Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Instead of a beggar's patched coat, the true seeker wears wisdom; instead of a needle, they use deep attention.
They sew their life together with the thread of the wise Word, and walk the good path.
Kabir gets playful and precise, taking each piece of the Yogi's traditional gear and replacing it with an inner quality. The Yogi wears a patched coat? — the true seeker's coat is wisdom. Sews it with a needle? — the needle is deep meditation, and the thread is the wise Word (Shabad). Sits on a deer-skin? — sits instead on mastery of the five elements. Every outer prop becomes an inner virtue. The message for a child is delightful and clear: you don't need any special gear or costume to live a deep, good life. The only 'equipment' that matters is wisdom, attention, and truth — and those you carry inside you, always.
If good qualities were your 'gear,' which ones would you most want to carry everywhere?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI