Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sitting in his den, a lion rolls betel leaves, and a muskrat brings the nuts.
A mouse goes door to door singing songs of joy, and a turtle blows a conch shell!
This one is about how, in a woken-up heart, the fierce grow gentle.
Kabir piles on more upside-down pictures. Baith singh ghar paan lagaavai — a lion sits in his den rolling betel leaves, a small snack people share with guests. A muskrat fetches the nuts. Ghar ghar musree mangal gaavahi — a mouse goes house to house singing songs of joy. Kachhoo-aa sankh bajaavai — and a turtle blows a conch shell.
Fierce animals do gentle chores. The smallest creatures make the music. The whole order of nature is flipped.
Each picture hints at the same thing. Inside a heart that has woken up, the usual rules turn around. The fierce become gentle. The small become singers. The shy become bold.
Think of the shyest kid in class who one day stands up and sings a solo. Waking up to the One can turn you inside out like that. It makes possible what the ordinary world says can't happen.
Don't try to solve these riddles like math problems. Let them stretch your sense of what is possible.
Can you think of someone who changed so much they seemed almost like a different person?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI