Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You pluck leaves to offer at a stone statue — but every single leaf you tear is alive.
And the stone you're offering them to has no life in it at all.
This one says the holy is alive, right in the living leaf in your hand.
Kabir speaks to a maalin, a gardener. She is picking leaves to offer at a stone statue. Kabir notices something upside down. Paatee paatee jee-o — in every single leaf there is life. But the stone she offers them to has no life in it at all.
So living things are being harmed to serve something that is not alive. Kabir is not making fun of anyone's worship. He wants to turn our love and respect toward what is living.
Think of a child who picks every flower in the garden to make a card for Mom. The love is real. But Mom would be just as happy to see the flowers still growing. The One is alive. Every leaf and every creature is where the holy shows up.
Where do you notice life and wonder most — in objects, or in living, growing things?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI