Sagal kutamb dubaaveh — it drags their whole family down too. Think of a kid who brags about never making mistakes. They stop learning, and the people around them feel small. Real goodness is humble and warm, never smug.
Why does being smug about being 'better' than others actually make someone worse, not better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI