Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says, listen closely: a tiny ant has swallowed a whole mountain!
The turtle says, "I want a burning coal too!"
This is the mystery the deep inner Word is pointing at — listen for it.
This one is about a small, humble heart holding something huge.
Kahat kabeer sunhu ray santahu keetee parbat khaa-i-aa — Kabir says, listen, good people: the ant has eaten the mountain!
The tiniest creature swallows the biggest thing. It is impossible. Yet it is exactly what happens when a small, humble heart takes in the great truth of the One. The little one holds the huge one.
Then the turtle asks for a burning coal too, one more upside-down picture to wonder at.
And Kabir tells you straight out what he has been doing. Lookee sabad sunaa-i-aa — I have shared the hidden mystery of the Shabad. The "Shabad" is the Word, the deep inner truth. These riddles are not nonsense. They point to that truth, which can't be said plainly.
Think of a tiny seed that holds a whole tree inside it. The whole poem is a gift of wonder. The ant eating the mountain and the enemies singing together are pictures of what love and waking up can do inside you. Stay curious, and listen for the mystery.
How can something small — like a humble heart — hold something as big as the whole truth?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI