Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Where has the player gone — the one who made this body its home and made it all move?
When it leaves, the words and thoughts stop; the life that powered everything is drawn away.
Kabir extends the wondering: the living presence was like a player who made this body-temple its home and made everything work — and when it departs, no more stories, words, or understanding are produced; the power is drained off. His image of the soul as the player (a musician, an actor) animating the body is beautiful: while the player is present, there's music and speech and thought; when the player leaves, the instrument falls silent. It's a way of seeing that you are not the body — you are the player. The body is the instrument you play for a while. This gently loosens the fear of death: what's truly you is the player, not the instrument that eventually falls quiet.
If you're the 'player' and your body is the instrument, what does that say about the real you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI