Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
No one is stronger than this snake, Maya, the glittering pull.
It has fooled even the greatest and mightiest beings in the old stories.
This one says the pull of wanting is very strong, strong enough to fool even the greatest.
Kabir pictures Maya as a she-snake. Maya is the glittering, grabbing pull that makes us want more and more. He says no one is stronger than she is. She fooled even Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the mightiest gods of the old stories.
He is being honest about how strong the tug of wanting really is. It is not a small thing you can brush off. Think of a game made to keep you playing "just one more round." Even very smart grown-ups get caught by it.
Kabir does not say this to make you feel hopeless. He says it so you take the pull seriously. Then, over the song, he shows the surprise: its power is not real power, and a clear heart can master it.
What's a pull or temptation that's surprisingly strong, even for grown-ups?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI