Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I've looked through all the great books, and not one of them can save you by itself.
Kabir says: love the One with your whole heart — that's what frees you from the endless circling.
Kabir ends with surprising honesty: even holy books cannot save you by themselves. Loving the One does.
Bayd puraan simrit sabh khojay — I have searched all the Vedas, Puraanas and Simritees, the great ancient holy books. Kahoo na oobarnaa — none of them can save anyone. These words come from a poet whose own hymns became scripture, which makes them even more striking. The point is not against any book. Reading about the One is simply not the same as loving the One.
Kaho kabeer i-o raameh jampa-o — says Kabir, remember the One like this. Then mayt janam marnaa — the circle of birth and death is wiped away. Think of reading every book about swimming and never getting in the water. Only getting in teaches you to swim.
So the poem closes well. The holy, the learned and the powerful all end the same. Even the scriptures cannot rescue you. But a heart that truly loves the One is free. Not knowing about the One — loving the One.
What's the difference between knowing about something good and truly loving and living it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI